Email Deliverability is crucial to any business for day to day emails or email marketing campaigns. Ensuring that your emails reach their intended recipients is more crucial than ever. Email deliverability is a significant concern for businesses relying on email marketing and communication. This article delves into the essential components of email authentication: DMARC, SPF, and DKIM. We will explore what they are, what they do, and provide examples of typical DNS records that need to be set up. We will also discuss the recent policy changes by Gmail and Yahoo regarding non-DMARC compliant emails and how iGo Sales and Marketing can help you achieve compliance.
What is DMARC?
DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) is an email authentication protocol that helps protect your email domain from being used in phishing and email spoofing attacks. It builds on the SPF and DKIM protocols, adding a crucial reporting function to monitor and improve your email authentication practices.
A typical DMARC DNS record looks like this:
v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc-reports@yourdomain.com; ruf=mailto:dmarc-failures@yourdomain.com; pct=100In this record:
- v=DMARC1 specifies the DMARC protocol version.
- p=none indicates the policy (none, quarantine, reject).
- rua specifies the email address to send aggregate reports.
- ruf specifies the email address to send forensic reports.
- pct=100 indicates the percentage of emails subjected to the policy.
Essentially, the purpose of the DMARC record is to set a your policy for receiving email servers to follow. So if you tell receiving servers to reject all non compliant emails from your domain, they will do so. You also get a report of all non compliant emails.
What is SPF?
SPF (Sender Policy Framework) is an email validation system designed to prevent email spoofing by verifying that an email comes from an authorized mail server. It helps to ensure that outgoing emails from your domain are sent from your legitimate servers.
A typical SPF DNS record looks like this:
v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~allEssentially, the SPF record tells the receiving server which servers, domains and IP addresses are allowed to send on behalf of your domain.
What is DKIM?
DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) is an email authentication method that allows an organization to claim responsibility for an email message by associating the domain with the message’s digital signature. This helps in verifying that the email content has not been altered during transit.
A typical DKIM DNS record looks like this:
v=DKIM1; k=rsa; p=MIGfMA0GCSqGSIb3DQEBAQUAA4GNADCBiQKBgQCeIn this record:
- v=DKIM1 specifies the DKIM version.
- k=rsa indicates the key type.
- p contains the public key used to verify the email’s signature.
Essentially, the DKIM record is special key that allows the receiving server to match it against the corresponding key on YOUR sending server to verify that the email was sent from your email server and therefore the server was authorized to send on your behalf.
Recent Policy Changes by Gmail and Yahoo
Recently, major email providers like Gmail and Yahoo have updated their policies to reject emails that do not comply with DMARC standards. This change aims to reduce the volume of phishing and spam emails. If your emails are not DMARC compliant, they might not reach the recipients using these email services.
How iGo Sales and Marketing Can Help
Ensuring that your emails are delivered and not marked as spam or rejected is vital for your business communication and marketing efforts. At iGo Sales and Marketing, we offer comprehensive email consultation services to help you review and optimize your email settings. Our experts will guide you through setting up DMARC, SPF, and DKIM records, ensuring compliance with the latest standards set by email providers.
Contact us today to schedule a consultation and ensure your emails always reach their intended recipients.
By understanding and implementing DMARC, SPF, and DKIM, you can significantly improve your email deliverability and protect your domain from malicious activities. Let iGo Sales and Marketing assist you in navigating these complexities and securing your email communications.