04/03/2019
Can DMARC stop spam?
Yes, yes it can. But, how?
DMARC, by itself, does not stop a spammer from sending email. To be effective at reducing spam, everyone needs to implement DMARC and follow-up by improving the compliance rates of their outbound emails. As your legitimate email becomes more DMARC compliant, you can begin to tell recipients to ignore email that isn’t compliant. This spam will bounce and foil the spammers trying to use your brand!
Why do blacklisting and DMARC work together?
Your email might have been blacklisted at one time. You probably found that out when customers or suppliers told you that they weren’t receiving email they were expecting from you. It’s painful and can shutdown your business. Staying off blacklists is just one of the ways to guard your email deliverability. The other is DMARC. DMARC enables you to proactively obtain feedback about your email so that you know about how your recipients’ email systems perceive your email quality. From that information, you can determine how to improve your email quality before it becomes a blacklisting issue.
Improving DMARC Compliance
To ensure your business emails are being delivered to the intended inboxes, achieving DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) compliance is imperative. Specifically, DMARC compliance is based on both SPF and DKIM compliance rates. These three protocols work in unison to achieve optimal email protection.
The higher your DMARC compliance score, the increased likelihood your company’s correspondence will be delivered as planned. Moreover, popular email providers such as Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo! recognize DMARC compliance efforts, which builds trust and creates a more efficient delivery environment.
The Most Important Two Acronyms in Email Delivery (SPF & DKIM)
To enhance your outbound DMARC compliance and your email delivery rates, you should prioritize improving SPF compliance (authentication and alignment) and DKIM compliance (authentication and alignment). Because DMARC relies on SPF and DKIM to achieve optimal email deliverability, the importance of the two protocols in attaining DMARC compliance cannot be overstated. With SPF, the ability to control who you trust to send your email is advantageous. The more email sent on your behalf that complies with your SPF rules, the more your email will be accepted by inbox providers and intended recipients. This undoubtedly enhances your brand positively.
Regarding DKIM, it enables you to cryptically sign your email and take ownership of the quality of the email sent. This protocol enables recipients to verify you are a legitimate sender by decoding your included signature. By providing this “stamp of authenticity,” you and your customers are protected from harmful email actors.
Note: Being DMARC compliant equates to passing either SPF or DKIM authentication/alignment guidelines. However, achieving compliance in both areas is the goal, which will guarantee DMARC accreditation and encourage consumer confidence in your company.
How do I make sense of DMARC, DKIM, & SPF?
Email delivery management is a critical aspect of your business’s success online. With the three technologies working together, your messages are safeguarded and will reach DMARC compliance with proper tracking and maintenance.
Unfortunately, the summary digests and forensic details of these reports are difficult to understand. In addition, if your outbound email volume is more than a few hundred per day, you should consider a way to decode this information to better impact your email deliverability.
Enter, MxToolbox. We provide a Delivery Center service that decodes these digests, summarizes them, and provides you granular reports on how your emails are performing. By implementing our wide range of products, you can review the IP addresses/domains that send on your behalf to determine how your legitimate senders are performing and which are using your brand/domain to commit fraud and phishing. Investigating domains and IPs that fail SPF, DKIM, and DMARC tests is important. Let our email delivery tools and expert team guide your company toward DMARC compliance.
