About two years back, our WordPress site got hacked due to an admin user with a weak password, turning our site into one of those "You have won an iPhone" spam sites for a while. After that, we started noticing that two recipients weren't getting our emails at all. It wasn't just going to their junk folders; it seemed to be blocked beforehand. We send emails from the same domain as our website. Initially, I thought we might be on an email blacklist, but when I removed the link to our website in my email signature, the emails went through just fine. This led me to believe that the issue isn't with traditional email blacklisting but possibly with some malware or safebrowsing filters causing interference.
I've tried to reach out to the IT departments at both companies, but they haven't responded despite my multiple attempts through calls and emails. I also had our contacts at those companies reach out, but it seems they don't care. I've run several blacklist checks found on Google, and none show any issues. Is there anything else I can do to figure out what's blocking our emails, or should I just keep bugging our contacts again? Or am I completely off track here?
2 Answers
MXtoolbox is great for checking email issues! Make sure you have SPF, DMARC, and DKIM configurations in place, as those can affect your email deliverability. Many spam filters flag emails that include hyperlinks if you don’t have those set up. It's a common security measure that could be the cause of your problems.
You might want to give mxtoolbox.com a try for a blocklist check; it’s pretty reliable for checking if your domain is on any public lists. But it seems likely that the recipient has set up a manual block somewhere. Maybe suggest your boss reach out to the other company’s higher-ups—it can sometimes yield better results than just having the IT person call.
Good idea! Sometimes a direct connection works wonders, especially in business.