Understand and fix the DMARC for Better Email Deliverability

Have you ever wondered why some of your emails end up in spam or don’t get delivered at all? It might be because of an issue with something called DMARC. If DMARC isn’t working properly at your workplace, it’s important to fix it right away to make sure your emails reach their destination.

What is DMARC?

DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) is an email authentication protocol designed to give email domain owners the ability to protect their domain from unauthorized use, commonly known as email spoofing. It works by checking that the email really comes from the place it says it does. DMARC uses two other tools, SPF (Sender Policy Framework) and DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) protocols, to make sure your emails are safe.

Let’s see how DMARC can be fixed easily:

1. Understand Your Email Setup:

FIdentify all the domains you send emails from: This could be your email marketing service, your company’s email server, or other third-party services.

2. Set Up SPF and DKIM:

SPF (Sender Policy Framework): Create a DNS TXT record that lists all IP addresses authorized to send emails on behalf of your domain.
DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail): Set up DKIM for your domain, which involves generating a pair of keys (public and private) and adding the public key to your DNS records. Your email server will use the private key to sign emails, and the receiving servers will use the public key to verify the signature

3. Create a DMARC Record:

Add a DMARC record to your DNS settings: A DMARC record is a DNS TXT record. Here’s an example of a basic DMARC record:

Example of a basic DMARC record:

_dmarc.yourdomain.com IN TXT “v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc-reports@yourdomain.com”

Parameters:

v=DMARC1: This specifies the version of DMARC.
p=none: This means you are just monitoring and not taking any action yet.
rua=mailto:dmarc-reports@yourdomain.com: This is where you want to receive reports about your emails.

4. Monitor DMARC Reports:

Check the reports you get: These reports tell you if your emails are passing or failing the SPF and DKIM checks. Use tools to help you understand the reports better.

5. Adjust Your DMARC Policy:

Based on the data from the reports, adjust your DMARC policy to gradually move from none to quarantine and then to reject.
Example of a more strict DMARC record:
_dmarc.yourdomain.com IN TXT “v=DMARC1; p=quarantine; rua=mailto:dmarc-reports@yourdomain.com; ruf=mailto:dmarc-failures@yourdomain.com; pct=100”