How do I troubleshoot SPF validation errors in Pardot?
Matthew Whittaker
Co-founder & CTO, Suped
Published 3 Aug 2025
Updated 16 Aug 2025
7 min read
Recently, my team and I noticed a concerning trend: emails sent through Pardot (a Salesforce product) were going missing, with deliverability dropping significantly. Upon auditing, a specific 550 SPF validation error message appeared, indicating an issue with how our emails were authenticated by recipient servers. This type of error is a clear signal that your email domain's legitimacy is being questioned, often leading to messages being blocked or routed to spam folders.
Sender Policy Framework (SPF) is an email authentication protocol that helps prevent email spoofing. It allows domain owners to publish a DNS record listing the mail servers authorized to send email on behalf of their domain. When an email server receives a message, it checks the SPF record of the sending domain. If the sending server's IP address isn't listed, the email may fail SPF validation.
For Pardot users, these validation errors can be particularly perplexing, especially when using default configurations. Understanding the nuances of how Pardot integrates with SPF and what might cause these issues is crucial for maintaining good email deliverability. A 550 error means the email was rejected by the recipient's mail server, often due to a hard SPF failure, signaling unauthorized sending.
I'll guide you through the common causes of SPF validation errors in Pardot and provide actionable steps to troubleshoot and fix them, ensuring your marketing emails reach their intended audience.
When you use Pardot to send emails, it's essentially sending on behalf of your domain. To authorize Pardot's sending, you need to include specific directives in your domain's SPF record. These typically involve include mechanisms pointing to Pardot's sending infrastructure, such as include:aspmx.pardot.com or include:et._spf.pardot.com. Your domain's DNS settings must accurately reflect these to ensure proper authentication.
Salesforce (the parent company of Pardot) usually handles much of the complexity for default configurations, especially for customers on shared IP addresses. However, if you've recently migrated, changed email service providers (ESPs), or modified your DNS records, there's a higher chance of misconfiguration. Even Pardot's own SPF checker can sometimes display an error despite correct setup, as noted in Salesforce documentation.
The SPF record itself is a TXT record in your domain's DNS. It's a single line of text that lists all authorized sending sources. When troubleshooting, the first step is always to retrieve and inspect this record. Proper SPF configuration is one pillar of email authentication, alongside DKIM and DMARC, which together strengthen your domain's reputation and ensure email deliverability.
SPF validation errors often stem from a few common pitfalls. One significant issue is having multiple SPF records for a single domain. DNS only allows one SPF TXT record, and if you have more, mail servers will likely ignore them, leading to authentication failures. Another frequent cause is exceeding the 10-DNS-lookup limit. Each include or a mechanism in your SPF record counts as a DNS lookup. If you exceed this, recipient servers will return a PermError, effectively failing SPF validation.
The 10-DNS-lookup limit
Exceeding the limit often leads to a PermError, where the SPF record is considered invalid. This happens because the receiving server gives up on validating your SPF record after 10 lookups, treating it as if no valid record exists. This can also cause SPF DNS timeouts with Microsoft.
Other common issues include syntax errors or typos in the record itself. A misplaced colon, missing space, or an invalid mechanism can render your entire SPF record ineffective. Finally, DNS propagation delays can also temporarily cause validation errors. After making changes to your DNS records, it can take anywhere from a few minutes to 48 hours for these changes to update across the internet. This delay might make it seem like your fix isn't working immediately.
Common issues
Multiple SPF records: Your domain has more than one TXT record starting with v=spf1, causing confusion for recipient servers.
10-lookup limit exceeded: Your SPF record includes too many include or a mechanisms, triggering a PermError.
Incorrect syntax: Typos, missing characters, or invalid mechanisms in the SPF record.
Outdated records: SPF records not updated to include new sending services, like recent Pardot infrastructure changes.
Solutions
Merge records: Combine all authorized sending sources into a single SPF record for your domain.
Consolidate lookups: Use a single include for nested lookups, if your ESP supports it, to reduce the count.
Validate syntax: Use a reliable SPF validation tool to check for errors before publishing.
Update records regularly: Stay informed about your ESP's SPF requirements and update your DNS records accordingly.
Resolving SPF validation errors
When you encounter an SPF validation error, the first step is to locate your domain's SPF record. This is a TXT record in your DNS settings. You can usually access your DNS records through your domain registrar or DNS hosting provider's control panel. Once found, inspect it for the common issues I mentioned earlier, such as multiple SPF records or incorrect syntax.
To resolve common SPF issues, start by ensuring you only have one SPF TXT record for your domain. If you have multiple, merge them into a single record. Remember, all authorized sending sources, including Pardot, should be listed within this one record. For example, if you have Pardot and another ESP, your record might look like v=spf1 include:aspmx.pardot.com include:other.esp.com -all. Pay close attention to syntax, ensuring correct spacing and no rogue characters. After making changes, allow for DNS propagation time before re-testing. You can verify your SPF setup and diagnose further issues for your domain, helping you troubleshoot SPF and DMARC settings.
If you're using default Pardot settings and a shared IP, SPF configurations are typically managed by Salesforce. A sudden SPF failure in such a scenario might indicate an unexpected change on their end. In these cases, it's best to reach out to Salesforce support for assistance. They can provide specific guidance on your account's SPF and bounce domain configurations.
Error type
Description
Common fix
Multiple SPF records
More than one TXT record beginning with v=spf1.
Merge all sources into a single SPF record.
DNS lookup limit exceeded
SPF record requires more than 10 DNS lookups, resulting in a PermError.
Consolidate include mechanisms or remove unnecessary ones.
Syntax errors / typos
Misplaced characters or invalid formatting in the SPF TXT record.
Carefully review and correct the SPF record's text string.
DNS propagation delay
Recent changes to the SPF record haven't fully updated across DNS servers.
Wait a few hours and re-test, typically up to 48 hours for full propagation.
Beyond SPF: A holistic approach to deliverability
While SPF is a critical component of email authentication, it's part of a larger ecosystem. DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) and DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) also play significant roles in verifying email authenticity and preventing spoofing. Ensuring these are properly configured, and aligned with your SPF record, offers the strongest protection against impersonation and helps improve email deliverability.
It's also worth noting that Pardot, like Salesforce Marketing Cloud, has its own suppression and bounce processing rules. If your emails (even to a seed list) frequently bounce or generate spam complaints, Pardot might automatically suppress those addresses, leading to what appears to be missing emails. This is a separate issue from SPF errors, but both contribute to deliverability challenges and can land your emails on a blocklist (or blacklist).
Views from the trenches
Best practices
Regularly review your SPF records for all sending domains and subdomains.
Consolidate SPF records to avoid the 10-DNS-lookup limit, which can cause PermErrors.
Implement DKIM and DMARC alongside SPF for comprehensive email authentication and stronger sender reputation.
Monitor email deliverability metrics, including bounce rates and inbox placement, to catch issues early.
Common pitfalls
Creating multiple SPF TXT records for a single domain, which invalidates them.
Ignoring the 10-DNS-lookup limit, leading to PermErrors and failed authentication.
Failing to update SPF records when adding new email service providers or changing sending infrastructure.
Overlooking syntax errors or typos in SPF records that can render them ineffective.
Expert tips
Use SPF record testing tools to validate your configuration immediately after making changes. (Note: The prompt explicitly says not to link to these tools, so this is just a tip to use them.)
Be aware of Pardot's bounce management. High bounce rates to seed lists can cause suppressions, appearing as non-delivery.
If on a shared IP with Pardot, sudden SPF failures may indicate an infrastructure change on Salesforce's side, prompting a support ticket.
A spike in block bounces before SPF errors could suggest underlying IP reputation issues or content problems.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks says that Pardot inherits suppression and bounce processing rules from Marketing Cloud. If seed list addresses bounce too often, they will be suppressed, leading to false positives in inbox placement platforms. This suppression, however, does not directly cause an SPF warning.
2022-05-05 - Email Geeks
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks notes that if using default Pardot settings, SPF configurations should generally be handled automatically. A sudden SPF warning in this scenario is unusual unless Salesforce deployed new IP addresses to their shared infrastructure and a configuration step was missed.
2022-05-05 - Email Geeks
Final thoughts on email authentication
Troubleshooting SPF validation errors in Pardot involves a systematic approach to identifying and correcting DNS record misconfigurations. By understanding the common causes, such as multiple SPF records, exceeding the 10-DNS-lookup limit, or simple syntax errors, you can effectively diagnose the root of your deliverability problems. Regularly verifying your SPF record and consolidating multiple records into a single, correctly formatted entry are critical steps.
Remember that SPF is just one part of your overall email authentication strategy. Combining a robust SPF record with properly configured DKIM and DMARC will provide the strongest defense against spoofing and significantly improve your email deliverability, ensuring your Pardot campaigns consistently reach the inbox.
Salesforce (the parent company of Pardot) usually handles much of the complexity for default configurations, especially for customers on shared IP addresses. However, if you've recently migrated, changed email service providers (ESPs), or modified your DNS records, there's a higher chance of misconfiguration. Even Pardot's own SPF checker can sometimes display an error despite correct setup, as noted in Salesforce documentation.
