Inbox placement tests
Delivered is not the same as seen.
A provider accepting your email is only half the story. Placement tests show where it was filed afterwards, for every major mailbox provider, before a campaign depends on it.
Overall placement · sample
92%
Gmail
- Inbox95%
- Promotions3%
- Spam2%
Outlook
- Inbox82%
- Spam18%
Yahoo
- Inbox96%
- Spam4%
Authentication
Reputation
Delivery is not placement
A 95% delivery rate can still mean one in ten in spam.
Delivery only says a mail server accepted the message. Placement asks the useful question: of the mail that Gmail, Outlook and Yahoo accepted, where did it actually land?
- Delivery rate
- 95%
- 95 of 100 accepted
- Placement
- 85%
- 85 of 100 in the inbox or a tab
100 emails sentIllustrative
95 accepted by mailbox providers5 bounced
Where the 95 were filed
- Inbox75
- Promotions10
- Spam10
Gmail’s Promotions and Updates tabs still count as the inbox. Spam, and mail that never shows up, do not.
Seed testing
Send once. Look in every folder.
A seed test sends your message to real mailboxes we control at each provider, then checks where every copy ended up.
- 01
Send to the seed panel
Pick a connected mailbox and send your real subject and body to a panel of seed addresses across the major providers.
- 02
We look in every folder
InboxReady opens each seed mailbox and records where the copy was filed: primary inbox, a tab, spam, or not there at all.
- 03
Read a plain verdict
One overall placement figure, a split for each provider, and the authentication and reputation behind the result.
What moves the number
Six things providers weigh every time.
Placement is the result, not a setting. When a test comes back weak, these are the places to look, and warmup is how the reputation part is rebuilt.
Authentication
SPF, DKIM and DMARC passing, and aligned with the address in your From line.
Domain and IP reputation
The history providers hold on your sending identity. It is earned slowly and lost quickly.
Complaints and bounces
Spam reports, hard bounces and spam-trap hits all count against the next send.
Volume and cadence
A steady, predictable pattern. Sudden spikes read as a compromised or careless sender.
Recipient engagement
Opens, replies, and messages rescued from spam tell a provider your mail is wanted.
Content and list quality
Wording, link domains, and whether the people on your list asked to hear from you.
A few things to know
Placement, plainly explained.
Get to know InboxReady and find your next step.
Inbox placement tests
Know where it lands before you hit send.
Run a placement test from the workspace and read the verdict by provider.
Interactive product demo · No live email is sent