Klaviyo Emails Going to Spam? 5 Causes and Fixes for Ecommerce

April 18, 2026 • InboxGreenEmail Team

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Klaviyo is one of the most popular email platforms for Shopify and ecommerce stores. But if your DNS records aren't configured correctly, your Klaviyo emails will fail authentication and land in spam — no matter how good your content is.

Klaviyo emails going to spam is almost always a DNS configuration problem — not a Klaviyo problem. Here's how to diagnose and fix it.

1. Your Klaviyo sending domain isn't authenticated

Klaviyo requires you to add three CNAME records to your DNS to enable DKIM authentication. Without these, your emails show "via klaviyomail.com" in Gmail instead of your own domain — a trust signal that triggers spam filters.

In Klaviyo: go to Settings → Email → Sending Domains → Add and verify your domain.

Klaviyo will give you three CNAME records to add. After adding them, check that they're live:

Use the free CNAME Lookup tool to verify each record
Or run a full check at InboxGreen.email/check

2. Your SPF record doesn't include Klaviyo's servers

For SPF alignment, you need to include Klaviyo's sending IPs in your SPF record. Add this to your domain's SPF TXT record:

include:send.klaviyo.com

Your full SPF record might look like:

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

If you have many include: statements, check you're not over the 10-lookup SPF limit using the SPF Lookup tool.

3. You're using a subdomain for Klaviyo but DMARC is only on the root domain

Many Klaviyo users set up email on a subdomain like email.yourdomain.com or shop.yourdomain.com to keep their root domain reputation separate.

This is actually a smart practice — but it means you need a DMARC record on the subdomain too, or your DMARC policy won't apply correctly.

Check whether your subdomain has its own DMARC record using the DMARC Analyzer.

4. Your Shopify and Klaviyo DNS records are conflicting

Shopify sets up its own email sending records. When you add Klaviyo on top, you can end up with duplicate or conflicting SPF records — which breaks authentication.

Common mistake: having two separate TXT records starting with v=spf1 on the same domain. DNS only allows one SPF record. You need to merge them:

v=spf1 include:send.klaviyo.com include:spf.mandrillapp.com ~all

Use the free TXT Lookup to see all TXT records on your domain and check for duplicates.

5. Your sending reputation is low from a bad warm-up

If you imported a large list and blasted everyone on day one, your reputation took a hit. Klaviyo has built-in smart send timing and list cleaning tools, but they can't undo damage from a bad launch.

Signs your reputation is the problem (not DNS):

SPF, DKIM, DMARC all pass in the InboxGreen check
But Gmail Postmaster Tools shows Low or Bad domain reputation
Spam rates above 0.1% in Google Postmaster Tools

If that's the case, slow down. Send only to your most engaged segment (opens in last 90 days) for 2–4 weeks to rebuild reputation.

Klaviyo spam diagnostic checklist

Go to InboxGreen.email/check and enter your Klaviyo sending domain
In Klaviyo: Settings → Email → Sending Domains — is your domain showing as verified?
Send a test to Gmail, open "Show original", check Authentication-Results: all three should say pass
Check if your domain or sending IP is blacklisted with the Blacklist Checker
Register your domain on Google Postmaster Tools to monitor reputation over time

Most Klaviyo spam problems are fixed in 20 minutes once you have the right DNS records. Get copy-paste DNS records for your exact setup with the InboxGreen FixKit.

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