Can SPF and DKIM alone fix deliverability?

They help, but DMARC adds policy and reporting—and alignment is often the missing piece for consistent inbox placement.

What DMARC policy should I start with?

Start with p=none to monitor and collect reports. Move to quarantine/reject once SPF/DKIM alignment and legitimate senders are confirmed.

Why does DMARC fail even when SPF/DKIM pass?

Because DMARC requires alignment with the visible From domain, not just pass results. Misalignment is a common cause of DMARC failure.

What’s the fastest way to reduce bounces?

Validate emails before they enter your list and remove invalid addresses immediately to protect sender reputation and reduce bounce-driven spam risk.

Does unsubscribe impact deliverability?

Yes. Making unsubscribe easy reduces spam complaints and helps maintain strong domain reputation, improving inbox placement over time.

How do I know what subscribers actually engage with?

Use URL and campaign analytics to track clicks and engagement patterns so you can optimize content and targeting.

Fix Email Deliverability Fast with DKIM, SPF, DMARC

🚨Sent doesn’t mean Delivered!

Your Email Marketing campaign can show sent and still fail where it matters: the inbox. When deliverability drops, revenue drops with it. Opens fall. Clicks vanish. Replies slow down. Trust erodes.

The fastest way to stabilize deliverability is simple: prove you’re a legitimate sender using three DNS authentication standards:

SPF (who can send for your domain)
DKIM (proof your message wasn’t altered)
DMARC (what receivers should do when checks fail + reporting)

Do these right, and you remove a major “spam trigger” in minutes.

Why Deliverability Suddenly Tanks?

Deliverability rarely collapses for one reason. It’s usually a stack of small issues:

Missing or incorrect domain authentication (SPF/DKIM/DMARC)
Weak domain reputation or IP reputation
High bounce rate (hard bounces, invalid emails)
Increased spam complaints
Sudden spikes in volume (no throttling / send-rate control)
Low engagement signals (opens, clicks, replies)
Risky links, redirects, or spammy formatting

If you want the fastest fix, start here: authentication + alignment.

The 15-minute “fast fix” Roadmap

If you only do one thing today, do this in order:

Verify SPF is present and valid
Confirm DKIM is signing outbound emails
Add DMARC with a safe starter policy
Check alignment (the #1 reason DMARC fails even when SPF/DKIM “pass”)
Clean obvious list issues (invalid emails) before the next send

💡Pro tip: Fixing DNS authentication improves deliverability fast, but long-term inbox placement depends on list hygiene, pacing, and engagement.

SPF: Sender Policy Framework

SPF (Sender Policy Framework) is an email authentication standard that helps mailbox providers verify whether a message was sent by an authorized server on behalf of your domain.When a receiving server such as Gmail or Outlook processes your email, it checks your domain’s DNS to confirm that the sending server is permitted to send mail using your domain name.

If the sending server is not authorized, the message may be flagged as suspicious, routed to spam, or rejected entirely. As a result, an incorrect or missing SPF record can directly impact inbox placement and sender reputation. While SPF alone does not guarantee inbox placement, it plays a critical role in establishing sender legitimacy and reducing spoofing and unauthorized use of your domain.

DKIM: DomainKeys Identified Mail

DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) is an email authentication mechanism that attaches a cryptographic signature to outgoing messages, allowing receiving servers to verify the authenticity of the sender. By validating this signature, mailbox providers can confirm that the email was genuinely sent by the stated domain and that its content was not altered while in transit.

Emails that pass DKIM checks are generally considered more trustworthy, which helps improve inbox placement and strengthens long-term domain reputation. While DKIM alone does not guarantee delivery to the inbox, it is a critical trust signal used by modern email providers to distinguish legitimate senders from spoofed or manipulated messages.

DMARC: Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance

DMARC is an email authentication policy layer that works on top of SPF and DKIM. It tells receiving mail servers how to handle messages that fail authentication checks and provides visibility into how your domain is being used across email systems. By enforcing a consistent policy, DMARC helps mailbox providers distinguish legitimate emails from spoofed or fraudulent messages, protecting both inbox placement and brand reputation.

In addition to improving deliverability, DMARC plays a key role in preventing phishing, reducing domain abuse, and giving senders insight into unauthorized email activity. When combined with proper SPF and DKIM authentication, DMARC acts as a trust framework that strengthens sender credibility and shields your brand from misuse.

Proper SPF, DKIM, and DMARC configuration is critical for email authentication and inbox placement. To avoid common setup mistakes and ensure your domain is correctly verified, follow our step-by-step guide →

How to Configure the Three Essential DNS Records for Email Marketing

The part Most People Miss: SPF/DKIM/DMARC alignment

SPF can pass. DKIM can pass. And DMARC can still fail. Why? Alignment.

⚠️What alignment means?

DMARC requires that the domain used in authentication matches (aligns with) the domain users see in the From address.

SPF alignment compares envelope-from/return-path domain vs From
DKIM alignment compares the DKIM d= domain vs From

If alignment is off, inbox placement becomes inconsistent and your sender trust weakens.

Item	Where it appears	What should align
From domain	Visible sender	Primary domain your audience sees
Return-Path / Envelope-From	SMTP layer	Should align with From for SPF alignment
DKIM d=	DKIM signature	Should align with From for DKIM alignment

Pre-send deliverability checklist (use this every time)

SPF record exists and is valid
DKIM is signing outgoing mail
DMARC exists (start with p=none)
SPF/DKIM alignment is correct
Unsubscribe link is present and functional
Send rate is controlled (avoid spikes)
Contact list is cleaned (remove invalid addresses)
Track bounces and suppress repeated failures

How Gersuz helps you Fix Deliverability Faster

If you want fewer manual checks and more consistency, build deliverability into your workflow.

1) Verify DKIM/SPF/DMARC Before you Send

Gersuz’s Anti‑Spam Service includes DNS verification for DKIM, SPF, and DMARC so issues are caught before a campaign goes out ---> 🔗Explore the Gersuz Anti‑Spam Service

2) Clean your list to Protect Sender Reputation

Invalid emails create bounces. Bounces damage trust. Trust drives inbox placement. ---> 🔗Use Email Validity Checker

3) Track what Actually Happens After Send

Deliverability isn’t only “did it land.” It’s “did it engage.”

🔗Campaign Tracking (full campaign visibility)
🔗Advanced URL Tracking (click-level engagement insight)

💡Important: No platform can guarantee 100% inbox placement. External factors (recipient behavior, provider filtering, domain history) always apply.