What is SPF, DKIM and DMARC?
SPF, DKIM and DMARC are three DNS records that prove an email really came from your domain, which mailbox providers like Gmail and Outlook check before deciding where to deliver it.
SPF lists the servers allowed to send mail for your domain. DKIM adds a cryptographic signature to each message so the receiver can confirm it was not altered. DMARC tells the receiver what to do when SPF or DKIM fails and sends you reports.
Gmail and Yahoo require authentication for bulk senders. If your records are missing or wrong, your emails are more likely to land in spam or be rejected.
For an ecommerce store the usual setup is a dedicated sending domain or subdomain connected to your email platform, with all three records published and checked.
A worked example.
Imagine a candle store sending from news.example.com. SPF lists its email platform, DKIM signs each message, and DMARC is set to monitor. A week of DMARC reports shows the helpdesk tool also sends as the domain but fails DKIM. The owner fixes that one sender, then moves DMARC to a stricter policy.
Common mistakes.
- Sending from a free mailbox address instead of your own domain
- Publishing DMARC at p=none and never moving beyond monitoring
- Adding a second SPF record instead of editing the existing one
Want this handled for your store? See our email deliverability service or book a free audit.
Guides that use this.
Find out what your list is actually worth.
We review your flows, list health, authentication records and last ninety days of performance, then send back what we found.
30 minutes, no obligation, and the findings are yours to keep either way.