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Deliverability

Inbox Placement

The percentage of delivered emails that land in the recipient's primary inbox rather than spam or other folders.

Definition

Inbox placement measures the percentage of successfully delivered emails that actually reach the recipient's primary inbox, as opposed to spam folder, promotions tab, or other filtered locations. Delivery alone does not guarantee inbox placement - an email can be delivered to the server but still end up in spam.

Why It Matters

Inbox placement directly affects whether subscribers see your emails. High delivery rates can mask poor inbox placement. Emails in spam or promotions tabs get far lower open rates. Monitoring inbox placement gives you a true picture of deliverability success.

How It Works

After an email is delivered to the mail server, the receiving system decides where to place it based on sender reputation, authentication, content, and engagement signals. Seed-based testing tools can measure inbox placement by sending to test accounts across different providers.

Best Practices

  • 1Use inbox placement testing tools to monitor true deliverability
  • 2Track inbox placement separately from delivery rate
  • 3Focus on authentication, reputation, and engagement to improve placement
  • 4Monitor placement at major providers (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo) separately

Frequently Asked Questions

Aim for 90%+ inbox placement at major providers. Rates below 80% indicate deliverability issues. Gmail tends to be stricter; Outlook and Yahoo may have different patterns. Monitor each provider separately.

Use seed testing tools that send to test inboxes across providers and report where emails land. Some ESPs include this; standalone tools like GlockApps or Email on Acid offer detailed testing.