How can I resolve SPF record lookup limits with Netfirms webmail?
Michael Ko
Co-founder & CEO, Suped
Published 1 Jun 2025
Updated 17 Aug 2025
10 min read
Many users encounter challenges with SPF records, particularly when managing multiple email sending services. A common hurdle is the 10-DNS-lookup limit, a crucial standard outlined in SPF RFCs to prevent abuse and ensure efficient processing of SPF records. Exceeding this limit can lead to SPF authentication failures, causing your legitimate emails to be marked as spam or rejected outright by recipient mail servers.
If you're using Netfirms webmail, you might find yourself in a particularly tight spot. Their default SPF record often includes a broad include mechanism, such as include:websitewelcome.com, which itself can consume a significant number of your allotted DNS lookups. This leaves little to no room for adding other legitimate email services you might use, like marketing automation platforms or transactional email providers.
This situation can be frustrating, essentially forcing your domain to fail SPF authentication for other senders, even when properly configured. It highlights a common pitfall with some hosting providers whose SPF records are not optimized for modern email ecosystems. Resolving this requires a strategic approach to ensure all your sending sources are authorized without breaching the lookup limit.
SPF (Sender Policy Framework) relies on DNS lookups to verify sending domains. Every a, mx, ptr, exists, or include mechanism in your SPF record that requires a DNS query counts towards a strict limit of 10. This limit, specified in RFC 7208, is designed to prevent denial-of-service attacks and ensure timely processing of email authentication checks by receiving mail servers. When your SPF record exceeds these 10 lookups, it triggers a "PermError", meaning the SPF record is invalid and cannot be properly evaluated, often leading to email delivery failures.
The challenge with providers like Netfirms often stems from deeply nested include mechanisms. For example, the include:websitewelcome.com directive might, in turn, include several other domains, each leading to its own set of DNS lookups. While this consolidation is meant to simplify SPF for the hosting provider, it can inadvertently push your domain over the threshold, especially if you add other legitimate email senders. This is why understanding what each part of your SPF record contributes to the lookup count is vital.
Exceeding this limit can have serious consequences for your email deliverability. Receiving mail servers that encounter an SPF PermError will often treat the email as suspicious, sending it to spam folders or rejecting it entirely. This impacts your sender reputation and the overall effectiveness of your email communications. It's not uncommon for legitimate businesses to find their emails blocked or quarantined because of a seemingly minor SPF configuration oversight.
Diagnosing Netfirms SPF configuration
Many Netfirms webmail users will encounter an SPF record similar to v=spf1 ip4:66.96.128.0/18 include:websitewelcome.com ?all. While it might look simple on the surface, the include:websitewelcome.com mechanism is the primary culprit for consuming all 10 DNS lookups. This is because websitewelcome.com is an extensive shared SPF record used by several hosting companies under the Newfold Digital umbrella, including Hostgator, A2 Hosting, and FatCow. It encompasses a vast number of IP addresses and other include directives, quickly exhausting your allowance.
To confirm this, you can perform an SPF lookup check on your domain. Tools available online can recursively expand your SPF record and show you exactly how many DNS lookups each mechanism triggers. When websitewelcome.com is expanded, you'll see it includes multiple other domains, each adding to your lookup count. This immediate consumption of the entire limit means there is no room to add additional include statements for other email service providers you might use, such as an ESP for marketing campaigns or an SMTP relay for transactional emails.
The inability to add external email services directly into your main domain's SPF record forces a difficult choice. You either compromise on email deliverability for your other senders, or you seek advanced solutions to manage your SPF record. This restrictive environment underscores the importance of a well-structured SPF record that accounts for all your sending domains and respects the established lookup limits, as discussed in our guide on how important is the 10 DNS lookups limit.
Strategies for resolving lookup limits
When faced with a bloated SPF record like Netfirms' (or any other provider's) that exhausts your 10-lookup limit, you have a few core strategies. The goal is to consolidate the required DNS lookups into fewer entries or to distribute them across different domains. Two common approaches are SPF flattening (or SPF hosting) and subdomain delegation.
SPF flattening involves converting all your include mechanisms and their nested lookups into a direct list of IP addresses. This significantly reduces the number of DNS lookups, as the SPF record then only contains ip4 and ip6 mechanisms, which do not count towards the 10-lookup limit. However, this method requires constant maintenance, as IP ranges can change, necessitating manual updates to your SPF record. Many third-party SPF hosting services automate this process, keeping your record updated and compliant. This can be an effective way to fix SPF record exceeding DNS lookup limit.
Another robust solution is subdomain delegation. Instead of sending all email from your root domain, you can set up dedicated subdomains for different types of email traffic (e.g., marketing.yourdomain.com, transactional.yourdomain.com). Each subdomain can then have its own SPF record tailored to the specific sending service it uses, effectively circumventing the 10-lookup limit on your main domain. This approach is often recommended for larger organizations with diverse email sending needs and is considered a best practice for managing email deliverability at scale. Our article on how to optimize your SPF record provides more depth.
Pros
Reduces DNS lookups by converting include mechanisms into direct IP addresses, ensuring compliance with the 10-lookup limit.
Simplicity: Consolidates complex SPF records into a single, direct list of IPs.
Automated Updates: Third-party services often automatically update IP ranges, reducing manual effort.
Immediate Fix: Provides a quick resolution for domains already exceeding the limit.
Cons
Can be challenging to maintain manually if IP addresses frequently change. Reliance on a third-party service for continuous updates.
Dependency: Ties your SPF record to an external flattening service.
Dynamic IPs: Requires vigilance for changes in sender IP ranges, or automation.
Less Granular: Less flexibility for distinct sender reputations compared to subdomains.
Pros
Allows for dedicated SPF records for different sending services, distributing the lookup load and isolating sender reputation.
Isolate Reputation: Email performance for one service doesn't affect others.
Flexibility: Each subdomain can include specific, minimal SPF records.
Scalability: Easily add new sending services without impacting the main domain.
Cons
Requires careful planning and configuration, as each subdomain needs its own DNS records. May not be suitable for small operations.
Complexity: More initial setup and ongoing management.
Branding: Emails from subdomains might appear less official to some recipients if not handled carefully.
Not a quick fix: Requires a more structural change to your email sending architecture.
Implementing solutions and ongoing management
Once you've chosen a strategy, implementation is key. If opting for SPF flattening, you'll need to update your DNS record with the flattened version provided by your chosen service. This typically involves replacing your current Netfirms SPF record with the optimized one. For subdomain delegation, you will create new TXT records for each subdomain, pointing to the SPF configuration of the specific email service provider being used for that subdomain. For instance, if using SMTP.com for transactional emails, you'd configure an SPF record for transactional.yourdomain.com.
Post-implementation, it's crucial to verify that your SPF record is correctly configured and that it no longer exceeds the 10-lookup limit. Utilize online SPF validators to perform recursive lookups and confirm that the "PermError" is resolved. Regularly monitoring your email deliverability reports and DMARC aggregate reports can help you catch any new issues that may arise, such as changes in your sending service's IP addresses or unexpected DNS changes. This proactive approach is vital for maintaining a healthy sender reputation and ensuring your emails consistently reach the inbox.
While Netfirms provides basic webmail services, their restrictive SPF setup can signal broader limitations for professional email operations. If email is critical to your business, considering a migration to a more robust email service provider or a dedicated SMTP relay service might be a worthwhile long-term investment. Such services typically offer more control over your DNS records and better support for advanced email authentication protocols, leading to fewer deliverability headaches. Remember, a common cause of deliverability issues includes misconfigured SPF records, as highlighted in common email bouncebacks.
In cases where you encounter resistance from your hosting provider regarding SPF modifications, or if their support cannot offer a viable solution for the lookup limit, exploring alternative DNS management or email hosting solutions becomes even more important. This situation points to the necessity of choosing providers that understand and facilitate proper email authentication standards. It is a fundamental step in ensuring that your emails are trusted and delivered by major mailboxes.
Best practice: Delegate with subdomains
For optimal email deliverability and reputation management, consider segregating your email traffic using subdomains.
Dedicate subdomains for different email types (e.g., marketing, transactional, personal) allows each to have a tailored SPF record, significantly reducing the chances of hitting the 10-lookup limit on your main domain. This also helps isolate the reputation of different email streams.
Separate email sending concerns by using subdomains for marketing, transactional, and corporate mail to distribute the SPF load.
Use SPF hosting or flattening services to consolidate multiple include mechanisms into a single DNS record.
Regularly audit your SPF record to ensure it reflects all current sending services and remains under the 10-lookup limit.
Common pitfalls
Relying solely on your primary domain's SPF record for all email sending, especially with bloated include statements.
Not understanding that nested include mechanisms count towards the 10-lookup limit, leading to SPF PermErrors.
Expecting basic webmail or hosting providers to offer sophisticated SPF management solutions or modify default include records.
Expert tips
Transitioning email sending to subdomains can be complex for large organizations, requiring careful planning.
If your mail is important, consider moving away from providers whose core mail service struggles with basic authentication.
I had to manually dissect their include and remove unused Google entries to make space when their support couldn't help.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks says: Bloated SPF include directives are common with providers like Newfold, causing immediate lookup limit exhaustion. Subdomain delegation is often the most effective long-term solution for managing multiple senders.
March 1, 2023 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks says: I had to manually dissect their include and remove unused Google entries to make space. It's frustrating when support can't explain how to work around their own limitations.
March 5, 2023 - Email Geeks
Ensuring your emails reach the inbox
Navigating SPF record lookup limits, especially with providers like Netfirms, is a common challenge that directly impacts email deliverability. The critical takeaway is that the 10-DNS-lookup limit is a non-negotiable standard. Whether it's the websitewelcome.com include or other nested mechanisms, exceeding this limit will result in SPF PermErrors, potentially landing your emails in spam or causing outright rejections.
Proactive management of your SPF record is essential. Solutions like SPF flattening or strategically delegating email traffic to subdomains offer robust ways to circumvent the lookup limit and maintain healthy email authentication. Regularly validating your SPF record and closely monitoring your email performance will help you identify and address issues promptly, ensuring your messages always reach their intended recipients.
Ultimately, email deliverability hinges on proper authentication, including SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. Taking the time to optimize your SPF record not only resolves immediate lookup limit issues but also strengthens your overall email security posture, building trust with receiving mail servers and improving your sender reputation.
Netfirms webmail, you might find yourself in a particularly tight spot. Their default SPF record often includes a broad include mechanism, such as include:websitewelcome.com, which itself can consume a significant number of your allotted DNS lookups. This leaves little to no room for adding other legitimate email services you might use, like marketing automation platforms or transactional email providers.
SMTP.com for transactional emails, you'd configure an SPF record for transactional.yourdomain.com.
