Email Deliverability Setup

Email authentication helps receiving mail servers verify that messages claiming to be from your domain are legitimate. Without proper authentication, your emails are more likely to be marked as spam or rejected entirely. There are three main authentication methods: SPF (Sender Policy Framework), DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail), and DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance). Setting up all three provides the strongest protection for your email reputation.

SPF tells receiving mail servers which IP addresses and servers are authorized to send email on behalf of your domain. To set up SPF, you need to add a TXT record to your domain's DNS settings. A basic SPF record looks like: v=spf1 include:_spf.meirra.com ~all. The 'include' statement authorizes our mail servers, and '~all' indicates that emails from other sources should be treated with suspicion. Your DNS provider's control panel will have an option to add TXT records. After adding the record, it can take up to 48 hours to propagate worldwide.

DKIM adds a digital signature to your outgoing emails that receiving servers can verify. This signature proves the email hasn't been tampered with in transit. To set up DKIM, you'll need to add a TXT or CNAME record to your DNS. The record name includes a selector (like 'meirra' or 'default') followed by '._domainkey.yourdomain.com'. We'll provide you with the exact record value in your email settings. Once configured, every email you send through our platform will be cryptographically signed.

DMARC builds on SPF and DKIM by telling receiving servers what to do when authentication fails. It also enables reporting so you can monitor authentication results. Start with a monitoring policy: v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc@yourdomain.com. Add this as a TXT record with the name '_dmarc.yourdomain.com'. The 'p=none' policy means failures are only reported, not blocked. After monitoring for a few weeks and confirming legitimate emails pass, you can strengthen to 'p=quarantine' (send failures to spam) or 'p=reject' (block failures entirely).

If your emails are still going to spam after setup, check these common issues: 1) DNS propagation can take up to 48 hours - verify your records have propagated using online tools like MXToolbox. 2) SPF alignment - make sure your 'from' domain matches the domain in your SPF record. 3) Multiple SPF records - you can only have one SPF TXT record per domain; combine all includes into a single record. 4) DKIM selector mismatch - ensure you're using the correct selector name. 5) DMARC alignment - both SPF and DKIM should align with your 'from' domain for DMARC to pass.