Providers such as Gmail, Outlook and Yandex want to verify that an incoming email really comes from your domain. If verification fails, your email lands in the spam folder or is not delivered at all.
In short
- Your domain should have SPF, DKIM and DMARC records.
- Since 2024 Gmail and Yahoo require these records, especially for bulk sending.
- You can test in a few minutes with mail-tester.com.
The three verification records
| Record | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|
| SPF | Lists the servers allowed to send email for your domain. | v=spf1 a mx ~all |
| DKIM | Adds a digital signature to each email; the receiving server checks it against a key in DNS. | Turned on in the panel |
| DMARC | Says what to do with email that fails SPF or DKIM. | v=DMARC1; p=none |
How do I add the records?
- SPF: Plesk and cPanel add a default SPF record. If you use Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 or a newsletter service, add their
include:value to the same record. - DKIM: In Plesk, Mail > Mail Settings > domain > Use DKIM spam protection; in cPanel, Email > Email Deliverability > Install the suggested record.
- DMARC: Add a TXT record named
_dmarcwith the valuev=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc@yourdomain.com. If you see no problems for a few weeks, change it top=quarantine.
Note: A domain should have only one SPF record. Two separate SPF records make SPF invalid altogether.
Other causes
- Words like "FREE" or "YOU WON" or lots of capital letters in the subject line
- Emails with little text that consist only of images
- Shortened links such as bit.ly
- Sending to many recipients at once (use a newsletter service for bulk mail)
- The server IP address being on a blacklist (open a support ticket in that case)
How do I test?
Send an email to the address mail-tester.com gives you. The page shows your score and any missing records; 9 out of 10 or above is a good result.
Need help? Open a support ticket from your client area or call +90 216 348 35 03.
