Salesforce Emails Going to Spam: Complete 2025 Deliverability Guide

Introduction

Ever sent an important email and wondered why no one replied? Chances are, it never made it to the inbox. Here’s a telling insight: email marketing is 40 times more effective at winning new customers than Facebook and Twitter combined. That shows just how powerful a well-delivered message can be. But it’s all for nothing if your email never reaches the inbox.

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For Salesforce users, this can feel even worse. You rely on your CRM to connect with the right people, but poor Salesforce email deliverability means your campaigns might never be seen. The good news is that this problem has a fix.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through simple ways to improve deliverability, avoid spam folders, and meet Gmail and Yahoo’s 2025–2026 sender rules. And if you’d rather have an easy, done-for-you solution, MassMailer helps you set up email authentication, manage deliverability, and keep your emails out of spam, all inside Salesforce.

Why Salesforce Emails Land in Spam

If your Salesforce emails keep landing in spam, it’s often not because of the content you wrote. The real issue is usually how your emails are sent and set up. Let’s look at the main reasons this happens and how to fix them.

Authentication Gaps (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)

Email providers like Gmail and Yahoo use authentication records to verify your emails are safe. Without these, your messages look suspicious and often go straight to spam.

• Add a Sender Policy Framework (SPF) record to your DNS to show Salesforce can send emails for your domain.
• Set up DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) to prove your emails weren’t altered.
• Use DMARC to enforce authentication rules and track delivery issues.

Salesforce Sending Mechanism Issues

Salesforce often sends emails from shared IP addresses. If someone else using the same IP has poor practices, your messages can suffer.

• Move to a dedicated IP for better control over your sender reputation.
• Set up a custom domain for sending emails to match your brand and improve trust.
• Use Salesforce’s Email Relay to send through your own mail server for full control.

Technical Configuration Flaws

Even small mistakes in your DNS records, security settings, or compliance setup can seriously hurt your email deliverability.

• Double-check all DNS records for errors or missing entries.
• Turn on TLS encryption for added trust and security.
• Follow Salesforce’s security and compliance settings carefully.

Reputation Red Flags

Think of your domain’s reputation like a credit score. Poor engagement, blacklists, or spam complaints can hurt your deliverability.

• Regularly check if your domain or IP is on email blacklists.
• Remove inactive or bouncing contacts from your list.
• Start with smaller campaigns to warm up your domain reputation before sending to a large audience.

Most spam problems come down to authentication, technical setup, or sender reputation. Fixing these areas makes your emails trustworthy and helps your Salesforce campaigns get the attention they deserve.

2025–2026 Gmail & Yahoo Bulk-Sender Requirements

Starting in 2025, Gmail and Yahoo began enforcing strict rules for businesses that send large numbers of emails. These changes are designed to protect users from spam and phishing, but they also mean you need to be careful with how your emails are sent. Even if you are not sending more than 5,000 emails a day, following these rules will help you avoid deliverability problems and keep your messages out of spam folders.

SPF, DKIM, and DMARC Alignment Basics

All major email providers now require you to set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records to verify that your emails are safe and trustworthy. Adding an SPF record to your domain shows Gmail and Yahoo that Salesforce or your mail server is authorized to send messages on your behalf. 

Setting up DKIM adds a secure digital signature to every email, proving that your messages were not changed in transit. DMARC enforces these checks and gives you detailed reports about your email performance. 

MassMailer makes it simple to configure these authentication records correctly, so you do not have to worry about errors that could send your messages to spam.

One-Click Unsubscribe and 2-Day Processing Rules

Gmail and Yahoo now expect all senders to include a clear unsubscribe link in every marketing email, and they require you to process every unsubscribe request quickly. To stay compliant, include a visible one-click unsubscribe link in every message and use the List-Unsubscribe and List-Unsubscribe-Post headers to show email providers that you are a trusted sender. 

Make sure every unsubscribe request is honored within two business days to protect your domain reputation. With MassMailer, you can automate this process so that every opt-out is processed immediately and your subscriber lists stay accurate.

Spam Complaint Rate Thresholds and Monitoring

Your sender reputation depends heavily on how often people mark your emails as spam. Gmail and Yahoo recommend that complaint rates remain below 0.3 percent, which means you should not receive more than three spam reports per thousand messages. 

You can track this using Gmail Postmaster Tools, which shows how your emails perform with real users. Keeping your lists clean and sending only relevant content is the best way to avoid complaints. 

MassMailer makes this easier by helping you monitor engagement and remove unresponsive or high-risk contacts, so your campaigns reach only those who want to hear from you.

Salesforce Configuration Checklist

Salesforce has powerful email tools, but if you do not set them up correctly, your messages can easily land in spam. Use this checklist to make sure your Salesforce account is configured to send trusted, authenticated emails.

DKIM Keys, SPF Include Records, and DMARC Alignment

The first step is to set up proper authentication for your Salesforce emails. You can generate a DKIM key inside Salesforce and add it to your domain’s DNS records. This ensures your messages are signed and trusted by email providers. 

You should also add the Salesforce SPF include record, which tells Gmail and Yahoo that Salesforce is authorized to send email for your domain. Finally, add a DMARC record to monitor and enforce authentication. 

MassMailer simplifies this setup by guiding you through the correct DNS entries and testing them so your emails are fully authenticated.

Salesforce Deliverability and Security Compliance Settings

Salesforce has built-in deliverability and security settings that you need to review. Make sure you enable TLS encryption for all outgoing emails. Turn on bounce management so that Salesforce can track failed deliveries and keep your list clean. 

You should also review compliance settings, such as enabling a compliance BCC email and logging every message. MassMailer integrates with Salesforce and adds extra deliverability tools, giving you clear reports and alerts if there are any problems.

When (Not) to Ask Customers to Safelist You

Some businesses ask their customers to safelist their email address, but this is not a scalable or reliable way to improve deliverability. Instead of relying on customers to take action, you should focus on proper authentication and list management. 

Only ask for safelisting in rare cases, such as sending internal messages to your own employees or VIP clients. MassMailer helps you avoid these manual workarounds by making your emails trusted from the start.

Once your Salesforce account is set up with the right authentication, security, and compliance settings, you have a solid foundation for strong email deliverability. The next step is to fine-tune your sending practices and apply proven strategies to keep your campaigns out of spam. 

In the next section, we’ll cover actionable best practices to help you get there, with MassMailer making these steps easier and faster to implement.

Best Practice Fixes for Deliverability in Salesforce

Once your Salesforce account is set up correctly, these best practices will help you improve inbox placement, reduce spam risks, and build a strong sender reputation.

Proper Implementation of SPF, DKIM, and DMARC

• Review your SPF record to ensure all authorized sending services are included and properly configured.
• Confirm your DKIM setup is correct so every email you send has a valid digital signature that proves authenticity.
• Set up a DMARC policy that enforces authentication and provides regular reports to identify and fix problems early.
• Use MassMailer to scan your DNS records, identify missing entries, and fix authentication issues quickly.

Configure a Dedicated Email Relay or SMTP Server

• Switch from Salesforce’s shared infrastructure to a dedicated email relay or SMTP server to have more control over your email reputation.
• A dedicated sending setup ensures that your emails are not affected by other senders using the same IP address.
• Monitoring your dedicated email server allows you to optimize performance and maintain consistent inbox placement.
• MassMailer makes it easy to configure dedicated infrastructure for your Salesforce campaigns, helping your emails gain trust from Gmail, Yahoo, and other providers.

Strengthen Salesforce Security and Sender Policies

• Turn on TLS encryption for all outgoing emails to protect your data and build trust with email providers.
• Restrict access to bulk sending permissions in Salesforce to limit the risk of sending errors or phishing attempts.
• Regularly review and update security settings to ensure compliance and maintain a positive sender reputation.
• MassMailer provides built-in tools to track sender health and alert you to potential risks before they impact your deliverability.

These best practices are essential to improving Salesforce email deliverability and protecting your sender reputation. MassMailer helps you apply these strategies faster and with less effort, so you can focus on your campaigns instead of technical setup.

Infrastructure That Improves Inbox Placement

The way you set up your email infrastructure has a direct impact on whether your Salesforce campaigns land in inboxes or spam. A strong foundation builds trust with Gmail, Yahoo, and other providers while protecting your sender reputation. Here’s how to get it right.

Start with a Subdomain and a Custom Return Path

One of the easiest ways to protect your main domain’s reputation is to send marketing emails from a dedicated subdomain, such as mail.yourcompany.com. A custom return-path domain also ensures that bounced messages and delivery errors are tracked under your own brand instead of Salesforce’s shared servers. This small change gives your emails a consistent identity and improves deliverability.

Choose Between a Dedicated or Shared IP Address

Your IP address is like your online credit score. If you send high volumes of email, a dedicated IP address is best because it gives you full control over your reputation. Smaller senders can use high-quality shared IP pools, but it’s important to work with a trusted provider. With MassMailer, you can choose either option and have confidence that your Salesforce campaigns are being sent from a reliable source.

Warm Up New Domains and IPs Gradually

When you start sending from a new domain or IP, avoid sending thousands of emails all at once. Instead, build your reputation slowly by sending it to your most engaged contacts first. Positive engagement signals, like opens and clicks, show inbox providers that your messages are wanted. MassMailer provides automated reports and step-by-step guidance to make domain and IP warming easier.

Get Ready for BIMI to Build Trust

Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI) is becoming an important trust signal. It allows your logo to show up next to your emails in inboxes, which can increase open rates and reassure recipients. To enable BIMI, you’ll need SPF, DKIM, and DMARC properly configured and a verified logo that meets mailbox provider requirements. MassMailer helps verify your BIMI readiness so your Salesforce campaigns stand out and look trustworthy.

Why this matters:

A well-structured sending setup is a key part of Salesforce email deliverability. By investing in infrastructure, like a subdomain, custom return-path, warmed IPs, and BIMI, you send a clear message to inbox providers that your emails are safe. MassMailer simplifies this technical process so you can focus on strategy, not troubleshooting.

Compliance, Preferences & Data Hygiene

Good email deliverability is not just about technology. It also depends on trust. Inbox providers like Gmail and Yahoo are more likely to deliver your emails when you follow the rules, respect your subscribers, and keep your lists clean. These steps will help you build a strong reputation and make your Salesforce campaigns more effective.

Create a Transparent Preference Center

A preference center is more than an unsubscribe button. It gives your subscribers the ability to choose what type of content they want and how often they want to hear from you. When people feel in control, they are less likely to mark your emails as spam. Keep your preference center simple, mobile-friendly, and easy to find in every message.

Collect and Store Proof of Consent

Privacy laws like GDPR and CAN-SPAM require that you have proof of every person who agreed to receive your emails. Salesforce makes it easy to record opt-ins and store this information for audits. Keeping accurate consent records not only protects you from legal trouble but also shows inbox providers that your messages are trustworthy.

Use a Sunset Policy to Protect Your Reputation

If someone has not opened or clicked an email from you in months, it may be time to stop sending to them. A sunset policy sets a clear limit for when to pause or remove inactive contacts. This helps you avoid spam complaints and improves engagement with your active audience. Review your email lists every few months to remove contacts who no longer interact with your content.

Validate and Clean Your Lists Regularly

Over time, email lists collect invalid addresses, typos, and even spam traps that can harm your deliverability. Regularly cleaning and validating your lists helps you catch these problems early. This improves inbox placement, protects your domain reputation, and saves you money by reducing emails that go nowhere.

Make Unsubscribing Effortless

When people can easily unsubscribe, they are less likely to report your emails as spam. Add a clear, one-click unsubscribe link to every message and process requests quickly. A simple opt-out process builds trust and makes your audience more likely to stay engaged.

Why this matters:

Respecting privacy, honoring user choices, and keeping your lists clean make your emails safer and more welcome. A trusted sender is always more likely to land in the inbox, and these practices create a solid foundation for better Salesforce email deliverability.

Optimizing Email Content & Engagement

Even with a perfect technical setup, your emails can still end up in spam if the content is poorly written or feels irrelevant. Email providers look at how people interact with your messages, so improving your content and engagement is key to getting better results. Here’s how to create emails that are safe, effective, and enjoyable to read.

Avoid Spam Trigger Words and Risky Phrases

Words like “Free,” “Urgent,” or “Act Now” in subject lines can trigger spam filters, especially when used too often. Instead of relying on hype, write subject lines that feel natural and match the content of your message. Keep them short, clear, and focused on value. A subject line like “Your Weekly Salesforce Tips” feels more trustworthy than “Act Now for Huge Savings.”

Use Clean HTML and Simple Layouts

Messy HTML code or overly complex email designs can cause deliverability problems. If your emails look different in every inbox or take too long to load, people may delete them. Use simple layouts that are easy to scan and avoid adding too many images or links. Always test your emails in multiple inboxes to make sure they display correctly.

Personalize Your Messages

People engage more with emails that feel personal. Use their name, reference past purchases or activity, and send recommendations that make sense for them. Segment your audience so each group receives messages that are relevant to their interests. This builds trust and improves open rates, which helps your sender reputation over time.

Send Content People Actually Want

Email providers notice when people open, click, and engage with your content. Focus on sending helpful resources, useful updates, or personalized offers that give your audience a reason to look forward to your emails. If your open rates drop, try sending fewer but higher-quality emails to re-engage your list.

Why this matters:

Strong email content tells inbox providers that your messages are worth delivering. When your audience consistently opens and clicks, you build a positive reputation, and your Salesforce campaigns are more likely to land in inboxes.

Deliverability Monitoring & Tool Stack

Good email deliverability is not a one-time setup. It needs regular monitoring to make sure your emails keep landing in inboxes. Tracking your performance and using the right tools helps you catch problems early and fix them before they hurt your campaigns.

Use Gmail Postmaster Tools and Yahoo Feedback Loops

Set up Gmail Postmaster Tools and Yahoo’s feedback loop to see how inbox providers view your emails. These free tools show your reputation score, spam complaint rates, and delivery errors. Checking them regularly helps you spot problems before they escalate.

Run Blacklist Checks and Monitor Domain Health

Being on a spam blacklist can cause your emails to be blocked or filtered out completely. Use blacklist monitoring tools to check your domain and IP reputation weekly. If you find your domain on a blacklist, take immediate action by cleaning your lists and reviewing your sending practices.

Track Engagement and Bounce Rates in Salesforce

Your bounce rate, open rate, and click-through rate are key deliverability signals. Salesforce gives you visibility into this data so you can quickly spot trends. If you see more bounces or less engagement, review your list quality and sending strategy.

Test Emails with Seed Lists

A seed list is a group of test inboxes that show where your email lands in different providers. Sending test emails before a big campaign helps you see if your message will go to spam. Make this a regular part of your campaign process to stay ahead of deliverability problems.

Why this matters:

Email deliverability is an ongoing process, not a one-time setup. By using the right tools and tracking performance regularly, you can spot problems early and keep your Salesforce campaigns performing at their best.

MassMailer – The Salesforce Deliverability Solution

If you’re looking for a simple way to send reliable emails directly from Salesforce without worrying about spam filters or technical issues, MassMailer is the all-in-one tool for you. It is built for Salesforce users and gives you everything you need to send, track, and optimize email campaigns right from your CRM.

Salesforce appexchange MassMailer listing view

Key Features to Highlight

• Built-In Email Authentication Setup: MassMailer helps you set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC correctly so your emails are verified and trusted by inbox providers. This eliminates guesswork and reduces delivery problems.
• Dedicated IP and Custom Domain Options: You can choose a dedicated IP address or set up a custom domain for sending emails, giving you full control over your sender reputation.
• Native Salesforce Integration: MassMailer is fully integrated with Salesforce, so you can send campaigns, drip emails, and transactional messages without leaving your CRM.
• Advanced Analytics and Bounce Management: Get detailed insights into delivery, opens, clicks, bounces, and unsubscribes. MassMailer automatically manages invalid emails to keep your lists clean.
• Inbox Placement Testing and Spam Score Checks: Test campaigns before sending to see how they perform in different inboxes, helping you fix issues before they hurt your results.
• Easy Setup and Enterprise Support: MassMailer is designed for busy teams, with quick setup and dedicated support to help you get started fast.

With these features, you can turn Salesforce into a powerful email platform without relying on external tools. Screenshots of campaign dashboards, analytics reports, and inbox testing tools will help readers see exactly how MassMailer simplifies deliverability.

Conclusion

Keeping your Salesforce emails out of spam is about more than just avoiding filters. It’s about building trust with your audience, staying compliant with new email rules, and sending content that people want to open. By setting up authentication, cleaning your lists, and tracking your performance, you create a strong foundation for better inbox placement and stronger engagement.

If you’re ready to simplify this process and get better results faster, MassMailer is built to make Salesforce email deliverability easy. From automated SPF, DKIM, and DMARC setup to list hygiene, bounce management, and inbox testing, it gives you everything you need in one tool.

Take the next step toward higher deliverability and more effective campaigns. Book a demo today and see how easy it is to keep your emails out of spam and in front of your customers.

FAQs:

1. How can I improve Salesforce email deliverability rates?

Improving deliverability starts with proper authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), using a dedicated sending domain, and maintaining good list hygiene. Segment your audience, send relevant content, and monitor sender reputation through Gmail Postmaster Tools to keep emails in inboxes.

2. What is the best Salesforce email authentication setup?

The best setup includes publishing an SPF record with Salesforce’s sending servers, enabling DKIM signing within Salesforce, and enforcing a DMARC policy. Combined, these settings verify your emails, prevent spoofing, and boost trust with email providers.

3. How do Gmail and Yahoo treat bulk email senders?

In 2025–2026, Gmail and Yahoo require bulk senders to use SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and include one-click unsubscribe links. Complaint rates should be under 0.3%, and domains should meet strict alignment requirements. These measures help ensure high deliverability.

4. What steps help avoid spam traps and reduce bounces?

Validate email addresses regularly, use double opt-ins, and remove inactive contacts with a sunset policy. Avoid purchasing lists and monitor bounce reports closely to protect your sender reputation.

5. How do I warm up a new sending domain or IP for Salesforce emails?

Start with small campaigns targeting highly engaged users, then increase volume weekly while tracking complaints and engagement rates. This process builds trust with email providers and stabilizes inbox placement.

6. Which tools help monitor Salesforce email reputation and performance?

Use Gmail Postmaster Tools, Yahoo’s Complaint Feedback Loop, and blacklist checkers to monitor domain health and spam complaints. Salesforce reports and seed testing tools also help track inbox placement and engagement trends.