The relationship between DMARC rejections and IP/domain reputation at Gmail and Yahoo is complex. While many sources suggest DMARC itself doesn't directly impact sender reputation, especially when functioning as intended to block spoofed emails, frequent rejections can signal underlying issues that do affect reputation. These include poor sending practices, compromised domains, spamming, or sending from unauthorized IPs. DMARC's primary function is to protect domains from unauthorized use, spoofing, and phishing. By ensuring that only authenticated emails are delivered, DMARC indirectly supports a positive reputation and improved deliverability. Monitoring DMARC reports and promptly addressing underlying issues causing failures are crucial for maintaining a healthy sender reputation.
7 marketer opinions
The impact of DMARC rejections on IP and domain reputation at Gmail and Yahoo is a nuanced issue. While some suggest that DMARC rejections do not directly impact reputation, others argue that frequent rejections can be viewed as a negative signal by mailbox providers. This is because high rejection rates can indicate poor sending practices or a compromised domain. It's generally agreed that DMARC primarily serves as an authentication protocol to protect domains from spoofing and phishing. Consistent DMARC failures may point to underlying problems that *can* affect reputation, such as spamming or sending from unauthorized IPs. Monitoring DMARC reports and promptly addressing issues is crucial to maintaining a positive sender reputation.
Marketer view
Email marketer from Stackoverflow responds to the question saying that DMARC itself is a validation/security protocol and not designed to directly affect your reputation, and if your reputation is low, DMARC will help protect you from spammers that may send mail claiming to be you.
11 Sep 2023 - Stackoverflow
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks shares their understanding and observation that DMARC-related rejections do not impact reputation with normal mailbox providers, including Gmail.
9 Aug 2022 - Email Geeks
6 expert opinions
Experts suggest that DMARC's primary role is to protect domain reputation by preventing forged mail from affecting it. While domain reputation is the main focus, an IP address sending a high volume of forged mail could reasonably develop a poor reputation. Although IP reputation might not be a primary metric at Google, persistent DMARC rejections can still affect it, highlighting the importance of preventing mail that is known to fail DMARC. It's crucial to address the underlying causes of DMARC failures and adhere to proper sending practices to safeguard sender reputation and ensure emails are authenticated.
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that DMARC helps to protect your reputation as a sender, which is very important. DMARC uses SPF and DKIM to validate that emails are genuinely from you and can help to tell other ISPs to reject all emails that are spoofed, thus protecting reputation.
29 Jun 2023 - Word to the Wise
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks states that it wouldn’t be unreasonable for an IP address that sends a lot of “forged” mail to get a poor reputation.
8 Nov 2022 - Email Geeks
3 technical articles
Official documentation consistently states that DMARC itself does not directly impact sender reputation. However, DMARC's protection against unauthorized email use, spoofing, and phishing indirectly supports a positive reputation. Furthermore, persistent DMARC failures are a symptom of underlying issues like spamming, sending from unauthorized IPs, or domain spoofing, all of which *can* harm sender reputation and deliverability. Proper implementation and monitoring of DMARC, along with SPF and DKIM, are crucial for ensuring email authentication and maintaining domain integrity.
Technical article
Documentation from DMARC.org states that DMARC primarily protects domains from unauthorized use in email, preventing spoofing and phishing attacks. While it doesn't explicitly address IP or domain reputation, implementing and monitoring DMARC helps maintain the integrity of a domain, which indirectly supports a positive reputation.
31 Jul 2023 - DMARC.org
Technical article
Documentation from Microsoft explains that DMARC works with SPF and DKIM to ensure emails are properly authenticated. While DMARC itself doesn't directly influence reputation, consistently failing DMARC can indicate underlying issues like domain spoofing, which can harm your sender reputation and deliverability to Outlook.com or Hotmail addresses.
22 May 2022 - Microsoft
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