Authentication Checks

The largest category — 35% of your score. Authentication proves your mail genuinely comes from your domain. Background: Email Deliverability.

SPF Validation — 8 pts

Checks your domain publishes a valid SPF record and the sending IP is authorized by it. Why it matters SPF is the baseline list of who may send for your domain; without it, receivers can’t verify your servers. How to fix publish a single SPF record ending in -all, including your ESP’s include:, and keep it under 10 DNS lookups. Verify with the SPF Checker.

DKIM Verification — 8 pts

Checks a valid DKIM signature is present and verifies against your published key. Why it matters DKIM cryptographically proves the message wasn’t altered, and it’s what lets DMARC pass by alignment. How to fix enable DKIM signing in your ESP and publish the key it gives you at the right selector. Verify with the DKIM Checker.

DMARC Validation — 8 pts

Checks a DMARC policy exists and SPF or DKIM aligns with your visible “from” domain. Why it matters DMARC stops spoofing and is now required by Gmail and Yahoo for bulk senders. How to fix publish a DMARC record at _dmarc.yourdomain.com, start at p=none with a rua= reporting address, then move to quarantine and reject. Use the DMARC Checker.

BIMI Check — 3 pts

Checks for a BIMI record pointing to your brand logo. Why it matters BIMI displays your logo next to your emails, building trust and lifting opens — but only once DMARC is enforced. How to fix publish a BIMI record with an SVG logo (and a VMC for Gmail). See the BIMI Inspector.

Reverse DNS — 4 pts

Checks the sending IP has a valid PTR record (reverse DNS). Why it matters mail from IPs with no reverse DNS is widely treated as suspicious. How to fix set a PTR record for your sending IP (your ESP or host manages this for shared/managed IPs).

MX Records — 4 pts

Checks the sending domain has valid MX records. Why it matters a legitimate sending domain should also be able to receive mail; missing MX is a red flag. How to fix publish MX records for your domain (two or more for redundancy). Use the MX Lookup.