Summary
The core issue revolves around how a past domain impersonation attempt, coupled with a DMARC policy shift from p=none to p=quarantine, impacts the deliverability of legitimate GSuite emails. While marketing emails via other platforms might remain unaffected, transactional emails from GSuite and connected customer service tools can suddenly land in spam, despite recent authentication fixes. This scenario highlights the critical interplay of authentication, domain reputation, and the time required for DNS changes to propagate and for recipient mail systems to update their trust scores.
Key findings
- Impersonation impact: A high volume of spoofed emails, even under a DMARC p=none policy, can damage a domain's reputation with receiving mail servers, especially if the forged emails originate from known platforms like Google.
- DMARC policy change: Shifting from p=none (monitoring) to p=quarantine (sending unauthenticated emails to spam or quarantine) makes any legitimate mail failing DMARC significantly more likely to land in spam. Find out more about why changing DMARC to quarantine causes issues.
- GSuite authentication: A lack of proper SPF and DKIM configuration for GSuite (and tools routing through it, like Gorgias) means these legitimate emails will fail DMARC authentication, triggering the new p=quarantine policy.
- Reputation lag: Even after fixing authentication, there's a delay for recipient mail systems (like Gmail) to recognize the changes and rebuild a positive reputation for the domain, especially for the newly authenticated sending paths. Learn about why DMARC policy impacts deliverability.
Key considerations
- Comprehensive authentication: Ensure all legitimate sending services, including GSuite and any third-party tools that send mail on behalf of your domain, are correctly authenticated with SPF and DKIM. This is fundamental for DMARC alignment.
- Patience for propagation: DNS changes take time to propagate across the internet, and email providers need time to process these updates and adjust their internal reputation scores. Expect a delay of days to a couple of weeks for full effect. This can explain a sudden drop in Gmail email deliverability.
- DMARC report monitoring: Continuously monitor your DMARC reports to identify all sources sending email on your domain's behalf and ensure they are properly authenticating. This is crucial for avoiding unintended deliverability issues.
- Gradual policy enforcement: When moving from p=none to stricter DMARC policies like p=quarantine or p=reject, consider a gradual approach to identify and resolve any legitimate sending sources that might not yet be DMARC compliant.
What email marketers say
Email marketers frequently encounter deliverability challenges, particularly when complex authentication protocols or security incidents are involved. The consensus in the marketing community often centers on thorough authentication, understanding DMARC's protective role, and recognizing how domain reputation affects inbox placement. They emphasize that while DMARC aims to combat spoofing, its strict enforcement requires all legitimate sending sources to be perfectly aligned to avoid impacting desired email flows.
Key opinions
- Authentication is key: Marketers universally agree that ensuring your domain is properly authenticated with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is the single most important step for deliverability. Discover why GSuite emails may go to spam.
- DMARC for spoofing: Many view DMARC as the primary defense against email spoofing, helping to prevent unauthorized parties from impersonating their domain.
- Gmail warnings: Awareness exists around how Gmail specifically flags emails when it suspects misuse of an email address, even sometimes resulting in false positives.
- New ISP requirements: Marketers are increasingly aware of stricter email authentication requirements from major providers like Google and Yahoo, especially for bulk senders.
- Quarantine is expected: If legitimate emails fail DMARC checks, marketers understand that the p=quarantine policy will direct those messages to spam folders. Learn why your emails go to spam.
Key considerations
- Full authentication coverage: Always verify that every email sending service, whether for marketing or transactional purposes, has correctly implemented SPF and DKIM records for your domain.
- Domain reputation monitoring: Keep a close eye on your domain's sending reputation, as a dip can cause even authenticated emails to land in the spam folder. Google Postmaster Tools can help with this, read our ultimate guide to Google Postmaster Tools.
- Understanding DMARC actions: Be clear on what each DMARC policy (p=none, p=quarantine, p=reject) means for your email streams and how it interacts with authentication failures.
- Proactive compliance: Stay informed about evolving sender requirements from major mailbox providers to maintain optimal deliverability.
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks observes: The client did not set up DKIM for GSuite, which directly led to legitimate emails failing authentication and being flagged.
Marketer view
Marketer from Medium emphasizes: Proper domain authentication is paramount for deliverability, representing a fundamental step that is often simpler to implement than perceived.
What the experts say
Email deliverability experts emphasize that while DMARC is powerful for controlling domain impersonation, its effectiveness hinges on meticulous configuration and a deep understanding of email authentication protocols (SPF and DKIM). They often advise patience, given the time required for DNS changes to propagate and for mailbox providers to reassess domain reputation, especially after a significant event like a spoofing attack or a DMARC policy change. The systematic identification and rectification of unauthenticated sending sources are critical.
Key opinions
- DMARC's role: Experts clarify that DMARC manages impersonated messages rather than preventing attempts, by dictating recipient server actions. Learn about a simple guide to DMARC, SPF, and DKIM.
- Propagation time: Significant changes to DNS authentication records (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) require time for propagation across the internet and for mail filters to process these updates. This is crucial for Google and Yahoo's email requirements.
- DKIM reputation: Establishing a positive reputation for a new or recently corrected DKIM signature is crucial for improving inbox placement.
- Negative reputation from forged mail: If forged emails originate from a specific platform, it can lead to a negative reputation for your domain on that platform, impacting legitimate mail from the same source. Understand how to improve domain reputation using Google Postmaster Tools.
- Systematic approach: Troubleshooting deliverability issues should involve making one change at a time, allowing for propagation, and then testing, rather than making multiple simultaneous adjustments. Learn more about Google and Yahoo's 2024 email requirements.
Key considerations
- Verify all senders: Ensure that every legitimate email sending source for your domain (including third-party services) is correctly authenticated with SPF and DKIM.
- Account for DNS delays: Recognize that updates to DNS records and subsequent reputation changes are not instantaneous, patience is necessary after implementing fixes.
- Monitor postmaster tools: Utilize tools like Google Postmaster Tools to track spam rates, authentication success, and domain reputation over time to identify trends and validate changes.
- Avoid reactive changes: Resist the urge to make rapid, multiple changes to DNS records, as this can complicate troubleshooting and extend the recovery period.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks clarifies: DMARC's function is to prevent impersonated messages from reaching mailboxes by directing recipient servers, rather than preventing the initial impersonation attempts themselves.
Expert view
Expert from SpamResource explains: DMARC does not stop spoofing directly, but instead provides instructions to mail servers on how to manage unauthenticated messages claiming to be from your domain.
What the documentation says
Official documentation from email service providers and industry standards bodies provides the authoritative definitions and operational guidelines for email authentication protocols like DMARC, SPF, and DKIM. These resources explain how these systems interact to verify sender identity, handle unauthenticated messages, and prevent domain misuse. They also detail the importance of proper configuration for ensuring email deliverability and generating valuable reports for domain owners.
Key findings
- DMARC's instruction: DMARC explicitly instructs receiving mail servers on how to handle messages that appear to be from your organization but fail authentication checks. Learn how to set up Google DMARC reports.
- Authentication triggers: DMARC policies are triggered when an email using your domain's address fails either the SPF or DKIM test (or both).
- Reporting mechanism: DMARC provides a mechanism to request reports from email servers about failed messages and potential domain spoofing.
- SPF and DKIM's role: SPF and DKIM records are fundamental for verifying that mail is legitimate, proving that the domain in the "from" address belongs to the sender. This involves proper SPF, DKIM, and DMARC setup in GSuite.
- Spam filter design: Spam filters are specifically designed to detect and prevent fraudulent emails attempting to impersonate legitimate senders.
Key considerations
- Configure all authentication: It is crucial to configure both SPF and DKIM correctly for all email sending sources to ensure DMARC alignment and prevent legitimate emails from failing.
- Utilize DMARC reports: Regularly analyze DMARC reports to gain insights into email authentication pass/fail rates and identify unauthorized sending activity. This helps with understanding and troubleshooting DMARC reports.
- Understand DMARC policy impact: Be aware that strict DMARC policies like p=quarantine can directly impact deliverability if legitimate emails are not properly authenticated.
- Adhere to standards: Following established email authentication standards and best practices is vital for maintaining good sender reputation and inbox placement.
Technical article
Documentation from DuoCircle states: DMARC provides instructions to mail servers on how to proceed when they receive a message that claims to be from your organization but fails authentication checks.
Technical article
Documentation from Zoho explains: An email using your domain's address that fails either the SPF or DKIM test will trigger your configured DMARC policy, emphasizing the necessity of proper SPF and DKIM setup.
Related resources
13 resources
Related pages
Why did changing DMARC policy to quarantine send emails to spam, and how to fix it?
Why do my emails go to spam due to DMARC, SPF, and DKIM alignment failures?
What causes a sudden drop in Gmail email deliverability to spam?
A simple guide to DMARC, SPF, and DKIM
How to safely transition your DMARC policy to quarantine or reject
Ultimate Guide to Google Postmaster Tools V2
Google Postmaster Tools Domain Reputation: The Ultimate Guide for Email Marketers
Why Your Emails Are Going to Spam in 2024 and How to Fix It
Understanding and troubleshooting DMARC reports from Google and Yahoo
How to fix common DMARC issues in Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace
