TL;DR: If your emails aren’t reaching inboxes, it’s likely due to a lack of proper email authentication. Setting up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC helps verify your emails and prevents them from being marked as spam. SPF ensures only authorised servers send your emails, DKIM adds a signature to verify your emails haven’t been tampered with, and DMARC gives you control over how failed emails are handled. Regularly testing and monitoring your setup is crucial. If you’re a Clook customer, our support team is here to help you get everything set up so your important emails reach their destination.
Imagine this: You’ve sent an important email to a client, but it never reaches their inbox. Frustrating, right?
Many of our clients face this issue, especially when sending emails to services like Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo. The reason often lies in something called email authentication.
In this post, we’ll explain what DKIM, SPF, and DMARC are, why they matter, and how setting them up correctly can help ensure your emails reach their intended destination.
What Are DKIM, SPF, and DMARC?
SPF (Sender Policy Framework):
What it is: A way to verify that the server sending your email has permission to do so.
How it works: SPF checks the IP address of the server against a list of approved IP addresses that are allowed to send emails on behalf of your domain.
Why it matters: Prevents spammers from sending emails that look like they’re coming from your domain (spoofing).
DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail):
What it is: An email authentication method that allows the receiver to check that an email claiming to come from a specific domain was indeed authorised by the owner of that domain.
How it works: DKIM adds a digital signature to your email that can be verified by the recipient’s email server.
Why it matters: Ensures the integrity of the email content and verifies that the email hasn’t been altered in transit.
DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance):
What it is: A policy that tells email servers what to do if an email fails SPF or DKIM checks.
How it works: DMARC provides instructions (e.g., quarantine, reject) for how to handle emails that don’t pass the SPF or DKIM checks.
Why it matters: Helps prevent phishing and spoofing attacks, and provides reports on email authentication activity.
Why Are My Emails Not Reaching Gmail?
Gmail’s Strict Security Measures:
Gmail, like many major email providers, uses strict filtering and authentication checks to protect users from spam and phishing.
Emails that fail SPF, DKIM, or DMARC checks are often sent to the spam folder or rejected altogether.
Common Issues:
No SPF or DKIM records set: If your domain doesn’t have SPF or DKIM configured, your emails might be flagged as suspicious.
Incorrectly configured records: Even if you have SPF/DKIM set up, mistakes in the configuration can lead to failed checks.
DMARC not implemented: Without a DMARC policy, your domain is more vulnerable to spoofing, leading to a higher chance of your emails being rejected.
Step 1: Set Up SPF
SPF (Sender Policy Framework) is your first line of defence in email authentication. It helps prevent unauthorised sources from sending emails on behalf of your domain.
What You Need to Do:
Identify Authorised Senders: Start by identifying all the servers, IP addresses, and third-party services that send emails using your domain. This might include your own mail servers, your website, and any email marketing platforms you use.
Create Your SPF Record: An SPF record is a DNS TXT record that lists the IP addresses and domains authorised to send emails for your domain. It typically looks something like this:
v=spf1 ip4:192.0.2.0/24 include:mailservice.com -all
This record means that only the specified IP range and the email service listed are allowed to send emails on your behalf.
Add SPF to Your DNS: Once your SPF record is ready, add it to your domain’s DNS settings. This can usually be done through your domain registrar or hosting provider’s control panel.
Why It Matters: Setting up SPF helps ensure that your emails are less likely to be marked as spam by verifying that the sending server is allowed to send on behalf of your domain.
Step 2: Set Up DKIM
DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) adds a digital signature to your emails, allowing the recipient’s server to verify that the email was indeed sent by you and that it hasn’t been altered during transit.
What You Need to Do:
Generate a DKIM Key: Your mail server or email provider should provide a way to generate a DKIM key pair. The public key will be published in your DNS records, while the private key is kept secure on your mail server.
Publish Your DKIM Key: Add the DKIM public key to your DNS as a TXT record. This might look something like this:
default._domainkey.yourdomain.com IN TXT “v=DKIM1; k=rsa; p=YourPublicKeyHere”
Enable DKIM Signing: Configure your email server to sign outgoing emails with the DKIM private key. This signature will be attached to each email, ensuring it can be verified by the recipient’s server.
Why It Matters: DKIM not only helps prevent your emails from being altered in transit but also improves your domain’s reputation with recipient servers, reducing the likelihood of your emails being marked as spam.
Step 3: Implement DMARC
DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) is the final layer of email authentication. It builds on SPF and DKIM to give you control over what happens when an email fails these checks.
What You Need to Do:
Create a DMARC Policy: A DMARC policy tells email servers how to handle messages that fail SPF or DKIM checks. You can start with a policy that monitors (without enforcement), and gradually move to a more strict policy as you gain confidence. A basic DMARC record might look like this:
v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:reports@yourdomain.com; ruf=mailto:alerts@yourdomain.com
p=none means no action is taken on failed emails (monitoring mode).
rua and ruf specify email addresses where aggregate and forensic reports should be sent.
Add DMARC to Your DNS: Like SPF and DKIM, your DMARC policy is added to your domain’s DNS as a TXT record.
Why It Matters: DMARC gives you insight into your domain’s email traffic and protects your domain from being used in phishing and spoofing attacks. It also helps boost your domain’s reputation with email providers.
Step 4: Test Your Setup
Once you’ve set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, it’s important to test your configuration to ensure everything is working as expected.
What You Need to Do:
Use Testing Tools: Tools like MXToolbox and DMARC Analyzer can help you verify that your SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are correctly configured. They’ll show you if there are any issues that need fixing.
Send Test Emails: Send test emails to various email providers, including Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo. Check whether these emails land in the inbox or are marked as spam. This will give you an idea of how your emails are being received.
Why It Matters: Testing ensures that your email authentication setup is working correctly and that your emails are more likely to reach your recipients’ inboxes.
Step 5: Monitor and Adjust
Email authentication isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it process. You’ll need to monitor your setup and make adjustments as needed.
What You Need to Do:
Review DMARC Reports: DMARC reports will give you detailed insights into your email traffic, including information on any failed SPF or DKIM checks. Use this data to identify and fix any issues.
Adjust Your DMARC Policy: As you gain confidence in your setup, you can gradually move from p=none (monitoring) to p=quarantine (send suspicious emails to spam) or p=reject (block suspicious emails entirely).
Stay Updated: Email authentication standards can evolve, so it’s important to stay informed and update your records as needed.
Why It Matters: Regular monitoring and adjustments help maintain a strong email reputation, ensuring your emails continue to reach their intended recipients.
Automatically Setting Up SPF and DKIM in cPanel
You can automatically implement SPF, DKIM, and DMARC through cPanel. Here’s how you can do it:
Setting Up SPF and DKIM in cPanel
cPanel provides a straightforward way to set up SPF and DKIM for your domain:
Step 1: Log in to cPanel
Access your cPanel dashboard through your hosting provider.
Step 2: Navigate to the Email Section
Find the Email section and click on Email Deliverability (sometimes labelled as “Authentication” or “Email Authentication”).
Step 3: Enable SPF and DKIM
You’ll see your domain listed along with options to enable SPF and DKIM.
Click on Manage next to the domain you want to configure.
cPanel will automatically generate the correct SPF and DKIM records for your domain.
Step 4: Apply Changes
Once you click the options to enable SPF and DKIM, cPanel will update your DNS records with the necessary TXT entries.
Setting Up DMARC in cPanel
DMARC is not automatically set up in cPanel like SPF and DKIM, but you can easily add a DMARC record manually:
Step 1: Log in to cPanel
As with SPF and DKIM, start by logging into your cPanel account.
Step 2: Access the Zone Editor
In the Domains section, click on Zone Editor.
Step 3: Add a DMARC Record
Click on Manage next to the domain you want to add the DMARC record for.
Click on Add Record and select Add TXT Record.
For the Name field, enter _dmarc.yourdomain.com (replace yourdomain.com with your actual domain).
For the TXT Data field, enter your DMARC policy, for example:
v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:reports@yourdomain.com; ruf=mailto:alerts@yourdomain.com
p=none is for monitoring only, but you can change it to p=quarantine or p=reject as you become more confident in your setup.
Click Add Record to save the DMARC entry.
Verify the Setup
After setting up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, you should verify that they are correctly implemented:
- Use tools like MXToolbox to check your SPF and DKIM records.
- You can also check your DMARC configuration by sending test emails and reviewing the reports that are sent to the email addresses specified in the DMARC policy.
By following these steps, you can automatically set up SPF and DKIM through cPanel and manually add a DMARC record to fully protect your domain and improve email deliverability. These features are designed to be user-friendly, even for those without a deep technical background, making it easier for you to ensure your emails reach their intended recipients.
Wrapping Up
Proper email authentication is essential for ensuring your emails don’t get lost in cyberspace. By setting up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, you’re taking significant steps to improve your email deliverability and protect your domain’s reputation.
If you’re unsure about any of these steps or need help setting up your email authentication, our dedicated Clook support team is here for you. As one of our valued customers, you have access to expert assistance to ensure your emails reach their destination.
Don’t let your important communications go unnoticed – get in touch, and we’ll help you get your authentication sorted today!
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