How to Fix Email Deliverability Issues

If your emails are landing in spam folders, being rejected, or not arriving at all, the problem is usually one of three things: missing DNS authentication records, a blacklisted IP, or poor sending practices. This guide walks through each cause and how to fix it.

Step 1: Check Your DNS Authentication Records

The three records that prove to receiving mail servers that you are a legitimate sender are SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. Missing or misconfigured records are the most common cause of deliverability problems.

SPF (Sender Policy Framework)

SPF tells receiving servers which IP addresses are allowed to send email on behalf of your domain.

1. In cPanel, go to Email > Email Deliverability.
2. Find your domain and check the SPF row.
3. If it shows a warning, click Repair to let cPanel add the correct record automatically.

Your SPF record should look something like:

v=spf1 +a +mx +ip4:YOUR.SERVER.IP ~all

DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail)

DKIM adds a cryptographic signature to your outgoing emails so receivers can verify they haven't been tampered with.

1. In cPanel, go to Email > Email Deliverability.
2. Check the DKIM row for your domain.
3. If it shows a warning, click Repair.
4. If you manage your DNS externally (e.g. Cloudflare), copy the DKIM TXT record shown and add it to your DNS manually.

DMARC

DMARC instructs receiving servers what to do when SPF or DKIM checks fail.

Add a DMARC record via cPanel > Zone Editor:

• Name: _dmarc.yourdomain.com
• Type: TXT
• Value: v=DMARC1; p=quarantine; rua=mailto:postmaster@yourdomain.com

Step 2: Check If Your IP Is Blacklisted

1. Find your server's IP address in cPanel under General Information (right-hand sidebar).
2. Check it against major blacklists at MXToolbox: go to mxtoolbox.com/blacklists.aspx and enter your IP.
3. If your IP is listed, click the blacklist name for removal instructions. Most require a removal request form.
4. If the IP is heavily blacklisted, contact our support team — we may be able to assign you a different outgoing IP.

Step 3: Review Your Email Content

Spam filters score emails based on content. Common triggers include:

• Excessive use of capitals or exclamation marks in the subject line.
• Spam trigger words (e.g. "free", "guaranteed", "no risk", "winner").
• HTML emails with a very low text-to-image ratio.
• Missing plain-text alternative to the HTML version.
• Links to domains with a poor reputation.

Use a free tool like Mail Tester (mail-tester.com) to send a test email and get a spam score with specific recommendations.

Step 4: Check Sending Limits

Shared hosting accounts have per-hour sending limits to prevent abuse. If you are sending bulk email:

• Use a dedicated transactional email service (e.g. Brevo, Mailgun, Postmark) via SMTP — not the server's own mail system.
• For newsletters, use a dedicated platform (e.g. Mailchimp, MailerLite).

See our guide How to Configure WordPress to Send Email via SMTP for instructions on routing WordPress mail through an external service.

Step 5: Verify Your Reverse DNS (PTR) Record

A reverse DNS record maps your server IP back to your domain name. Many mail servers reject email from IPs without a valid PTR record. This is set at the server level — open a ticket and ask us to check that the PTR record for your IP points to the correct hostname.

Quick Checklist

• SPF record present and valid
• DKIM enabled and key added to DNS
• DMARC record added
• Server IP not blacklisted
• Email content reviewed for spam triggers
• Not exceeding sending limits
• PTR/reverse DNS configured

If you've worked through this list and emails are still not delivering, contact our support team with details of the bounce messages or rejections you're seeing.