Understanding Email Deliverability: Stay Out Of The Spam Folder

Some mail providers have additional authentication systems in place such as SPF, DKIM, and DMARC which may prevent your email from making its way into your recipient’s inbox. These authentication protocols are designed as a response to increased spam and fraud within the email industry. The more authentications that are in place by the receiving mail server, the more secure the email process is. However, this means that there is a higher chance of emails not being deliverable because of a misconfiguration on the sender’s side. We expect the email industry to move towards widespread adoption of these authentication protocols in the near future.

Global Email can identify which authentication systems are in place for the MX server of the email during validation, so you can make changes to your MX server settings and improve deliverability prior to actually sending out the email. Here’s an overview of some authentication systems and how they might affect your email deliverability:

SPF

Sender Policy Framework - This is an authentication protocol from the sender that lists out IP addresses in a DNS TXT record that are authorized to send emails on behalf of the sender’s domain. The receiving system will get a status of whether or not an SPF record was received.

If the receiving mail server requires SPF:

• If the sender’s SPF record is valid and your IP is on the list, your email will make its way into their mailbox
• If the sender’s SPF record is nonexistent, there are no checks and your email will makes its way into their mailbox
• If the sender's IP is not on the sender’s record, the sender will fail the SPF check when the SPF record is sent to the recipient’s mail server. Your email will be rejected or go into the spam folder 

If the receiving mail server does not require SPF:

• Your email will make its way into their mailbox

Best Practices for SPF:

Always make sure that the server responsible for sending emails out has a valid SPF record with that server’s IP address whitelisted.

DKIM

Domain Key Identified Mail - This is an authentication that provides a way to validate a domain’s identity with cryptographic authentication. This signature verifies that the message is authentic and that the original message is not modified. Outbound email servers with DKIM setup will attach a DKIM so that the receiving server can verify it.

If DKIM is optional or not required at the receiving mail server:

• Your email will make its way into their mailbox

If DKIM is required at the receiving mail server:

• Valid DKIM means your email will be accepted
• Depending on the policy set, No DKIM means accepted, rejected or will go into the spam folder
• Depending on the policy set, Invalid DKIM means rejected or will go into the spam folder

Best Practices for DKIM:

Always make sure that the server uses DKIM authentication for outbound emails.

DMARC

Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance - This authentication prevents unauthorized use of a domain in a domain spoof or phishing by evaluating the “from” portion of the email. The protocol allows the receiving mail server to see the origin domain in which the “from” address is being sent from. Mail servers can then set a policy at the DMARC DNS record to determine the fate of unauthorized emails.  

If DMARC is ignored at the receiving mail server:

• Your email will make its way into their mailbox

If DMARC is checked at the receiving mail server:

• If the email is authenticated, your email will be delivered
• If the email is not authenticated, your email will be either delivered, sent to spam or rejected based on the policy set (none, quarantine, reject)

Best Practices for DMARC:

Always make sure that the domain the server uses to actually send out the email matches with the domain of the “from” email.

Conclusion

Following best practices for DMARC, DKIM, and SPF utilizing email validation will result in:

• Maximizing your email deliverability and improving ROI on leads
• Reducing bouncebacks and timely/costly IP reputation damage
• Reducing spammer designations
• Increasing email security and adherence to industry standard protocols

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