What does the SPF/DKIM/DMARC deliverability warning mean?
SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are email authentication protocols that prove your emails are legitimately sent from your...
SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are email authentication protocols that help prove your emails are legitimate and prevent them from landing in spam folders.
What These Protocols Do
| Protocol | What it does | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| SPF (Sender Policy Framework) | Tells receiving servers which mail servers are authorized to send email from your domain | Prevents spammers from spoofing your domain |
| DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) | Adds a digital signature to your emails to verify they haven't been tampered with | Proves the email content is authentic |
| DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication) | Tells receiving servers what to do with emails that fail SPF/DKIM checks | Sets your policy for handling suspicious emails |
Where you see this
Acquisity doesn't surface a dedicated SPF/DKIM/DMARC flag in the UI. What you'll notice instead is downstream symptoms: your Email Accounts table shows accounts in an Error (red) status, bounce rates climb, or opens and replies drop off. The underlying cause is frequently missing or misconfigured email authentication.
How to fix it
Pre-Warmed Inboxes or DFY accounts (bought through Acquisity)
SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are configured automatically during provisioning. If an Acquisity-managed account is showing errors:
- If the domain is still provisioning, wait for the Provisioning domains (X/Y)… progress bar to finish. Most pre-warmed provisioning completes in minutes; DFY takes longer because it includes a 2-week warmup.
- If errors persist on a fully-provisioned account, open Feedback in the sidebar. Support can verify the DNS configuration and re-run setup.
Why This Matters
Missing these authentication records means:
- Your emails are more likely to land in spam folders
- Some email servers may reject your emails entirely
- Your domain reputation suffers, making future deliverability worse
- Campaign performance drops significantly
This is one of the most critical technical aspects of cold email. Without proper authentication, even the best email copy won't reach inboxes.