Email deliverability and your domain reputation

Email is not SEO, but your domain's reputation matters everywhere. If spammers can send email pretending to be you, customers lose trust and your messages land in spam.

The three records

• SPF: lists the servers allowed to send email for your domain. SPF record checker.
• DKIM: signs each message so receivers know it was not changed. DKIM checker.
• DMARC: tells receivers what to do with messages that fail, and sends you reports. DMARC checker.

Also check

• Your mail servers with the MX lookup.
• Whether your server's IP is on a spam list with the blacklist checker.

The email deliverability checker runs all of these at once.

Example records

SPF:   v=spf1 include:_spf.mail-provider.demo.pepploweb.com ~all
DMARC: v=DMARC1; p=quarantine; rua=mailto:dmarc@pepploweb.com

Your email provider gives you the exact SPF include and DKIM key to publish.

Start DMARC gently

Begin with p=none to receive reports without affecting delivery. When reports show your real mail passes, move to quarantine and then reject.

Common problems

• More than one SPF record (only one is allowed).
• Forgetting services that send email for you, such as newsletters or invoicing tools.
• DKIM keys published under the wrong selector.

Why it matters for your brand

Customers who receive phishing emails in your name stop trusting genuine ones. Strong email authentication protects your reputation everywhere.