What are SPF, DKIM, and DMARC?

Three short settings stored with your domain name that together prove an email is really from you. With them in place, mail providers are far more likely to trust your messages. Without them, your mail can look forged, and it often ends up in spam.

Why are my emails suddenly going to spam?

Often a mail provider tightened its rules. Google and Yahoo started requiring these settings in 2024, with the strictest rules for businesses that send a lot of email. A new tool that sends email for you, like a newsletter or booking service, can also trigger it if it was never set up with your domain. Missing SPF, DKIM, or DMARC is the usual cause.

Can I set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC myself?

Yes, if you are comfortable editing your domain's DNS records, the settings usually managed where you bought your domain name. Your email provider has step-by-step guides. If you would rather not touch those settings, someone technical can set all three in one sitting.

Tips

Why Is My Business Email Going to Spam?

Short answer

Usually because your domain is missing three settings that prove your email is really from you: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. Without them, mail providers treat your messages as suspicious. They are mostly one-time fixes, and once they are in place your email is far more likely to reach the inbox.

What SPF, DKIM, and DMARC do

You never need to memorize these. They need to be set up correctly once, and updated when you add a new tool that sends email for you.

SPF: Lists which services are allowed to send email for your domain, which makes it harder for someone else to send mail pretending to be you.
DKIM: Adds a hidden signature to every message that proves it really came from you and was not tampered with along the way.
DMARC: Tells the receiving side what to do with mail that fails those checks, and can send you reports on who is sending email using your name.

Warning signs

You can spot these without opening any technical settings. Any one of them suggests something is missing:

Your emails often land in a customer's spam or promotions folder.
Invoices, receipts, or appointment reminders quietly go missing.
You send from your own domain but were never asked to set up SPF, DKIM, or DMARC.
A newsletter or booking tool sends "on your behalf" and you never verified your domain with it.

If nobody ever set these up on purpose, there is a good chance at least one is missing. Your email provider or a free online checker can tell you in a few minutes.

Getting them set up

All three go in your domain's DNS settings. Your email provider, like Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, has step-by-step guides, and someone technical can usually add all three in one sitting. If editing DNS records is not something you want to do yourself, Klutch can check and fix them for you.

Common questions

What are SPF, DKIM, and DMARC?: Three short settings stored with your domain name that together prove an email is really from you. With them in place, mail providers are far more likely to trust your messages. Without them, your mail can look forged, and it often ends up in spam.
Why are my emails suddenly going to spam?: Often a mail provider tightened its rules. Google and Yahoo started requiring these settings in 2024, with the strictest rules for businesses that send a lot of email. A new tool that sends email for you, like a newsletter or booking service, can also trigger it if it was never set up with your domain. Missing SPF, DKIM, or DMARC is the usual cause.
Can I set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC myself?: Yes, if you are comfortable editing your domain's DNS records, the settings usually managed where you bought your domain name. Your email provider has step-by-step guides. If you would rather not touch those settings, someone technical can set all three in one sitting.