Ensure Inbox Success with Litmus Spam Test

For those among the 55% of marketers leveraging marketing emails, ensuring these communications are delivered is crucial. However, over 14% of these emails fail to reach the inbox.

This factor

significantly influences

lifecycle marketing

. Utilizing Litmus’ Spam Testing can advance your strategy by highlighting and resolving potential inbox barriers before you send out emails.

Read ahead to understand which factors impact email deliverability and why consistent spam testing is vital for achieving optimal inbox placement.

Contents Overview

Influences on Email Deliverability

Several key

factors influence whether emails land in the inbox

. These include email authentication, sender reputation, and content quality.

Litmus’ Pre-Send Spam Test aids in identifying issues to correct them promptly. Let’s explore the main testing filters and their significance.

Understanding Email Authentication

Email authentication is critical in verifying the legitimacy of emails, preventing phishing attempts and scams.

Our spam test evaluates these key authentication methods:

• DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM):
  Validates your email’s association with your domain, bolstering your responsibility claim.
• Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance (DMARC):
  Detects fraudulent attempts to mimic your email identity.
• 
  List-Unsubscribe:
  
  Provides a consistent unsubscribe option for recipients.
• Sender Policy Framework (SPF):
  Allows domain owners to authorize domains or IPs allowed to send mail on their behalf.
• TLS/STARTTLS/Opportunistic TLS:
  Encrypts emails during transmission for security.
• 
  Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI):
  
  Enhances brand recognition by displaying a trusted logo in inboxes.

Navigating Placement Filters

Placement filters scrutinize emails for engagement, reputation, authentication, and formatting, not just spam-trigger keywords.

Litmus Spam Testing measures your email against such placement filters as:

• AOL Mail
• Gmail
• GMX
• GoDaddy
• G Suite
• Mail.com
• Mail.ru
• Office 365
• Outlook
• Web.de
• Yahoo

Deciphering Score Filters

Spam filter tools estimate the probability of an email landing in a spam folder. Our test considers various platforms including:

• Barracuda:
  Utilized by large organizations, it’s an advanced anti-spam and email analysis tool.
• Microsoft Exchange Online Protection:
  Utilizes spam filters and malware detection.
• Outlook Desktop:
  Integrates a learning junk email filter to identify spam over time.
• SpamAssassin:
  Open-source spam filter employing multiple analysis techniques for email evaluation.

Exploring Blocklist Filters

Blocklists track IP senders suspected of spamming, impacting email placements significantly.

Understanding the Importance of Spam Testing

Visual inspection doesn’t determine if an email will end up in spam folders. Meeting updated spam filter criteria is essential.

Since 2024,

Google

has continually refined its sender guidelines to enhance Gmail message delivery, preventing message limitations, blocking, or spam markings.

The Damage of Spam Folder Placement

64% of email marketers consider email vital for their strategy. Ending up in the spam folder means missing valuable marketing opportunities.

Safeguard Email Deliverability and Reputation

Spam tests allow for error identifications. Addressing these ensures enhanced email deliverability and a reputable sender image.

Creating Eager Subscribers

Drive subscriber engagement to show inbox providers your messages are desired, fostering trust and prioritizing inbox placement.

Rationale for Frequent Spam Tests

Regular spam filter and email client updates may go unnoticed. An email spam test ensures you remain informed.

Perform email checks often

Reaching the spam folder negatively impacts your marketing, reputation, and overall effort investments, resulting in wasted resources and potential revenue loss.

Delving Into Litmus Spam Testing

Litmus Spam Testing evaluates emails against numerous tests, providing actionable insights to fix potential issues for optimal deliverability.

Embarking on Litmus Spam Testing

Available on Litmus Plus and Enterprise plans, spam tests can be conducted manually, via ESP sync, or automatically.

Conducting a Manual Spam Test

Steps to perform a comprehensive spam test encompass:

1. Access the “Test” tab after logging in.
2. Use the slider menu to select “View and create spam tests.”
3. Initiate a new test or review recent results.

ESP Sync for Swift Testing

Using

ESP Sync

facilitates faster testing by integrating drafted emails for analysis.

Running an Abbreviated Spam Test

Sending a test email to Litmus triggers a brief spam test, scanning for critical issues.

Simply dispatch your email using your Litmus test address, and access the Previews & QA results to view insights on DKIM, DMARC, SPF, and blocklist outcomes.

The shortened test method highlights crucial errors, optimal for time-pressed marketing teams.

Maximize Email Impact

Improve deliverability by testing emails against diverse spam filters and verifying authentications.

Explore our spam tester

Deciphering Litmus Spam Test Outcomes

After executing a spam test, a summary of results allows for further analysis of the identified issues.

Green Square: Passed

Success! Go ahead with your campaign if a green square appears.

Yellow Square: Minor Concern

A yellow square signals minor issues worth monitoring, though not preventing immediate sending.

Red Square: Critical Issue

Red indicates serious issues. Review action recommendations and consult your email infrastructure manager to resolve these before continuing.

Non-receipt of test results suggests issues we can help

troubleshoot

.

Proactively Rectify Errors for Inbox Success

Incorporate regular spam testing into your email workflows to optimize campaign performance.

Try Litmus Spam Testing

for free and explore more

Email Marketing tips and strategies

.