The Truth About Email Deliverability: Why "Primary Inbox" is Never Guaranteed

If you’ve ever sent an important email campaign. Maybe a newsletter or a client update. You’ve probably wondered: Will this land in my contacts’ primary inbox? It’s a reasonable question, especially when you’re using powerful tools like the right CRM and taking the time to set up your DNS records just right.

But here’s the honest truth: No matter how meticulously you set things up, you can’t guarantee that every email will land in the primary inbox of every recipient. Let’s break down why this is the case, and what you can control to give your emails the best possible shot.

What Is Email Deliverability, Really?

Email deliverability is the art (and science) of getting your emails into your recipients’ inboxes instead of their spam or promotions folders. It’s a bit like sending a letter: you want it to arrive at the right address, get opened, and hopefully spark a response.

Many factors impact deliverability:

1. Your sending reputation

2. The quality of your content

3. Proper setup of technical records (like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC)

4. The behavior of your recipients (Are they opening your emails? Marking them as spam?)

You might think: If I get all this right, my emails will always land in the primary inbox, right? Not quite.

The Inbox Puzzle: Why You Can’t Control Everything

Here’s where things get a little tricky. Each email provider, like Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, and so on has its own secret recipe for sorting emails. They use sophisticated algorithms to decide if your message is “Primary,” “Promotions,” “Social,” or even gulp “Spam.”

These decisions are based on hundreds of signals, including:

1. The sender’s reputation across the web

2. The content and formatting of your message

3. How each recipient interacts with your emails

4. Even the recipient’s personal settings, filters, and past behavior!

This means that even if you follow every best practice, you simply can’t control the inner workings of someone else’s inbox. Two people using the same email service might see the same email land in different folders, depending on their habits and preferences.

What About GoHighLevel and DNS Records?

If you’re using GoHighLevel (or any other marketing platform), setting up your DNS records specifically SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is crucial. These records act like a digital passport, proving to email providers that your messages are authentic and not coming from a spammer.

But here’s the key insight:

Setting up DNS records correctly is necessary for good deliverability, but it’s not a magic bullet. It greatly improves your chances of landing in the inbox, but it doesn’t guarantee placement in the primary inbox, simply because you don’t control the recipient’s email server or their personal settings.

So, What Can You Do?

Here are a few things in your control:

1. Authenticate Your Domain: Always set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records in GoHighLevel.

2. Send Valuable Content: Write emails people actually want to read and engage with.

3. Encourage Engagement: Ask recipients to reply, add you to their contacts, or move your email to their primary tab.

4. Monitor Your Sending Reputation: Avoid spammy tactics and respect unsubscribe requests.

5. And most importantly, set realistic expectations. Do your absolute best, but understand that email providers have the final say on what email lands where.

The Bottom Line

Think of email deliverability as a partnership: you do your part by following best practices, and your recipients (and their email providers) do theirs. While you can’t guarantee every email lands in the primary inbox, you can absolutely build trust, increase engagement, and give your messages the best possible chance to shine.