Stay out of spam.

Getting out of spam is a one-time fix. Staying out takes a quick look now and then. Gmail, Yahoo and Microsoft each run a free dashboard that shows how they see your email. Here is what each one tells you, and which ones you can actually use.

Straight from Gmail, Yahoo and Outlook

Think of these as the scoreboard. They're the only numbers that come from the inbox providers themselves. Anything else is an estimate.

Included in the Setup Fix

Google Postmaster Tools

Covers Gmail and Google Workspace inboxes.

What it tells you: Whether Gmail thinks your domain follows its sender rules, and how many Gmail users mark your email as spam.
The one number to watch: Spam rate. Keep it under 0.1%. At 0.3% Gmail treats you as a problem.
How often to look: Once a week, and the day after any big send.
What it won't tell you: Whether a particular email reached the inbox. If you send only a little email to Gmail addresses, it may show no data at all. After a fix, it takes a while to catch up, because it looks at recent mail, not at your settings.

Open Google Postmaster Tools

Included in the Setup Fix

Yahoo Sender Hub

Covers Yahoo and AOL inboxes.

What it tells you: How much of your email Yahoo delivered, and how many people marked it as spam.
The one number to watch: Spam complaint rate. Keep it under 0.3%. It will look higher than the number in your email platform. That is normal: Yahoo only counts email that reached the inbox.
How often to look: Once a week.
What it won't tell you: Whether a particular email reached the inbox. It needs a minimum amount of email each day before it shows anything. It only works once your email is signed with your own domain, which the Setup Fix takes care of.

Open Yahoo Sender Hub

Probably not for you

Microsoft SNDS and JMRP

Covers Outlook.com, Hotmail and Live inboxes.

What it tells you: How Microsoft sees the server your email comes from. It tracks servers, not your domain, and only the owner of the server can sign up. If you send through Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Mailchimp, Klaviyo or a similar service, the servers belong to them, so most small businesses can't use it.
The one number to watch: Instead of the dashboard: bounce messages containing 550 5.7.515. That is Microsoft rejecting your email.
How often to look: Whenever email bounces. If customers on Outlook or Hotmail say they are not getting your email, ask your email platform's support. They can see Microsoft's data for their own servers.
What it won't tell you: Anything about your domain, or whether a particular email reached the inbox. If you pay for a dedicated sending address (a dedicated IP), you can sign up, and you should.

Open Microsoft SNDS

Other tools worth knowing

This section is coming soon.