What if Gmail marks links in your email as suspicious

What if Gmail marks links in your email as suspicious


Gmail is careful to protect its users from phishing activities, so it classifies suspicious emails as spam. To prevent its users from unknowingly opening a phishing email, Gmail notifies recipients of the reason the mail is classified as suspicious. These reasons will help the senders to identify their mistakes and prevent repeating them in the future. If your URLs are improper, Gmail classifies the emails as spam with the following warning:

"Be careful with this message. The email contains a suspicious link that was used to steal personal information. Unless you trust the sender, don't click links or reply with personal information"


"Be careful with this message. Similar messages were used to steal people's personal information. Unless you trust the sender, don't click links or reply with personal information."


The above warnings make your contacts lose trust regarding your future emails, and might fail to open them and mark them as not spam. As this badly affects your email deliverability, we request you to take immediate actions.

How to avoid Gmail marking your emails spam due to suspicious URLs

The warning message shows that there's something suspicious in the URLs you used. So, focus on URLs and check that your sending practices follow the suggestions below:

Check for broken URLs
Always ensure your URLs work properly before including them in an email. Redirection to a non-existent page leads to abuse complaints from contacts. 

  1. Blacklisted Domain
    URLs with blacklisted domains are a possible reason for the warning. Check if your URL domain and sender domain are blacklisted with anti-spam services such as SpamhausSpamcopBarracuda, and others. If yes, then raise a de-list request to the service.
  1. Don't include URLs with multiple redirections
    Multiple redirections are a common trick used by spammers. When contacts encounter multiple redirections, they feel insecure and mark the email as spam. So, ensure that the URLs redirect straight to the desired page.
  1. Don't include shortened URLs from public services
    If the domain of a shortened URL is blacklisted, URLs are considered suspicious. So, avoid publicly available blacklisted URL shorteners.
  1. Don't seek contacts' personal information 
    URLs should not be used to seek personal information such as email address, passwords, residential address, phone number, and credit card information.
  1. Avoid suspicious/spammy phrases in the URL or in the page redirected from the URL.
    Phrases such as "online dating", "lose weight", "please help", "extra income", and "donate" make your contacts doubt the legitimacy your emails and mark them as spam. Send test emails to your Gmail account to identify if anything is wrong before sending the actual campaign.
  1. Maintain a proper WHOIS registry for your domain
    Spam filters check the WHOIS registry for anything suspicious. The information in the registry should be original and updated regularly.

Since URLs are the gateway to your click rate, it makes sense to optimize them. If your URLs appear safe in your future emails, Gmail eventually makes your emails appropriately land in the inbox. 

    Access your files securely from anywhere

      Zoho CRM Training Programs

      Learn how to use the best tools for sales force automation and better customer engagement from Zoho's implementation specialists.

      Zoho CRM Training
        Redefine the way you work
        with Zoho Workplace

          Zoho DataPrep Personalized Demo

          If you'd like a personalized walk-through of our data preparation tool, please request a demo and we'll be happy to show you how to get the best out of Zoho DataPrep.

          Zoho CRM Training

            Create, share, and deliver

            beautiful slides from anywhere.

            Get Started Now


              Zoho Sign now offers specialized one-on-one training for both administrators and developers.

              BOOK A SESSION





                          Quick Links Workflow Automation Data Collection
                          Web Forms Enterprise Begin Data Collection
                          Interactive Forms Workplace Data Collection App
                          CRM Forms Customer Service Accessible Forms
                          Digital Forms Marketing Forms for Small Business
                          HTML Forms Education Forms for Enterprise
                          Contact Forms E-commerce Forms for any business
                          Lead Generation Forms Healthcare Forms for Startups
                          Wordpress Forms Customer onboarding Order Forms for Small Business
                          No Code Forms Construction RSVP tool for holidays
                          Free Forms Travel
                          Prefill Forms Non-Profit

                          Intake Forms Legal
                          Mobile App
                          Form Designer HR
                          Mobile Forms
                          Card Forms Food Offline Forms
                          Assign Forms Photography
                          Mobile Forms Features
                          Translate Forms Real Estate Kiosk in Mobile Forms
                          Electronic Forms

                          Notification Emails for Forms Alternatives Security & Compliance
                          Holiday Forms Google Forms alternative  GDPR
                          Form to PDF Jotform alternative HIPAA Forms
                          Email Forms
                          Encrypted Forms
                          Embeddable Forms
                          Secure Forms
                          Drag and Drop form builder
                          WCAG


                                            You are currently viewing the help pages of Qntrl’s earlier version. Click here to view our latest version—Qntrl 3.0's help articles.




                                                Manage your brands on social media

                                                  Zoho Desk Resources

                                                  • Desk Community Learning Series


                                                  • Digest


                                                  • Functions


                                                  • Meetups


                                                  • Kbase


                                                  • Resources


                                                  • Glossary


                                                  • Desk Marketplace


                                                  • MVP Corner


                                                  • Word of the Day


                                                    Zoho Marketing Automation

                                                      Zoho Sheet Resources

                                                       

                                                          Zoho Forms Resources


                                                            Secure your business
                                                            communication with Zoho Mail


                                                            Mail on the move with
                                                            Zoho Mail mobile application

                                                              Stay on top of your schedule
                                                              at all times


                                                              Carry your calendar with you
                                                              Anytime, anywhere




                                                                    Zoho Sign Resources

                                                                      Sign, Paperless!

                                                                      Sign and send business documents on the go!

                                                                      Get Started Now




                                                                              Zoho TeamInbox Resources



                                                                                      Zoho DataPrep Resources



                                                                                        Zoho DataPrep Demo

                                                                                        Get a personalized demo or POC

                                                                                        REGISTER NOW


                                                                                          Design. Discuss. Deliver.

                                                                                          Create visually engaging stories with Zoho Show.

                                                                                          Get Started Now









                                                                                                              • Related Articles

                                                                                                              • What to do when Gmail flags your email content as spam

                                                                                                                The prime part of an email campaign is the message that you convey to your contacts. When you send email campaigns to contacts, ESPs (Email Service Providers) and ISPs (Internet Service Providers) analyze the content of the email. Before delivering ...
                                                                                                              • Eight frequent activities that affect email deliverability

                                                                                                                Email deliverability is the ability to land emails in the inbox of your recipients. If your campaign's deliverability takes a hit, it might be due to certain email marketing practices you follow. Let's dive deep and learn about practices that affect ...
                                                                                                              • Getting started with email deliverability

                                                                                                                Identifying the needs and interests of contacts and conceptualizing email campaigns around those are part and parcel of a marketer's daily routine. Sometimes marketers may assume that crafting a compelling campaign alone will help them hit their ...
                                                                                                              • How to get your emails to land in Gmail's primary tab

                                                                                                                To offer an uncluttered email experience for their users, Gmail introduced inbox tabs, an ingenious technique that segregates emails into three tabs: Primary, Promotions, and Social. Gmail uses complex algorithms and email engagement metrics to ...
                                                                                                              • Boost your email deliverability with the Google Postmaster tool

                                                                                                                Mailbox providers consider the reputation of your sender domain when making inbox decisions. If your sender domain has a negative reputation, your emails may land in the spam folder. If your sender domain has a positive reputation, the chances of ...
                                                                                                                Wherever you are is as good as
                                                                                                                your workplace

                                                                                                                  Resources

                                                                                                                  Videos

                                                                                                                  Watch comprehensive videos on features and other important topics that will help you master Zoho CRM.



                                                                                                                  eBooks

                                                                                                                  Download free eBooks and access a range of topics to get deeper insight on successfully using Zoho CRM.



                                                                                                                  Webinars

                                                                                                                  Sign up for our webinars and learn the Zoho CRM basics, from customization to sales force automation and more.



                                                                                                                  CRM Tips

                                                                                                                  Make the most of Zoho CRM with these useful tips.



                                                                                                                    Zoho Show Resources