How to Check and Fix Email Deliverability

If your emails are landing in spam, the most common causes are missing or misconfigured SPF, DKIM, or DMARC records. ElasticDomain's email deliverability tester checks all three in one scan.

Running a Deliverability Check

Go to Tools → Email Deliverability Tester
Enter your domain name (e.g. example.com)
Enter your DKIM selector if you know it (check your email provider's settings - common values: google, selector1, k1, mail)
Click Test

The scan checks your DNS records and returns results for SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and MX.

Understanding SPF

SPF (Sender Policy Framework) is a TXT record that lists which mail servers are authorized to send email from your domain.

A typical SPF record: v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com include:sendgrid.net ~all

Result	What It Means
✅ SPF record found	TXT record exists at your domain root
✅ Syntax valid	Record is correctly formatted
⚠️ Too many DNS lookups	SPF is limited to 10 DNS lookups; you've exceeded that
❌ No SPF record	You don't have one - add it
❌ Syntax error	Record is malformed

Fix: No SPF record

Add a TXT record to your domain root:

v=spf1 include:[your-email-provider] ~all

Common provider includes:

Google Workspace: include:_spf.google.com
Microsoft 365: include:spf.protection.outlook.com
Mailchimp: include:servers.mcsv.net
SendGrid: include:sendgrid.net

Fix: Too many DNS lookups

Each include: in your SPF record can chain to more records, consuming your lookup budget. Use an SPF flattening service to convert all the nested include: statements into a flat list of IP ranges.

Understanding DKIM

DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) adds a cryptographic signature to outgoing emails. The recipient's mail server verifies the signature using a public key stored in your DNS.

The public key lives at a subdomain in this format: [selector]._domainkey.[yourdomain.com]

Example: google._domainkey.example.com

Result	What It Means
✅ DKIM record found	Public key exists in DNS
✅ Key valid	Key is properly formatted
✅ Key size ≥ 2048 bits	Strong key (1024-bit is acceptable but 2048-bit is recommended)
❌ No DKIM record at selector	Wrong selector, or DKIM not enabled in your provider
❌ Invalid key format	Key is malformed or truncated

Fix: No DKIM record

DKIM is configured in your email provider, not directly in your DNS. Log in to your email provider (Google Workspace Admin Console, Microsoft 365 Admin Center, etc.) and find the DKIM settings. It will show you the TXT record to add to your DNS, including the selector name.

Understanding DMARC

DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance) is a policy record that tells receiving mail servers what to do when an email fails SPF or DKIM checks.

DMARC lives at _dmarc.yourdomain.com as a TXT record.

A typical DMARC record: v=DMARC1; p=quarantine; rua=mailto:[email protected]

Policy	Effect on Failing Emails
`p=none`	Monitor only - failing emails delivered normally
`p=quarantine`	Failing emails go to spam folder
`p=reject`	Failing emails are rejected outright

Fix: No DMARC record

Start with p=none to monitor without affecting delivery:

v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:[email protected]

After a few weeks reviewing reports (most providers offer DMARC report parsing tools), move to p=quarantine, then eventually p=reject.

MX Record Check

MX records tell other mail servers where to deliver email for your domain. The test verifies:

At least one MX record exists
MX hostnames resolve to valid IPs
Multiple MX records with different priorities (redundancy)

Fix: No MX records

If you have no MX records, you can't receive email. Add MX records per your email provider's instructions.

The Scoring System

The tester produces a score out of 100:

Check	Points
SPF record exists and valid	25
DKIM record found and valid	25
DMARC policy is quarantine or reject	25
DMARC reporting address configured	10
Multiple MX records (redundancy)	15

A score below 75 means there's meaningful deliverability risk. Below 50 means emails likely land in spam regularly.