SPF (Sender Policy Framework)

SPF (Sender Policy Framework) is a DNS text entry which shows a list of servers that should be considered allowed to send mail for a specific domain. The SPF record helps deliverability as it provides an authoritative list of IP's and hostnames allowed.

For example, if you send an email from Taguchi without a SPF record, some mail servers may treat the email as suspicious and may move the email to the junk/spam folder or reject the message. This is because mail servers use SPF records to verify the authenticity of the sender of the email. If the SPF record is present when sending an email, the remote email server could then verify that Taguchi is allowed to send emails on behalf of the sender.

DKIM (Domain Keys Identified Mail)

DKIM (Domain Keys Identified Mail) should be instead considered a method to verify that the messages' content is trustworthy, meaning that the content hasn't changed since the moment the message left the initial mail server. This additional layer of deliverability is achieved by an implementation of the standard public/private key signing process. The owners of the domain add a DNS entry with the public DKIM key which will be used by receivers to verify that the message DKIM signature is correct, while on the sender side the server will sign the entitled mail messages with the corresponding private key.

Benefits of Using SPF & DKIM

When you add authentication information to your domain, an added benefit is that many ISPs use authentication to track sending reputation. With authentication handled by your domain, reputation with the receiving ISPs is influenced by your domain and the emails sent on behalf of your domain. This means you maintain control over the emails that affect deliverability for your domain. A positive reputation for your domain builds trust and improves deliverability, affecting whether your emails are caught by spam filters and how quickly the receiving servers will accept mail from your domain.

Setting Up SPF & DKIM

Click here to see instructions on how to set up SPF and DKIM records on your domain.