Fix DMARC Failures: Improve Email Trust & Deliverability

In today’s connected world, email is more than just sending messages. It's how businesses talk to customers, build trust, and grow. But what if your emails aren't reaching anyone? What if they're landing in spam folders instead of inboxes? Often, the problem is something called DMARC failures. If your emails are getting lost or flagged as suspicious, it's time to learn how to fix these issues.

Fixing DMARC failures isn't just a tech task; it's about protecting your brand's good name and making sure your important messages get delivered. When DMARC doesn't work, email providers might see your emails as untrustworthy, send them to spam, or block them completely. This hurts your email trust and deliverability, something no business can afford.

What Is DMARC, and Why Is It Important for Email Deliverability?

Imagine sending a letter, but the person who gets it isn't sure if it came from you. That's what happens with emails that aren't properly checked. DMARC, or Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance, is a system that helps protect your email from fakes, like people pretending to be you to trick others (email spoofing protection).

Think of DMARC as a guard at the door for your email reputation. It checks every email that says it's from your domain. If an email doesn't have the right "ID," DMARC tells the receiving server what to do: let it pass, send it to a spam folder, or block it entirely. This is super important for keeping a good email domain reputation.

How DMARC Works with SPF and DKIM

DMARC doesn't work alone. It relies on two other important email checks: SPF (Sender Policy Framework) and DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail).

• SPF (Sender Policy Framework): SPF is like a list of all the approved mail servers (SMTP servers) that are allowed to send emails for your domain. When an email arrives, the receiving server checks your SPF record to see if the sender's address is on this approved list. If it's not, that's a warning sign.
  
  
• DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail): DKIM adds a hidden digital stamp to your outgoing emails. This stamp is like a secret code that proves the email hasn't been changed since it was sent and truly came from you.
  
  

DMARC brings SPF and DKIM together. For an email to pass DMARC, it needs to pass either SPF or DKIM. Also, the "From" address (what your recipients see) must match the domain used for SPF or DKIM. This SPF and DKIM alignment is where many email authentication issues often start.

Why Email Trust Is So Important for Your Campaigns

For anyone sending out marketing emails, sales messages, or newsletters, email trust isn't just nice to have; it's necessary. If your emails constantly land in spam folders or get blocked, your message, no matter how good, will never be seen.

High email trust and deliverability mean your emails are much more likely to reach the inbox, leading to more people opening them, better engagement, and ultimately, more successful campaigns. On the flip side, a lack of trust due to DMARC failures can badly harm your sender reputation, making it harder to reach your audience even with perfectly good emails. It’s like being secretly blocked.

Common Causes of DMARC Failures

So, why do these DMARC failures happen? It's often a mix of technical mistakes and things that were simply missed. Understanding these common problems is the first step toward DMARC troubleshooting and getting your email system working right.

• Wrong SPF or DKIM Settings
  This is probably the most common reason for DMARC failures. An incorrect SPF record might not list all the places you send email from, or it might have small typing errors. Similarly, a DKIM record might be missing, have the wrong key, or the signing process on your email infrastructure might be faulty. If either SPF or DKIM fails to check an email, and that email doesn't meet DMARC's matching rules, you'll see a DMARC failure.
  
  
• Misaligned Domains or Subdomains
  Remember that important "alignment" we talked about? DMARC requires that the domain in your email's "From" address matches the domain checked by SPF or DKIM. If you send emails from a part of your domain (like news.yourcompany.com) but your SPF or DKIM records are only set up for your main domain (yourcompany.com), this can cause a DMARC failure. This is often called a domain alignment problem.
  
  
• Incorrect DMARC Policy Settings
  Your DMARC record itself can cause problems. Simple typos, wrong values, or even setting a policy that's too strict too soon can block good emails. For example, jumping straight to a "p=reject" policy without really understanding how your emails flow can lead to huge delivery issues. These are typical DMARC policy errors.
  
  
• Third-Party Services Not Set Up Correctly
  Many businesses use other companies to send emails for them, like marketing tools or customer service systems. If these services aren't properly allowed to send emails from your domain using SPF and DKIM, their emails will fail DMARC. This is a common mistake because businesses sometimes forget to include these services in their email setup.
  
  

How to Fix DMARC Failures Step by Step

Now for the practical part: fixing DMARC failures. This isn't a quick fix; it's a careful process of watching, checking, and making changes.

1. Review Your DMARC Reports

The very first step is to see what’s happening with your emails. DMARC gives you reports that show you how your emails are doing. There are two main kinds:

• DMARC Aggregate Reports: These reports arrive daily and give you a general overview of all emails claiming to be from your domain. They show how many passed or failed SPF and DKIM, and what DMARC decided to do. These reports are super helpful for finding out who is sending emails from your domain and where problems are happening.
  
  
• DMARC Forensic Reports: These reports are less common (because of privacy) but give much more detailed info about individual emails that failed DMARC.
  
  

Tools like Postmark and DMARCian can help you understand these reports, turning confusing information into clear pictures so you can see where the issues are.

2. Check and Align SPF and DKIM

Once you understand your DMARC reports, the next big step is to carefully check your SPF and DKIM settings. This is where you fix the main reasons for many DMARC failures.

Tips for Setting Up SPF Properly

• Include all legitimate sending addresses: Make sure your SPF record lists every single address or server that sends email for your domain, including your servers and any outside services.
  
  
• Don't exceed the 10-lookup limit: SPF records can only check up to 10 other places. If you try to check more, your SPF record won't work. Try to combine things if you can.
  
  
• Use the correct spelling and format: Even a small mistake can break your SPF record. There are tools to help you create and check your SPF record.
  
  
• Start with "softfail" (~all): When you first set up or change SPF, think about using ~all (softfail) instead of -all (hardfail). This lets emails that fail SPF still go through, but flags them as suspicious. This gives you time to find and fix problems without blocking good emails.
  
  

Ensuring DKIM Keys Are Valid and Aligned

• Create and publish correct DKIM keys: Make sure your DKIM public key is correctly published as a special record in your domain's settings (DNS).
  
  
• Change keys now and then: For better security, it's a good idea to change your DKIM keys every so often.
  
  
• Check DKIM signing for all services: Make sure all your outside email sending services are properly signing emails with your domain's DKIM key. This is a common source of email authentication issues.
  
  
• Check for DKIM alignment: The part of the DKIM signature that shows the domain must match or line up with the "From" address domain for DMARC to pass.
  
  

3. Set the Right DMARC Policy

This is where you tell other email servers what to do with emails that fail DMARC checks. Understanding the different DMARC policy options is key to setting things up correctly.

• p=none (Monitoring Policy): This is the safest way to start. It tells receiving servers to do nothing to emails that fail DMARC, but importantly, it still sends you DMARC reports. This lets you watch your email flow and find all your real email senders without stopping any emails. It's essential for DMARC troubleshooting at the beginning.
  
  
• p=quarantine (Quarantine Policy): Once you're sure your good emails are passing checks, you can move to p=quarantine. This tells receiving servers to accept emails that fail DMARC but put them in the spam or junk folder. This is a good middle step, as it stops fake emails from reaching inboxes directly while still letting you watch for any mistakes.
  
  
• p=reject (Reject Policy): This is the strongest DMARC policy. It tells receiving servers to completely block emails that fail DMARC. This is the ultimate goal for email spoofing prevention, as it makes sure only truly checked emails from your domain reach inboxes. However, only move to p=reject when you are sure all your real email systems follow DMARC rules.
  
  

How to Safely Transition Between Policies

The trick to a smooth DMARC setup and fixing DMARC failures is to take it slow. Start with p=none, and carefully check your DMARC aggregate reports for several weeks or even months. Find all your real email senders and make sure their SPF and DKIM are correctly set up for domain alignment. Once you're confident that good emails are passing, slowly move to quarantine, again watching reports closely. Only when you are 100% sure that no good emails are being flagged should you think about moving to p=reject. You can also use a "percentage" setting in your DMARC record to apply the policy to only some of your emails, slowly increasing it (e.g., 10%, 25%, 50%, 100%).

4. Update Your DNS Records

Once you've set up your SPF, DKIM, and DMARC policies, you need to publish these as special text records in your domain's DNS. This makes them public for all receiving mail servers to check. Be very careful when updating your DNS records—even a tiny mistake can cause big problems. Give it some time for these changes to spread across the internet (this can take several hours) before you expect them to work fully.

5. Test and Monitor

After updating your DNS records, it's super important to test your email checks. Send test emails from all the places you send email from (your server, marketing tools, etc.) to different email providers (like Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo). Check the email details of these received emails to make sure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are all passing.

Most importantly, keep watching your DMARC reports. This ongoing check is vital for catching any new issues that might pop up, like using a new outside service without proper checks or changes in how email providers work. It's a continuous effort to keep your email trust and deliverability high.

Tools to Help Fix DMARC Failures

Dealing with DMARC can seem complicated, but several tools are made to make it easier and clearer.

DMARC Monitoring Tools

These tools are incredibly useful for making sense of those complicated DMARC aggregate reports. They turn raw data into easy-to-understand charts, helping you quickly find email check failures, discover unknown email senders, and track your progress toward a stronger DMARC policy.

• Mailkarma.ai: This tool gives you a clear view of your email system and helps you easily spot check problems to resolve DMARC failure and improve your email reputation.
  

• Postmark: Known for its good email service, Postmark also offers DMARC monitoring tools that give detailed reports on your email check status, helping you keep good deliverability.
  
  
• Valimail: A top DMARC tool, Valimail offers strong DMARC monitoring and automatic enforcement, helping companies fully protect their DMARC and stop email fakes.
  
  
• EasyDMARC: As its name suggests, EasyDMARC aims to make DMARC setup and management simpler, providing tools for report analysis, record creation, and overall email safety.
  
  

Email System Platforms with Built-in Checks

Many modern email sending services now include built-in checks for SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. When choosing a platform to send your emails, look for ones that guide you through the setup and give you live feedback on how healthy your email is. This active approach can greatly reduce the chances of DMARC policy errors and common email authentication issues.

Best Practices for Maintaining Long-Term Email Trust

Fixing DMARC failures isn't a one-time job; it's an ongoing commitment to keeping your email healthy. Here are some best practices to ensure long-term email trust:

• Regularly Check DMARC Reports: Make it a habit to regularly look at your DMARC reports. Even after reaching p=reject, new sending services or changes in your email infrastructure can introduce new weaknesses. Consistent checking helps you catch and fix problems before they affect your deliverability. DMARC aggregate reports provide a valuable ongoing overview.
  
  
• Choose Trusted Email Providers: Pick email service providers (ESPs) and transactional email services that care about email checks and deliverability. They should offer clear guidance on SPF, DKIM, and DMARC setup and have a good history of high sender scores. A reliable partner can greatly lessen the burden of email management and help with email spoofing prevention.
  
  
• Stay Up to Date with Policy Changes: The world of email is always changing. Email providers often update their rules and computer programs to fight spam and fake emails. Stay informed about these changes, read relevant industry news, and adjust your DMARC and checking plans as needed. Being ready to adapt is key to long-term email trust and deliverability.

Conclusion

Fixing DMARC failures is crucial for maintaining a strong email reputation and ensuring your emails reach their intended audience. By understanding DMARC, SPF, and DKIM, and following the steps to align your email authentication, you can boost your email trust and deliverability. Whether you’re managing a marketing campaign or sending out transactional emails, making sure your emails are authenticated properly will protect your brand and improve engagement.

To simplify the process and stay on top of your email health, tools like Mailkarma can be incredibly helpful. With Mailkarma, you can easily monitor your DMARC reports, identify issues, and ensure your email authentication is set up correctly. Start using Mailkarma.ai today to take control of your email reputation and watch your deliverability improve!

FAQs About Fixing DMARC Failures

Q1: What is DMARC, and why is it important?
A1: DMARC helps stop email fakes by making sure emails from your domain are real. This builds trust and helps your emails get delivered.

Q2: How does DMARC work with SPF and DKIM?
A2: DMARC uses SPF and DKIM to check emails. SPF confirms the sender's server, and DKIM uses a digital stamp to verify the email's integrity. DMARC then combines these checks.

Q3: Can DMARC failures send my real emails to spam?
A3: Yes, if DMARC fails and your policy is set to quarantine, your good emails can end up in spam. If it's set to reject, they might not be delivered at all.

Q4: How often should I check my DMARC reports?
A4: It's a good idea to check your DMARC reports regularly, especially when you're first setting up DMARC or changing its settings.

Q5: Can outside services cause DMARC failures?
A5: Yes, if you use outside email services, they must be properly set up with SPF and DKIM to avoid DMARC failures.