Fix "550 This message was classified as SPAM"
Your outgoing message was scored as spam and returned. What raises the score, and the SMTP authentication setting that is usually responsible.
Your message bounced with:
550 This message was classified as SPAM and may not be deliveredApplies to all outgoing mail from WebGee servers.
Outbound mail is scored before it leaves, and anything above the threshold is returned to you rather than sent. This protects the sending reputation of the IP addresses shared by every customer on the server — once an IP is blacklisted, mail from everyone using it starts failing.
The most common cause: no SMTP authentication
If your mail client sends without authenticating, several points are added to the score immediately. That alone can push an otherwise ordinary message over the threshold.
Check your outgoing server settings:
- Find the outgoing (SMTP) settings in your mail client.
- Ensure "My outgoing server requires authentication" is enabled.
- Set it to use the same username and password as incoming mail — your full email address and mailbox password.
Full settings are in Email server settings.
This is worth checking first even if you believe it is already on. Some clients silently drop the setting when a password changes.
Then look at the content
Spam scoring reacts to a set of well-known signals. In a legitimate message, one or two are usually responsible:
- A subject in capitals, or heavy exclamation marks.
- Wording typical of bulk mail — "act now", "limited time", "click here", guaranteed returns.
- An image with almost no text. A message that is one large image scores badly, because that is how spam evades text filters.
- Shortened links.
bit.lyand similar hide the destination and are heavily penalised. Use the full URL. - Mismatched From address. The sending address must be on a domain you are authenticated for.
Reword and resend. If it goes through, the content was the cause.
If it is a mailing list or bulk send
Sending the same message to a large list from a normal mailbox will be scored as spam regardless of content, and will hit your sending limits. Use a dedicated bulk mail service for that — it is what they exist for, and it keeps your domain's reputation intact.
If legitimate mail keeps failing
Confirm your authentication records are correct — a domain whose SPF or DKIM does not validate scores worse on every message:
If all of that is in order and ordinary messages are still rejected, open a ticket with the full bounce message and the message headers.
Related
Enable PHP mail() on your account
PHP mail() is disabled by default because its messages rarely get delivered. How to enable it if you must, and why SMTP is the better answer.
Publish a DMARC record
Add a DMARC TXT record to your domain so receiving servers know what to do with mail that fails SPF and DKIM, and so you get reports about it.