How to Check If Your Business Emails Are Going to Spam...

If you're sending emails from your business address and not getting replies, the problem might not be your subject line or your offer. It might be that your emails aren't reaching the inbox at all.

Spam filters have gotten more aggressive over the past few years, and most small business owners have no idea whether their emails are landing in the inbox, the promotions tab, or straight in the spam folder.

Here's how to find out, and what to do about it.

Step 1: Send a test email to Mail Tester

Go to mail-tester.com. The site gives you a temporary email address. Send a real email from your business address to that temporary address, then go back to the site and check your score.

You'll get a rating out of 10. Anything below a 7 means you likely have deliverability issues. The report breaks down exactly what's wrong: missing SPF records, DKIM not configured, your domain flagged on a blacklist, etc.

This takes about 90 seconds and gives you more actionable information than most people get from an entire marketing audit.

Step 2: Check your domain's DNS records

Most email deliverability problems come down to three things: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. These are DNS records that tell email providers your messages are legitimate.

SPF (Sender Policy Framework) tells receiving servers which mail servers are authorized to send email on behalf of your domain. If it's missing or misconfigured, your emails are more likely to be flagged.

DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) adds a digital signature to your emails that proves they haven't been tampered with in transit.

DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) ties SPF and DKIM together and tells receiving servers what to do if a message fails authentication.

If you're using Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, or any major email provider, these records should be set up, but they often aren't, especially if the domain was configured quickly or by someone who didn't know to check.

Step 3: Check if your domain is blacklisted

Go to mxtoolbox.com/blacklists.aspx and enter your domain. This checks your domain against dozens of known email blacklists. If you show up on any of them, that's a significant problem, and it's fixable, but it requires action.

Blacklisting can happen if your domain was previously used for spam, if your email account was compromised, or even if you share an IP with another sender who has a bad reputation (common with shared hosting).

Step 4: Review your sending patterns

Even with perfect technical setup, your sending behavior matters. If you're sending large batches of emails from a new domain, or if your emails consistently go unopened, email providers will start deprioritizing your messages.

Best practices:

• •Warm up new domains gradually (don't send 500 emails on day one)
• •Keep your contact list clean and remove bounced addresses
• •Avoid spam trigger words in subject lines (but this matters less than people think)
• •Make sure every email has a clear unsubscribe option if you're sending marketing content

The honest reality

Most small business owners never check any of this. They assume their emails are being delivered because they're being sent. But "sent" and "delivered to inbox" are two very different things.

If you've been emailing potential clients, following up on leads, or sending proposals and hearing nothing back, it's worth 10 minutes to find out whether the problem is your message or your deliverability.

Robinson House Company works with local businesses in the Grand Strand and beyond to improve visibility, tighten operations, and uncover practical opportunities for growth. Learn more at robinsonhousecompany.com.