BounceProtect
Clean your email lists before you send
What do SPF and DMARC mean?
Email authentication records that signal how seriously a domain manages its email.
SPF (Sender Policy Framework) and DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication) are DNS records that configure email authentication for a domain. They tell receiving mail servers which senders are authorised to send from that domain.
Why we check them
These records signal how seriously a domain's owner manages their email infrastructure. Domains with proper SPF and DMARC are less likely to be used for spam, more likely to have active IT management, and more likely to have functioning inboxes.
Missing SPF or DMARC doesn't mean an email is invalid — it means the domain has weaker email hygiene, which increases spam risk.
SPF present vs. SPF permissive
A permissive SPF record ends with +all or ~all, meaning "accept mail from any server." This is a weak configuration that spam filters notice. We flag permissive SPF separately from missing SPF because the implications differ.
Signal reference
| Signal | What it means |
|---|---|
| SPF ✓ | Valid, restrictive SPF record present |
| SPF permissive | SPF exists but accepts mail from any server |
| SPF missing | No SPF record — −25 to spam risk score |
| DMARC ✓ | DMARC policy configured |
| DMARC missing | No DMARC record — −20 to spam risk score |
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