ModeesLearn / Deliverability & DNS
Deliverability & DNS
SPF, DKIM, DMARC and warm-up: how to publish records that pass, and what to do when the mail still lands in spam.
Every send is a claim that a domain is who it says it is. These guides cover the records that make that claim true, and what to do when a record is published but the mail still lands in spam. They are written for the person who has to fix it rather than the person who wants the theory: how the ten-lookup limit is counted, why a passing SPF can still be filtered at Gmail, and how to run a warm-up that tests whether people want the mail.
A 14-day warm-up that doesn't pretend to be a volume ladder
Warm-up is a test of whether people want the mail. A day-by-day plan for a new domain or IP, with the signals that should stop you.
DMARC p=none is not a policy. It is a camera.
p=none observes spoofing and changes nothing. Here is what to review before enforcement, how to phase it, and when reject is safe.
SPF's 10-lookup limit: the include chain that quietly breaks your domain
A record that worked last year can start returning permerror when another tool is added. How the limit is counted, and three fixes that are not another include.
The DKIM selector your client's developer already set up
A DKIM record with no selector is a record nobody can find. How to read the selector from a real message, and where it has to be published.
When a blocklist lists you: what actually matters
Not every DNSBL is worth a support ticket. How to check the lists receivers use, what proof a delisting needs, and how to stop the repeat.
Your SPF record passes. Gmail still bins you.
A passing SPF check says nothing about the domain in your From line. The alignment test most senders never run, and how to fix it in order.
Need the checklist?
Twelve checks before a client's campaign goes out. Free after a confirmed email.