Deliverability guide

How to run an inbox placement test

See whether your email lands in the inbox, spam or nowhere at Gmail, Outlook and Yahoo, and what to do with the results.

What an inbox placement test does

You send one email to a list of test addresses (a “seed list”) at Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo and other providers. The test reports where each copy landed: the inbox, the spam folder, Gmail’s Promotions tab, or nowhere at all. It’s the closest you can get to seeing what your recipients see.

How to run one

Fix the basics first. Run the full domain scan. If SPF, DKIM or DMARC fails, the test will just tell you you’re in spam.

Send your real email, from the real inbox and tool you use for campaigns, to the seed list the test gives you.

Read the results by provider. Landing in the inbox at Gmail but spam at Outlook points to a provider-specific problem, often reputation or authentication.

Change one thing at a time and test again: the wording, the links, the sending inbox.

Reading the results

Mostly inbox: you’re fine. Keep volumes steady and keep testing new campaigns.
Spam at one provider: check that provider’s rules, such as Microsoft’s, and your reputation there.
Spam everywhere: start with authentication and blacklists, then the content.
Missing: emails that never arrive often mean a block. Check your bounce messages.

Keep it in proportion

Seed tests use test inboxes, not your real recipients, so treat them as a guide. Real reply rates and spam complaints matter more over time.