Have you ever sent a perfectly worded email to a client, supplier, or potential partner and never heard back? You followed up politely a few days later, but still nothing. You start to wonder if they’re ignoring you, but there’s a good chance they never even saw your email.
No, it’s not always spam filters being overly sensitive; it could be that your domain is missing a few small but important records called SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.
These technical-sounding terms quietly decide whether your emails land in an inbox or get rejected completely.
Let’s unpack what they are, why they matter for your business reputation, and how a managed service provider (MSP) can set them up so your important communication actually gets through.
The Hidden Problem Behind Missing Emails
Every day, email servers around the world process billions of messages. To protect users from spam and scams, most email systems now check whether incoming messages can be trusted.
If your domain (for example, yourcompany.com) is missing proper authentication, your messages might fail those checks. That means your carefully written email to a new client could be silently dropped or flagged as spam before anyone ever sees it.
This problem isn’t limited to marketing emails; it affects everyday communication, such as:
- Sending a quote or invoice.
- Following up with a lead.
- Emailing a supplier about a shipment.
- Requesting a collaboration or partnership.
If your business relies on email for any kind of communication, SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are quietly affecting your success.
What SPF, DKIM, and DMARC Actually Do
These three records work together to tell the world that your emails are legitimate and not forged.
SPF (Sender Policy Framework)
SPF is like a list of approved senders for your domain. It tells other mail servers which systems are allowed to send emails on behalf of your domain.
For example, if your emails originate from Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, SPF confirms that these platforms are authorized to send emails on your behalf. Without it, spam filters might assume someone is pretending to be your business.
DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail)
DKIM adds a digital signature to your outgoing emails. Think of it as a wax seal on an old letter. It enables receiving mail servers to verify that the message hasn’t been altered since it was sent.
It’s another signal that your emails are trustworthy and genuinely from your business.
DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance)
DMARC ties everything together. It tells other mail servers what to do if your SPF or DKIM checks fail. Should they reject the message, send it to spam, or deliver it anyway?
It also gives you reports about who’s sending emails using your domain, which can help detect impersonation or fraud.
Why Many Businesses Don’t Have These Set Up
You’d be surprised how many businesses don’t have these records configured correctly, if at all.
It’s not because business owners don’t care about email deliverability; it’s because these records live in the technical side of your domain settings, often in your DNS. They’re easy to overlook during setup and rarely mentioned unless there’s a problem.
But once properly configured, these records protect your reputation, improve deliverability, and prevent scammers from spoofing your email address.
The Real Cost of Not Having SPF, DKIM, and DMARC
Missed opportunities – that’s the simplest way to put it.
If your client never gets your invoice, it delays payment.
If your proposal lands in spam, you lose a deal.
If your supplier doesn’t get your purchase order, your project could stall.
These small communication breakdowns add up and can quietly harm your business without you realizing the cause.
How an MSP Can Help
As a managed service provider, we can quickly check whether your SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are set up correctly. It’s usually a straightforward process once you know where to look, but getting the configuration right makes all the difference.
Here’s what we typically do:
- Audit your domain to see if SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are active and valid.
- Identify gaps or errors in your current configuration.
- Set up or fix the records for the email platform you use, such as Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, or others.
- Monitor and adjust your DMARC policy as needed to balance security and deliverability.
- Provide reports so you can see who’s trying to send mail using your domain.
Once it’s done, you can be confident that your legitimate business emails will have a much better chance of reaching inboxes instead of disappearing into spam folders.
Get Your IT Checked and Working Properly
If you’re unsure whether your emails are reaching inboxes, we can help. Our team can run a quick scan to see if your SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are set up correctly and identify any missing or misconfigured entries.
While we’re at it, we can also take a broader look at your overall IT setup. Sometimes the issues holding a business back aren’t just email related; they might include outdated systems, security gaps, unreliable backups, or network performance problems.
A quick audit can uncover areas where simple improvements make a real difference to how efficiently your business runs. If you’d like us to take a look, reach out, and we’ll check your setup, fix what’s missing, and make sure your IT is helping your business, not slowing it down.
