Why is Gmail blocking my emails? How to prevent it

Why is Gmail blocking emails?

So you’re frustrated with blocked emails on Gmail. We get it! Here are a few reasons why this might be happening:

• Your email contains too many images

• Your email contains an unapproved attachment type

• Your email doesn’t have a subject line

• Your email contains unapproved HTML

• Your email contains a virus

• Your IP address is on a blocklist

• You have a bad IP reputation or sender reputation

• You have a high bounce rate

Let’s look at each of these in detail.

Your email contains too many images.

Gmail imposes a limit of 25Mb per image and 100 images per email. If you include multiple images, try to reduce the number to keep your email under the limit. Besides, emails with a high number of images might get flagged as spam. If you’re not a spammer, avoid sending out spammy-looking content! Otherwise, you might land in Gmail’s spam folder.

Your email contains an unapproved attachment type.

Gmail doesn't allow certain types of attachments, like .exe files and .zip files. If you're trying to include an attachment that's not allowed, you'll need to find another way to send it.

Your email doesn’t have a subject line.

If your email is missing a subject, Gmail will automatically block it. This is because emails without subject lines are often spam emails. Fix your subject lines to dodge the spam filter. Check out our tools to make sure your subject lines pass muster!

Your email contains unapproved HTML.

Gmail doesn't allow certain types of HTML in emails, including:

• Javascript

• ActiveX controls

• Flash

If your email contains HTML that's not allowed, try removing it and resending the email.

Your email contains a virus.

Gmail has a built-in virus scanner that will block emails that contain viruses. If your email is being blocked because it contains a virus, you'll need to remove it before sending the email.

Your server’s IP address is on a blocklist.

If you’ve ended up on Gmail’s blocklist, your message might be blocked by Gmail. Learn more about blocklists, delist your IP address if you’ve landed on a blocklist.

You have a bad IP reputation or sender reputation.

If you’ve been acting like a spammer by sending high volumes of content to inactive or invalid email addresses, your IP and and sender reputations suffer. Moreover, if you’ve received a high volume of spam complaints from your subscribers, Gmail might decide not to deliver your emails.

You have a high bounce rate.

If too many of your emails bounce back, Gmail may refuse to deliver your emails. Keep your bounce rates low to keep your deliverability high.

How to prevent Gmail from blocking emails?

If Gmail is blocking incoming emails from you, it’s not the end of the world. Here are some Gmail best practices to prevent blocked messages in Gmail:

• Use email authentication. Ensure your DMARC, DKIM, and SPF are properly set up. These are your “ID cards” for sending emails, and make sure to set up your Domain Name Service (DNS) record to display your sender’s name. This way, Gmail knows you are who you say you are and is less likely to flag you as a spammer.

• Provide an easy way for your subscribers to unsubscribe. If your subscribers can’t find an easy way to opt out, they might just mark your email messages as spam. While this doesn’t mean much for your recipients (they get the same result: not seeing your emails land in their email account), too many spam complaints can land you on a blocklist.

• Clean your email list. Maintain your email list hygiene by regularly verifying email addresses and removing invalid users. This way, you can reduce your email bounce rate and improve your deliverability.

Wrapping up

That’s it! Hopefully, you’ve gained some insight into the many reasons Gmail can block your emails, and how to get unblocked. Need more help? Take advantage of our deliverability services and the InboxReady Google Postmaster Tools to see how Gmail perceives your reputation and manages your incoming messages.

With Google Postmaster Tools now integrated into the InboxReady suite, you get access to your most essential testing and monitoring tools, all in one convenient place. What better way to improve your Gmail deliverability than using the tools Gmail provides?