DIAGNOSTIC ERROR
Missing SPF Record
The rest of the internet cannot verify who is allowed to send your mail.
Are your emails going to spam? Jump straight to our free diagnostic tool to see if you are missing an SPF record, or read below to learn how to fix it.
Free Email Diagnostic ScannerThe Problem
Your domain does not have a Sender Policy Framework (SPF) record published. Without it, receiving email servers have absolutely no way to tell the difference between your real employees and a scammer trying to impersonate you.
The Physics of the Error
Think of SPF like an authorized guest list at the door of a club. When an email arrives at a client's server claiming to be from your domain, the server asks DNS for the guest list (your SPF record). It checks if the IP address that handed off the email is on that list.
Because your SPF record is missing, the guest list is blank. The receiving server must guess if the email is legitimate. In the modern email landscape, Microsoft and Google no longer give senders the benefit of the doubt. Missing SPF results in high spam placement, frequent bouncing, and destroyed domain reputation.
The Solution
You must publish an SPF record as a TXT file in your domain's DNS. This record needs to include the specific mechanisms for every single service that legitimately sends mail on your behalf (e.g., Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Mailchimp, QuickBooks).
Related Email Authentication Issues
Fixing Your Missing SPF Record
Struggling to build a valid SPF record? One wrong move can block your own legitimate marketing, billing, and CRM emails. Let our digital identity experts fix your SPF, DKIM, and DMARC for a flat rate of $250.
