Start by checking the sender address
Confirm you're sending from the address customers expect. A professional domain address can build trust, but a custom domain alone won't guarantee inbox placement. Verify that replies go to a mailbox you actually monitor.
Understand SPF, DKIM and DMARC
SPF identifies servers authorized to send for your domain. DKIM adds a cryptographic signature to messages. DMARC tells receiving systems how to handle messages that fail alignment checks and can provide reports. Your email provider should supply the exact DNS records; copying generic records from a blog can break delivery.
Avoid conflicting DNS records
A domain should normally have one SPF TXT record that combines authorized services, not several competing SPF records. Configure DKIM for each sending provider and introduce DMARC with a policy appropriate to your setup. Test before enforcing stricter rejection.
Check sending behavior and reputation
Sending large batches from a new address, using purchased lists, or getting many complaints can hurt reputation. Send wanted messages, use accurate subjects, and make marketing unsubscribe easy. For transactional emails, keep the content relevant and recognizable.
Test with real inboxes
Send test messages to a few major email providers and check spam folders, message headers and authentication results. A successful send from your website only proves the form submitted; it doesn't prove the recipient received it in the inbox.
Make customer inquiries harder to miss
Set up a monitored inbox, alerts, and a clear follow-up process. If a website form uses a third-party service, confirm its verification steps, notification settings and spam controls. Don't publish private customer details in logs.
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