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Dom Hartland

Google Workspace Emails Going to Spam? How We Fixed SPF, DKIM & DMARC for a Business Domain

  • Writer: Dom Hartland
    Dom Hartland
  • Feb 18
  • 3 min read

One of the most common issues we see with small businesses using Google Workspace is this:


👉 Emails are being delivered to spam — even though everything “looks” set up correctly.


No bounce-backs. No warnings. Just missed enquiries and lost communication.

Recently, we resolved this exact issue for a business whose domain emails were consistently landing in Gmail spam folders. Here’s what was happening — and how we fixed it.


Google Workspace Emails Going to Spam?

The Issue: Email Authentication Not Fully Verified

Modern email delivery depends heavily on domain authentication.

When you send an email from your business domain (e.g. hello@yourcompany.com), receiving servers like Gmail run authentication checks:

  • SPF (Sender Policy Framework) – Confirms which mail servers are allowed to send email for your domain.

  • DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) – Adds a digital signature to verify the message hasn’t been altered.

  • DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) – Tells receiving servers how to handle failed authentication attempts.


If SPF, DKIM or DMARC are misconfigured — even slightly — your domain’s trust score drops.


And when trust drops, emails go to spam.


What We Discovered

In this case:

  • SPF was present but needed validation.

  • DKIM had been generated previously, but the DNS record wasn’t publishing correctly.

  • DMARC was not fully configured for monitoring.

  • The DNS provider had not properly updated the DKIM TXT record after regeneration.


Google Admin Console showed:

“Authenticating email with DKIM”

But external DNS checks revealed that the public DKIM key being served did not match the key Google expected.


That mismatch alone was enough to prevent full authentication — even though the record appeared correct inside the control panel.


The Fix: Correcting DNS & Email Authentication Records

We resolved the issue by:

  1. Regenerating a fresh 2048-bit DKIM key in Google Workspace.

  2. Publishing the correct google._domainkey TXT record in DNS.

  3. Verifying DNS propagation using Google Admin Toolbox (DIG).

  4. Confirming SPF was correctly set to:

    v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all

  5. Configuring DMARC with a monitoring policy:

    v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:postmaster@domain.com

  6. Testing live emails and reviewing full email headers.


Once DNS propagated correctly, authentication results showed:

  • SPF: PASS

  • DKIM: PASS

  • DMARC: PASS


After this, emails began landing in the inbox instead of spam.


Why Google Workspace Emails Go to Spam

Even when using Google’s mail servers, emails can still be flagged if:

  • DKIM isn’t started in Admin Console.

  • DNS hasn’t fully propagated.

  • A hosting provider hasn’t published updated records.

  • A domain was previously hosted elsewhere.

  • DMARC isn’t configured.

  • The sending domain has little reputation history.


Google prioritises domain reputation and authentication alignment. If either is incomplete, deliverability suffers.


Why This Matters for Your Business

If your emails are landing in spam:

  • Customers may assume you didn’t respond.

  • Enquiries and quote requests may be lost.

  • Invoices may go unseen.

  • Your domain reputation can degrade over time.


And often, business owners don’t realise there’s a problem until someone tells them.


How to Check If Your Domain Is Configured Correctly

You should confirm:

  • SPF record exists and includes Google’s mail servers.

  • DKIM authentication is started and shows as active.

  • DMARC record is published.

  • Emails show SPF, DKIM and DMARC = PASS in Gmail headers.

  • Your domain has valid MX records pointing to Google.


If you’re unsure how to check any of that, you’re not alone — DNS and email authentication aren’t straightforward unless you deal with them regularly.


Need Help With Email Deliverability?

If you’re using Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 and your emails are going to spam, it’s almost always an authentication or DNS configuration issue.


We can:

  • Audit your domain DNS records

  • Fix SPF, DKIM and DMARC setup

  • Improve email deliverability

  • Diagnose spam filtering problems

  • Monitor domain reputation


If you’d like a quick review or just want to understand whether your domain is configured properly, feel free to reach out.


Even a short conversation can often highlight whether something needs adjusting.


Client Testimonial:


I was facing a business-critical DNS and domain issue with a third-party provider that completely took down my company email. It was stressful, urgent, and potentially very damaging to the business. Dominic stepped in and immediately took control of the situation. He quickly identified the root cause, explained everything clearly, and — most importantly — took full ownership. He didn’t just advise; he proactively contacted the third-party provider directly, liaised with them on my behalf, and pushed the issue through until it was properly resolved. His technical expertise, persistence, and professionalism were exceptional. What could have dragged on for days was handled efficiently and decisively, with minimal downtime and zero loose ends. If you need someone who genuinely understands DNS, domains, and business email infrastructure — and who will treat your problem like it’s his own — I would not hesitate to recommend him.


Alex Walker Dorset Landscaping Company




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