Why are my emails going to spam? You’re not alone! It’s one of the most common communication issues facing businesses today.
If your emails land in spam, junk or bounce back, the issue is most likely email authentication. Missing or incorrectly configured DNS records massively impact the deliverability of emails. Plus, in the long term, misconfigured records will damage your sender reputation and threaten email security.
In this guide, we explain what correct configurations look like, how SPF, DKIM and DMARC work together and how you can defend against phishing emails and domain spoofing.
Emails land in junk because the spam filters on receiving mail servers (your recipients) can’t verify that your email genuinely came from your domain. Or your DNS records aren’t configured correctly, making receiving servers unable to verify you.
Missing or incorrectly configured DNS records can significantly impact email deliverability, sender reputation and your overall business email security.
Email authentication is the process of proving that an email genuinely comes from the domain it claims to be sent from. Its primary purpose is to prevent email spoofing, phishing attacks and fraudulent emails that impersonate legitimate businesses.
Together, these protocols help receiving mail servers verify your identity, improve email deliverability and protect your domain from abuse.
An SPF record is a DNS record that informs receiving mail servers which services are authorised to send emails on behalf of your domain.
In business, this looks like third-party software, such as MailChimp or Monday CRM, being allowed to send business emails using the same domain.
In the setup of each of these platforms, they should be authorised within the record to prevent sends being marked as spam.
DKIM works by attaching a secure digital signature to each outgoing email. This signature evidences that the email hasn’t been altered or tampered with during transmission, and confirms that it originated from an authorised server.
The primary purpose of the record is to improve trust between your domain and email providers. This strengthens sender reputation and domain reputation.
DMARC is the final layer of email authentication. It tells receiving mail servers what action to take when other record authentication fails.
This policy gives businesses the power to monitor suspicious email activity and quarantine fraudulent emails. Businesses can also reject spoofed emails entirely before they get to users.
This policy is also useful for generating reports on phishing attempts, authentication failures and which systems are sending emails from your domain.
Each protocol performs a different role, making it important for businesses to implement all three. Put simply:
SPF – Verifies who is allowed to send
DKIM – Verifies the email hasn’t been tampered with
DMARC – Tells servers how to handle emails that have failed authentication.
Microsoft 365 does not automatically configure the three records for you. Businesses themselves are responsible for ensuring their domain is correctly configured. For effective Microsoft 365 email security, organisations should:
Publish an accurate SPF record.
Enable DKIM signing.
Configure a DMARC policy and monitor reports.
Regularly review authorised email services.
Remove outdated email platforms from DNS records.
Missing DNS records – Without complete DNS records, receiving servers cannot verify who is authorised to send emails using your domain.
Multiple records – A domain should only publish one SPF record. Multiple records cause failures.
DKIM not enabled – Without this, email providers have fewer methods to verify message authenticity.
Forgotten third-party email platforms – Marketing, CRM and accounts platforms send emails on behalf of your business. If they aren’t authorised to do so, legitimate emails can fail.
If you’re wondering, how do I check my DNS records? Or, does my business have X record? Start by asking:
Regular email security reviews help identify configuration issues before they affect customers or expose unnecessary cyber risks.
Managing DNS records becomes increasingly complex as businesses adopt new applications and cloud services.
At Evolve Technologies, we help organisations review their email authentication, optimise Microsoft 365 email security, configure DNS records and protect against email spoofing and phishing attacks.
Protect your business communications, strengthen your domain reputation and ensure your emails reach the people who matter.
Every email that bounces or lands in junk is a lost chance for your business. Our team can review your records and ensure every communication delivers.