Understanding SPF email authentication protocol:
What is SPF?
OK, first up it stands for Sender Policy Framework (SPF).
An SPF's jobs job is essentially to verify that an email server is authorized to send messages on behalf of your domain. It does this by specifying in the SPF record which IP addresses are authorized to send emails from your domain
When an email is received, its sending server's IP address is checked against the SPF record. If the IP isn't listed in the SPF record, the email might be considered spoofed and rejected as spam.
Note: The different services you utilize to send emails will have their own mail servers and hence different IP addresses which need to be added to the SPF record.
How do I set up SPF?
You need to publish an SPF record with the DNS of each domain you want to send email with. This record will list all the authorized mail servers allowed to send emails on behalf of your domain, preventing spammers from using your domain illegitimately.
Here are some quick links to the main email providers (contact your email provider if you need further instructions)
When should you update your SPF?
There are several scenarios where you may need to change your SPF records.
If you change your email provider
If you add an additional email provider to your tech stack
If you remove an email provider from your tech stack
If you want to send email from a new domain (requires a new SPF record)
If you find that your SPF record is incorrect or missing, you should update it in your domain’s DNS settings immediately.
Remember, any changes in your DNS records may take up to 24 hours to propagate across the internet. Your DNS provider can offer more details about this process.
Do I need to make any changes using SuperReach?
No, as long as your normal day-to-day emailing provider (Gmail, Office365, Exchange etc.) has a valid SPF record on your domain then SuperReach will be set up correctly.
Where do I check everything is set up correctly?
Luckily several tools on the market will check everything is set up correctly for you. Try some of the links below to get you on your way:
Your IT support team should be able to fix any issues that are identified.