When Gmail says your emails have suspicious links

When Gmail says your emails have suspicious links

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 subscribers 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 subscribers. 

  • 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 Spamhaus, Spamcop, Barracuda, and others. If yes, then raise a de-list request to the service.

  • Don't include URLs with multiple redirections

    Multiple redirections are a common trick used by spammers. When subscribers encounter multiple redirections, they feel insecure and mark the email as spam. So, make sure your URLs redirect straight to the desired page.

  • 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.

  • Don't seek subscribers' personal information 

    URLs should not be used to seek personal information such as email address, passwords, residential address, phone number, and credit card information.

  • 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 subscribers 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.

  • 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. 


    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









                                        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

                                                                                                          • When Gmail states your email content as spam

                                                                                                            The prime part of an email campaign is the message that you convey to your email recipients. When you send email campaigns to them, ESPs(Email Service Providers) and ISPs(Internet Service Providers) analyze the content of the email. Before delivering ...
                                                                                                          • Getting Started with Email Deliverability

                                                                                                            Before sending your carefully-crafted email campaigns, it's important to first learn a few basic ideas and rules of email marketing to ensure your campaigns are successful. To achieve good open and click-rates, and to avoid your emails from landing ...
                                                                                                          • When Gmail states your sender domain is spam

                                                                                                            Domain reputation of the sender matters a great deal in the successful delivery of email to your leads' inboxes. Numerous factors like email subject and content, sender domain reputation, and mailing list quality play a vital role in building up ...
                                                                                                          • Why my email campaign is put on hold?

                                                                                                            Every email goes through a review process where our moderator reviews it and ensures that your email meets our industry standards. Often, the emails are approved without any further questions from our end. However, if we need more information from ...
                                                                                                          • Emails Landing in Gmail Promotions Tab

                                                                                                            Gmail has come up with a feature called inbox tabs where you can organize your emails to the relevant tabs. Due to this change in inbox, your email newsletters may land in promotions tab. Why promotions tab As you are sending a promotional or ...
                                                                                                            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