Email Deliverability Checker
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Check your domain's email authentication — MX records, SPF, DKIM, and DMARC — in one scan. Find why your emails land in spam and get specific fixes.
How the Email Deliverability Checker Works
This tool queries your domain's DNS records to audit email authentication:
- MX records — verifies your domain has mail exchange records pointing to email servers. Also detects your email provider (Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Zoho, etc.).
- SPF validation — checks for an SPF TXT record, validates the syntax, detects dangerous mechanisms like +all, and counts DNS lookups (10-lookup limit).
- DKIM detection — scans 17 common DKIM selectors (google, default, selector1, brevo, mandrill, etc.) to verify DKIM signing is configured.
- DMARC analysis — checks for a DMARC record, evaluates the policy (none/quarantine/reject), verifies report addresses (rua/ruf), and flags percentage restrictions.
Why Email Authentication Matters
Email authentication is no longer optional — it's required by major inbox providers:
- Google and Yahoo requirements (2024) — bulk senders must have SPF, DKIM, and DMARC configured or face delivery failures. Even small senders see improved delivery with proper authentication.
- Spoofing and phishing protection — without SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, anyone can forge emails that appear to come from your domain. Phishing attacks using your domain damage brand reputation and customer trust.
- Inbox placement vs spam folder — properly authenticated emails are significantly more likely to reach the inbox. Missing authentication is one of the top reasons legitimate emails get filtered to spam.
- Domain reputation — email providers track domain reputation over time. Consistent authentication builds a positive sending reputation that improves deliverability for all your emails.
- Business email reliability — when clients, customers, or leads don't receive your emails, you lose revenue. Proper authentication ensures your transactional emails, newsletters, and business communications arrive reliably.
After checking email authentication, verify your domain's DNS setup with our DNS Lookup tool and check your SSL certificate with the SSL Certificate Checker. Also run a security headers check to ensure your web server is hardened alongside your email setup. For full domain intelligence, the WHOIS Lookup shows domain registration, registrar, and expiry details.
How to Fix Email Authentication Issues
Common fixes for email deliverability problems:
- Missing SPF — add a TXT record to your DNS with
v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all(replace with your provider's include). Use ~all (soft fail) or -all (hard fail). - Missing DKIM — enable DKIM signing in your email provider's settings. Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, and most providers offer one-click DKIM setup that adds the DNS record automatically.
- Missing DMARC — add a TXT record at
_dmarc.yourdomain.comwithv=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc@yourdomain.com. Start with p=none to monitor, then upgrade to p=quarantine or p=reject. - SPF +all — change +all to ~all or -all immediately. +all means anyone can send as your domain, defeating the purpose of SPF entirely.
- Multiple SPF records — merge into a single record. Having more than one SPF record causes authentication failures per RFC 7208.
- DMARC p=none — after monitoring reports for 2-4 weeks, upgrade to p=quarantine (spam folder) and eventually p=reject (block). p=none provides no protection — it only monitors.
For help setting up email authentication and improving deliverability, explore our SEO services which include technical site audits covering email DNS configuration.
Email Deliverability Checker: FAQ
What is email deliverability?
Email deliverability is the ability of your emails to reach the recipient's inbox instead of being filtered to spam or rejected entirely. It depends on your domain's email authentication records (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), sender reputation, and technical configuration. Poor deliverability means your emails never reach customers, even if they signed up.
What does this email deliverability checker do?
This tool checks your domain's email authentication setup by querying DNS records. It verifies MX records (mail servers), SPF (authorized senders), DKIM (email signatures), and DMARC (policy enforcement). It identifies missing records, misconfigurations, and provides specific recommendations to fix issues.
What is SPF and why is it important?
SPF (Sender Policy Framework) is a DNS TXT record that lists which mail servers are authorized to send email for your domain. When a receiving server gets an email from your domain, it checks SPF to verify the sending server is legitimate. Without SPF, anyone can forge emails from your domain, and your legitimate emails are more likely to be flagged as spam.
What is DKIM and why does it matter?
DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) adds a digital signature to every email you send. The receiving server verifies this signature against a public key published in your DNS. DKIM proves the email was actually sent from your domain and wasn't modified in transit. It's a critical trust signal for inbox providers.
What is DMARC and why do I need it?
DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) ties SPF and DKIM together with a policy that tells receiving servers what to do when authentication fails: none (monitor only), quarantine (send to spam), or reject (block entirely). Google and Yahoo require DMARC for bulk senders as of February 2024.
Why can't the tool find my DKIM records?
DKIM records use custom selectors that are specific to your email provider. The tool checks 17 common selectors (google, default, selector1, selector2, brevo, mandrill, etc.) but your provider may use a different one. Check your email provider's documentation for the correct DKIM selector name.
What do Google and Yahoo require for email senders?
Since February 2024, Google and Yahoo require all bulk senders (5,000+ emails/day) to have: valid SPF and DKIM authentication, a published DMARC record (at minimum p=none), one-click unsubscribe headers, and spam complaint rates below 0.3%. Even non-bulk senders benefit from having all three records configured.
What is a good email deliverability score?
A score of 80-100 means your authentication is well-configured. 60-79 means you have the basics but some improvements needed. Below 60 indicates missing or misconfigured records that are likely causing deliverability problems.
Can I enter an email address instead of a domain?
Yes. You can enter either a domain (example.com) or an email address (you@example.com). The tool automatically extracts the domain and checks its email authentication records.
Is this email deliverability checker free?
Yes. Completely free, no signup, no limits, no ads. Enter any domain and get a full email authentication audit in seconds.
Need Help with Email Deliverability?
We configure SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and DNS for reliable email delivery — as part of our technical SEO audits.