Summary
Google Postmaster Tools (GPT) reports SPF failures for ActiveCampaign sends even when SPF records pass due to SPF alignment issues and DMARC requirements. ActiveCampaign often uses its own MAIL FROM domain, which may pass SPF authentication because ActiveCampaign is authorized. However, this MAIL FROM domain typically differs from the sender's domain in the 'From' header. GPT and DMARC require alignment between these domains; therefore, a lack of alignment leads to reported SPF failures. Additionally, shared IPs within ActiveCampaign can contribute if other users have SPF issues, impacting overall reputation. When traffic from the SPF-aligned stream is low, GPT might weigh non-aligned traffic more heavily, increasing the likelihood of a reported failure.
Key findings
- SPF Alignment: SPF alignment is a critical factor; the MAIL FROM domain must match the 'From' header domain for DMARC compliance.
- ActiveCampaign Infrastructure: ActiveCampaign's sending infrastructure may cause misalignment if not properly configured for DMARC.
- DMARC Compliance: Full DMARC compliance, including SPF alignment, is essential for avoiding SPF failure reports in Google Postmaster Tools.
- Shared IP Influence: Shared IPs on ActiveCampaign can affect email reputation, with other users' issues potentially impacting your deliverability metrics.
- Postmaster Tools Strictness: Google Postmaster Tools places significant emphasis on SPF alignment, often more stringently than basic SPF record validation.
Key considerations
- Verify SPF Alignment: Ensure proper SPF alignment between the MAIL FROM and 'From' header domains.
- Configure DMARC: Implement and configure DMARC to specify how to handle emails that fail authentication checks.
- Monitor Deliverability: Continuously monitor Google Postmaster Tools for any deliverability issues and address them promptly.
- ActiveCampaign Settings Review: Review ActiveCampaign’s configuration settings related to email authentication and DMARC to ensure best practices.
- Dedicated IP Consideration: Consider using a dedicated IP address within ActiveCampaign to isolate your sending reputation.
- Evaluate Sending Volume: Understand that GPT calculates using both SPF aligned and non-aligned data, so review sending volumes of both streams and if non-aligned is a small amount, it can be weighted higher.
What email marketers say
10 marketer opinions
Google Postmaster Tools (GPT) reports SPF failures for ActiveCampaign sends, even when SPF records pass, primarily due to SPF alignment issues. ActiveCampaign often uses its own MAIL FROM domain, which may pass SPF authentication because ActiveCampaign is authorized to send on its behalf. However, this domain might not align with the sender's domain in the 'From' header. GPT requires SPF alignment for DMARC compliance; thus, the lack of alignment triggers a failure report, even if the underlying SPF check passes. Shared IPs and other users' sending practices within ActiveCampaign can also impact overall reputation and trigger these reports.
Key opinions
- SPF Alignment: GPT prioritizes SPF alignment over a simple SPF pass/fail. Alignment requires the MAIL FROM domain to match the 'From' header domain.
- ActiveCampaign's Infrastructure: ActiveCampaign's use of its own sending infrastructure can lead to SPF misalignment if not properly configured for DMARC.
- DMARC Compliance: Achieving full DMARC compliance, including SPF alignment, is crucial for avoiding SPF failure reports in GPT.
- Shared IP Impact: Shared IPs within ActiveCampaign can affect reputation; issues with other users can trigger failure reports even if your setup is correct but misaligned.
Key considerations
- Check SPF Alignment: Ensure SPF is aligned by verifying the MAIL FROM domain matches the 'From' header domain.
- Configure DMARC: Implement and configure DMARC to enforce policies regarding SPF and DKIM alignment.
- Monitor GPT: Regularly monitor Google Postmaster Tools to identify and address deliverability issues promptly.
- ActiveCampaign Settings: Review ActiveCampaign's documentation or support for recommended DMARC/SPF alignment settings.
- Dedicated IP: Consider using a dedicated IP address to isolate your sending reputation from other ActiveCampaign users.
Marketer view
Email marketer from Mailhardener.com explains that the reason for this is that ActiveCampaign uses its own MAIL FROM domain to send emails on your behalf, which may pass the SPF check because they are an allowed sender for that domain, but this does not align with your domain. Google Postmaster Tools considers this lack of alignment an SPF failure, even if SPF technically passes.
4 Nov 2023 - Mailhardener.com
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks explains that spikes in SPF failures in Google Postmaster Tools (GPT) are usually due to a lack of SPF alignment.
2 Aug 2021 - Email Geeks
What the experts say
1 expert opinions
The issue of Google Postmaster Tools reporting SPF failures for ActiveCampaign sends, despite SPF passing, stems from SPF alignment discrepancies. ActiveCampaign may send emails on a user's behalf, and while the SPF record associated with ActiveCampaign's infrastructure may pass authentication, it might not align with the sender's domain, leading Google Postmaster Tools to flag this misalignment.
Key opinions
- SPF Alignment Issue: The primary cause is the lack of SPF alignment between ActiveCampaign's sending domain and the sender's domain in the email header.
- GPT Flags Misalignment: Google Postmaster Tools specifically flags SPF misalignment even when SPF records technically pass.
Key considerations
- Domain Alignment: Ensuring proper SPF alignment between ActiveCampaign's sending domain and the sender's domain is crucial.
- Monitor Postmaster Tools: Monitoring Google Postmaster Tools helps identify and address deliverability issues promptly.
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that a common cause for this issue is related to SPF alignment. ActiveCampaign might be sending emails on your behalf, and while the SPF record on their side passes the authentication check, it might not align with your domain. This misalignment is flagged by Google Postmaster Tools.
7 Apr 2022 - Word to the Wise
What the documentation says
5 technical articles
Documentation from various sources, including Google, DMARC Analyzer, RFC, Valimail, and Microsoft, consistently highlights that Google Postmaster Tools (GPT) reports SPF failures for ActiveCampaign sends, even when SPF passes, because of SPF alignment issues. SPF alignment requires the domain used for the SPF check (MAIL FROM domain) to match the domain in the 'From' header of the email. If these domains do not align, DMARC fails, and GPT flags it as an SPF failure, reflecting its focus on DMARC compliance beyond a simple SPF pass/fail result. SPF authenticates MAIL FROM address but alignment is a DMARC compliance requirement.
Key findings
- SPF Alignment is Critical: SPF alignment, not just SPF authentication, is crucial for passing Google Postmaster Tools' deliverability checks.
- MAIL FROM vs. From Header: SPF failures in GPT occur when the MAIL FROM domain doesn't match the domain in the From header.
- DMARC Dependency: GPT reporting of SPF failures reflects DMARC's reliance on aligned SPF and DKIM for authentication.
Key considerations
- Implement SPF Alignment: Ensure that the domain used for SPF authentication (MAIL FROM) aligns with the 'From' header domain.
- Configure DMARC Policies: Properly configure DMARC policies to take advantage of SPF and DKIM alignment for better deliverability.
- Monitor Deliverability: Use Google Postmaster Tools and other deliverability monitoring services to identify and address SPF alignment and other authentication issues.
Technical article
Documentation from Microsoft shares that if the SPF authentication passes, but the MAIL FROM address does not align with the domain in the From header, DMARC will fail. This means that while the email might still be delivered, it won't pass DMARC authentication checks, which can negatively impact deliverability, and be reported as an error in systems that track such things.
4 Nov 2024 - Microsoft
Technical article
Documentation from Valimail explains that even if SPF authentication passes, DMARC alignment is also required, which means that the domain used to authenticate (the MAIL FROM domain in the SPF check) must match the domain used in the From header of the email. If these domains don't match, DMARC will fail, and Google Postmaster Tools will report an SPF failure due to the lack of alignment.
29 Nov 2021 - Valimail
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