Is DMARC essential for email deliverability and what to do when Return Path reports spam issues with good open rates?

The experts, marketers, and documentation converge on several points: DMARC is vital for domain protection, preventing spoofing and phishing, and is essential for BIMI. Although DMARC doesn't directly guarantee deliverability, it indirectly improves it by enhancing sender reputation and signaling email security. Ensuring SPF and DKIM are correctly set up is a prerequisite. When Return Path reports spam issues despite good open rates, the problem may lie in seed list inaccuracies, audience segmentation, content relevance, sending frequency, list hygiene, and overall sender reputation. To resolve this, a holistic approach is needed, involving monitoring user engagement metrics, inbox placement, checking complaint rates, validating email addresses, implementing feedback loops, and analyzing discrepancies between Return Path data and your analytics.

While opinions vary, the consensus is that DMARC is crucial for protecting your domain's reputation and preventing spoofing, which indirectly improves email deliverability. However, it's not a silver bullet and requires proper configuration of SPF and DKIM. When Return Path reports spam issues despite good open rates, it indicates potential problems with seed list accuracy, audience segmentation, content relevance, sending frequency, list hygiene, and sender reputation. Monitoring engagement metrics, inbox placement with real users, and complaint rates, while validating email addresses and implementing feedback loops, are crucial for identifying and addressing deliverability issues.

The experts generally agree that DMARC is valuable for security, specifically preventing domain spoofing and phishing, and it's necessary for BIMI. While not a direct solution for deliverability, it indirectly helps by protecting sender reputation. When Return Path flags spam issues despite good open rates, it suggests a deeper problem. It could be that Return Path sees seed IPs going to spam or a discrepancy exists between seed list performance and actual user engagement due to differences in how ISPs interpret data. Pulling unengaged users off your list might temporarily improve open rates, but the long-term trend matters. Seed lists should be considered only one data point, and a focus on user engagement, list quality, and content analysis is necessary.

The documentation consistently highlights DMARC's role in enhancing email security and authentication by building upon SPF and DKIM. It provides a policy framework for handling unauthenticated mail, protecting against spoofing and phishing. Furthermore, DMARC offers reporting mechanisms that enable domain owners to monitor their email authentication practices and identify potential abuse. If deliverability issues persist despite good open rates, it's recommended to check sender reputation, bounce rates, feedback loops, and blocklist status.