Why email deliverability problems happen
Email deliverability is not controlled by a single DNS record. Gmail, Outlook and other mailbox providers assess authentication, alignment, sending reputation, complaint rates and message behaviour before deciding whether to accept, reject or filter a message.
Authentication is the part you can verify at domain level. SPF says which servers are authorised to send for a domain. DKIM adds a cryptographic signature that the receiving service can verify. DMARC checks whether the domain shown to the recipient aligns with the domain authenticated by SPF or DKIM, then applies the policy published by the domain owner.
Google requires all senders to personal Gmail accounts to use SPF or DKIM, with stronger requirements for senders above its bulk threshold. Microsoft also requires SPF, DKIM and DMARC for domains sending more than 5,000 messages a day to Outlook.com consumer addresses. Those rules make correct authentication increasingly important, but authentication alone cannot guarantee inbox placement.
SPF, DKIM and DMARC need to match the way you actually send
The common failure is not simply a missing record. A business may send ordinary mail through Microsoft 365, website messages through its hosting server, invoices through accounting software and campaigns through a newsletter platform. Each sender can be legitimate while one of them is still outside the domain's authentication setup.
We check the sending services that should be authorised and configure the records around that real mail flow. That includes looking for conflicting SPF records, checking DKIM signing and confirming DMARC alignment rather than treating a passing DNS lookup as the end of the job.
SPF also has a practical limit on the number of DNS lookups permitted during evaluation. Adding another include statement without checking the whole record can create a new failure. DMARC needs similar care: moving straight to a restrictive policy before legitimate senders are aligned can block genuine mail. The safer approach is to identify authorised sources first, review reporting and then apply the appropriate policy.
What the £299 email deliverability setup includes
The service is a one-off £299. We configure SPF, DKIM and DMARC, align the legitimate services that send on your behalf, set up DMARC reporting and test the finished configuration.
- Authentication: SPF, DKIM and DMARC records configured for the domain and its legitimate senders.
- Alignment: website forms, CRM systems, newsletters and other authorised sending services checked so the visible From address and authenticated domain work together correctly.
- Testing: deliverability is tested and evidenced, with plain-English handover notes explaining what was changed.
If the underlying problem is broader than DNS, the evidence matters. A technically correct domain can still be filtered because of poor list hygiene, a damaged sending reputation, high complaint rates or message content. We distinguish those issues instead of promising that three DNS records can solve every spam-folder problem.
When ongoing email and DNS support makes sense
A one-off setup is suitable when your sending stack is stable. If you regularly change hosting, marketing platforms, CRM systems or domains, authentication can drift as services are added and removed.
Our Hosting Support plan is £39 per month or £390 per year and includes DNS, SSL, email setup and deliverability basics. It can be useful where the technical environment changes often enough that email configuration needs ongoing attention.
For a wider website health check, see our website support services.