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Run an external verification check on your DNS records

Abstract

Learn how to check whether your SPF, DKIM and DMARC records are valid.

The Sender Policy Framework (SPF), DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) and Domain-based Message Authentication (DMARC) are components of email authentication, also known as DNS records. They are necessary for elements that help your email marketing campaigns be delivered to your recipients' inboxes instead of their spam folders.

Email clients use SPF to validate that the IP address a message was sent from is valid. DKIM ensures your messages are signed with the organization's certificate and a signature is included in email headers and DMARC enables domain owners to protect their domains from unauthorized access and usage.

Check your SPF record has been verified:

  1. Go to SPF Surveyor - dmarcian.

  2. In the Enter Domain field, enter your full domain name i.e domain.com and click Survey domain.

  3. If your DNS is valid you will see the message 'SPF - High five! Your SPF record is valid.'

  4. You can click + for details. If you only have one SPF record, it will show like this:

    v=spf1 include:spfa.mailendo.com ~all

    If you already have an SPF record, such as v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all, the updated SPF record should look like:

    v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com include:spfa.mailendo.com ~all

Check your DKIM record has been verified:

  1. Go to DKIM Inspector - dmarcian.

  2. In the Enter Domain field, enter the full domain name i.e domain.com and click Survey domain.

  3. In the Enter selector field, enter the selector ms and click Inspect domain.

  4. If your DNS is valid you will see the message 'Congratulations! Your DKIM record is valid.'

  5. You can click + for details. It will look like the example below:

    k=rsa;p=MIGfMA0GCSqGSIb3DQEBAQUAA4GNADvOasfEIjT4S15emucwZhxKaWgikEeI7zzyj11l3owcIz3nZWAcuEhDxSCWYeapkj4G6WuV38WhRTxD5rXA0GQysBn+1w2FiVV0KDBHb8VLB13y8jU0SX/IiM7h0zilACnN6qzMvbG/6Z5x/ja/AB5Gc1vQrgF9ztt2/QAAAQAB

Check your DMARC record has been verified:

  1. Go to DMARC Inspector - dmarcian.

  2. In the Enter Domain field, enter the full domain name i.e domain.com and click Inspect the Domain.

  3. If your DNS is valid, you will see the message 'Great Job! You have a valid DMARC record that provides visibility into the entirety of your email program(s) and helps ensure you meet email sending best practices.'