Troubleshooting - Sudden huge spike in spam flagging for GMail

[BonniePrejean]

Looking for some insight. We were recently hitting customer inboxes at 100% in Gmail, there's been a sudden nosedive to 50% of our emails hitting inboxes. We send from a dedicated IP that is DMARC Compliant, and we are on no Block Lists. We are one-click unsubscribe compliant as well, and all of our sends are from monitored inboxes (no noreply).

What could be the cause for the sudden drop?

We aren't hitting inboxes for Outlook either - but that has been an ongoing issue that we're trying to resolve with them.

[Darshil_Shah1]

Well, you can check for below:

• Gmail weighs engagement heavily. If recent sends saw lower open/click rates, Gmail may have deprioritized your emails, even without spam complaints.

• Did you send to colder leads, re-engagement lists, or tweak subject lines/templates recently? Albeit, sends are sensitive to small shifts in audience quality or copy.

• Sudden increases in volume or frequency (even legitimate ones) can trip Gmail’s algorithms, especially from a Marketo dedicated IP that's still building or maintaining a reputation.

• Sometimes logic changes in Smart Lists unintentionally widen the net to include unengaged leads, which can drag down sender reputation fast.

Some quick tips below:

• Narrow targeting to high-engagement leads temporarily

• Revert to content (or type of content) that previously drove solid engagement

• Pause sends to cold or inactive leads

• Review Smart List filters and segmentation logic

• Consider warming the IP again if volume dropped and then spiked

Hopefully, this is helpful. Please let us know if you have any further questions.

[beth-corby]

Know that this isn’t a one-size-fits-all situation. Deliverability issues can come from a mix of factors, like:

• Lower engagement or sending to unengaged lists
• Hitting spam traps
• Changes in Gmail algorithms
• Shifts in content or send patterns

You can start by checking Google Postmaster Tools, running inbox placement tests, and reviewing your DNS and authentication settings. Small changes can have a big impact. Happy to dive deeper if it helps!