Google & Yahoo now require SPF, DKIM, and DMARC DNS records for every domain sending bulk emails. These records help email recipients confirm that an email really was sent by the address claiming to have sent it, significantly cutting down on spam and phishing.

Incorrectly configuring or failing to configure these records will result in your legitimate messages being marked as spam.

So what do these mouthful-of-acronyms actually do?

Your SPF record (Sender Policy Framework) lists the systems authorized to send emails on behalf of your domain. If an email arrives claiming to be “from” your domain, it’ll fail the SPF check unless it’s on your list of approved servers.

Your DKIM record(s) (DomainKeys Identified Mail) add a digital signature to emails that cryptographically proves the important parts of the message haven’t been tampered with. Think of it as a modern-day wax seal for your digital envelope.

Your DMARC policy (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance) builds on DKIM and SPF. Your DMARC policy defines what should happen to emails that fail DKIM and SPF checks. If either the DKIM or the SPF check fail, the DMARC policy defines if the mail should be put in the spam folder (quarantined) or deleted and sent to an optional reject address for monitoring.

Where do I find my SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records?

That’s where we come in. We review your email marketing/bulk email setup for you.

We help you compile a list of your email sending services, so we can:

1. Review and/or create your SPF record

2. Configure DKIM record(s) for all of your email sending services (Google, HubSpot, Mailchimp, etc.)

3. Implement a DMARC policy so your marketing emails will keep working as they did prior to 2024’s new sending requirements