The Deliverability Ledger · Authentication · 2 posts
SPF, DKIM and DMARC, set up right
Setting up SPF, DKIM and DMARC step by step, and choosing between a quarantine and a reject policy.
All 2, newest first
- DMARC Quarantine vs Reject: Which Policy to Use (and When to Switch)p=none, p=quarantine, p=reject: three settings, three very different outcomes. Here's exactly when to pick each, and the safe path to enforcement.
- How to Set Up and Fix SPF, DKIM, and DMARC: A Step-by-Step GuideLearning how to set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is simpler than those acronyms suggest. Most people can fix their email authentication in under an hour.
Other topics
- DeliverabilityThe signals inbox providers weigh, what each SMTP code and bounce type means, list hygiene, warm-up, and the numbers to measure yourself against.
- MicrosoftThe 550 and 421 errors Microsoft returns, how Exchange Online Protection scores a message, SNDS and JMRP, and how to get off the Outlook blocklist.
- GoogleThe Gmail bounces senders hit most (421 4.7.0, 421 4.7.28, 550 5.7.26), the bulk sender requirements, Postmaster Tools, and the way back out of the spam folder.
- BlacklistsHow to tell if you are listed, why IP and domain blacklists catch different things, and what SURBL listings mean for cold email.
- YahooThe two refusals Yahoo and AOL send most, 421 [TSS04] for complaints and 554 5.7.9 for policy, and how to clear each.
- Cold EmailGetting cold outreach into the inbox without burning the domain it is sent from.
- ReputationThe usual reasons a sender reputation drops, and how to rebuild it.
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