{"id":625,"date":"2025-09-16T23:23:41","date_gmt":"2025-09-16T23:23:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/?p=625"},"modified":"2026-01-11T17:54:55","modified_gmt":"2026-01-11T17:54:55","slug":"email-deliverability-for-stores-spf-dkim-dmarc-in-plain-english","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/email-deliverability-for-stores-spf-dkim-dmarc-in-plain-english\/","title":{"rendered":"Email Deliverability for Stores: SPF, DKIM, DMARC in Plain English"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Subtle note: on Pofii, you get <strong>pPanel<\/strong> and clean DNS controls\u2014so setting and testing these records is fast, automated and reliable.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 ez-toc-wrap-center counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/email-deliverability-for-stores-spf-dkim-dmarc-in-plain-english\/#The_goal_make_your_emails_look_authentic_to_receivers\" >The goal: make your emails look authentic to receivers<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/email-deliverability-for-stores-spf-dkim-dmarc-in-plain-english\/#SPF_who_may_send_for_your_domain\" >SPF: who may send for your domain<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/email-deliverability-for-stores-spf-dkim-dmarc-in-plain-english\/#DKIM_cryptographic_signature_that_proves_integrity\" >DKIM: cryptographic signature that proves integrity<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/email-deliverability-for-stores-spf-dkim-dmarc-in-plain-english\/#DMARC_policy_reporting_alignment\" >DMARC: policy + reporting + alignment<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/email-deliverability-for-stores-spf-dkim-dmarc-in-plain-english\/#Alignment_the_secret_sauce_many_miss\" >Alignment: the secret sauce many miss<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/email-deliverability-for-stores-spf-dkim-dmarc-in-plain-english\/#WordPressWooCommerce_send_the_right_way\" >WordPress\/WooCommerce: send the right way<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/email-deliverability-for-stores-spf-dkim-dmarc-in-plain-english\/#Cloudflare_DNS_tips_avoid_silent_breaks\" >Cloudflare + DNS tips (avoid silent breaks)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/email-deliverability-for-stores-spf-dkim-dmarc-in-plain-english\/#Rollout_plan_copypaste\" >Rollout plan (copy\/paste)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/email-deliverability-for-stores-spf-dkim-dmarc-in-plain-english\/#How_to_test_2_minutes\" >How to test (2 minutes)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/email-deliverability-for-stores-spf-dkim-dmarc-in-plain-english\/#Common_pitfalls_quick_fixes\" >Common pitfalls (quick fixes)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/email-deliverability-for-stores-spf-dkim-dmarc-in-plain-english\/#Minimal_checklist\" >Minimal checklist<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/email-deliverability-for-stores-spf-dkim-dmarc-in-plain-english\/#FAQ\" >FAQ<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-goal-make-your-emails-look-authentic-to-receivers\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_goal_make_your_emails_look_authentic_to_receivers\"><\/span>The goal: make your emails look <strong>authentic<\/strong> to receivers<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mail providers (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo) ask three questions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Who\u2019s allowed<\/strong> to send mail for your domain? \u2192 <strong>SPF<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Was the message altered<\/strong> in transit? \u2192 <strong>DKIM<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Do the first two align<\/strong> with your visible \u201cFrom\u201d domain, and what should receivers do if they don\u2019t? \u2192 <strong>DMARC<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When all three line up, your store\u2019s emails <strong>deliver<\/strong> and avoid the Promotions\/Spam trap more often.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-spf-who-may-send-for-your-domain\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"SPF_who_may_send_for_your_domain\"><\/span>SPF: who may send for your domain<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What it is:<\/strong> A DNS <code>TXT<\/code> record that lists allowed sending sources for your domain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Plain steps:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>List <strong>every place<\/strong> that sends as <code>you@yourdomain.com<\/code>: your store server, helpdesk, marketing platform, transactional provider (Postmark, Mailgun, SendGrid, Amazon SES, etc.).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Use the <strong>include<\/strong> strings provided by those services.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Keep total SPF lookups <strong>\u226410<\/strong> (hard limit). Consolidate if needed.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Baseline SPF (example):<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>Name: @\nType: TXT\nValue: v=spf1 a mx include:spf.yourprovider.com include:mailgun.org -all\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><code>a mx<\/code> allows your web and MX hosts (optional).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><code>include:...<\/code> adds third-party senders.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>End with <code>-all<\/code> (hard fail) once you\u2019re sure the list is complete; use <code>~all<\/code> (softfail) during testing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-dkim-cryptographic-signature-that-proves-integrity\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"DKIM_cryptographic_signature_that_proves_integrity\"><\/span>DKIM: cryptographic signature that proves integrity<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What it is:<\/strong> Your sender signs each message with a private key; receivers verify using a <strong>public key<\/strong> in your DNS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Plain steps:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In your email\/ESP dashboard, <strong>enable DKIM<\/strong> and note the <strong>selector<\/strong> (e.g., <code>pm<\/code> or <code>s1<\/code>).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Publish the <strong>CNAME\/TXT<\/strong> records they provide. Prefer <strong>2048-bit<\/strong> keys.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Send a test; look for <code>dkim=pass<\/code> in headers.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Typical DKIM (CNAME) shape:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>Name: pm._domainkey\nType: CNAME\nValue: pm.domainkey.u123456.provider.com\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">(Your provider will give the exact values.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-dmarc-policy-reporting-alignment\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"DMARC_policy_reporting_alignment\"><\/span>DMARC: policy + reporting + alignment<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What it is:<\/strong> A policy that tells receivers what to do if SPF\/DKIM <strong>don\u2019t align<\/strong> with your visible From domain\u2014and where to send reports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Start with \u201cmonitor only\u201d:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>Name: _dmarc\nType: TXT\nValue: v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc@yourdomain.com; fo=1\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><code>p=none<\/code> monitors only.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><code>rua=<\/code> gets you <strong>aggregate reports<\/strong> (mail-flow stats).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><code>fo=1<\/code> requests failure details.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Then ramp protection:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>After 1\u20132 weeks of clean reports \u2192 <code>p=quarantine; pct=25<\/code><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If still clean \u2192 <code>p=quarantine; pct=100<\/code><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Final step \u2192 <code>p=reject<\/code> (blocks failing mail)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Add alignment for subdomains if you use them:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><code>sp=quarantine<\/code> or <code>sp=reject<\/code> (policy for subdomains)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-alignment-the-secret-sauce-many-miss\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Alignment_the_secret_sauce_many_miss\"><\/span>Alignment: the secret sauce many miss<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For DMARC to <strong>pass<\/strong>, you need SPF <strong>or<\/strong> DKIM to align with the <strong>visible From domain<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>SPF alignment<\/strong> checks the <strong>Return-Path<\/strong> domain (a.k.a. envelope).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>DKIM alignment<\/strong> checks the <strong>d=<\/strong> domain in the signature.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Practical tip:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Use the same domain (or a <strong>subdomain<\/strong> you control) for your <strong>From<\/strong> address and your ESP\u2019s <strong>sending domain<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Example: marketing via <code>news.yourdomain.com<\/code>, transactional via <code>mail.yourdomain.com<\/code>. Each gets its own SPF\/DKIM\/DMARC.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-wordpress-woocommerce-send-the-right-way\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"WordPressWooCommerce_send_the_right_way\"><\/span>WordPress\/WooCommerce: send the right way<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Avoid default <code>wp_mail()<\/code> with the host\u2019s PHP mail; use a <strong>transactional provider<\/strong> (API or SMTP) with your <strong>authenticated domain<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Set a <strong>consistent From:<\/strong> <code>orders@yourdomain.com<\/code> (don\u2019t mix free mailboxes like Gmail).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Use a lean SMTP\/transactional plugin; test send, then check headers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Speed and deliverability go together. While you\u2019re here, tune the rest of your stack:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>LiteSpeed Cache defaults<\/strong> (we\u2019ve got a full guide).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Object Cache (Redis)<\/strong> for faster dynamic pages: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/wordpress-object-cache-redis-vs-memcached-setup-guide\/\">Redis vs Memcached<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Images\/LCP<\/strong> for product pages: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/woocommerce-image-speed-webp-avif-correct-sizes-lazy-load\/\">WooCommerce Image Speed<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-cloudflare-dns-tips-avoid-silent-breaks\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Cloudflare_DNS_tips_avoid_silent_breaks\"><\/span>Cloudflare + DNS tips (avoid silent breaks)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Do not proxy<\/strong> (<code>orange cloud<\/code>) your <strong>MX<\/strong> and <strong>mail<\/strong> host records; email needs the real IPs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Keep TXT\/CNAME for SPF\/DKIM\/DMARC <strong>DNS-only<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If you\u2019re changing DNS hosts, use a clean plan: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/zero-downtime-website-migration-the-dns-ttl-playbook\/\">Zero-Downtime DNS TTL Playbook<\/a> and the longer migration guide: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/how-to-migrate-website-to-new-host-ditch-slow-host-now\/\">Migrate to a Faster Host<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>General Cloudflare tuning: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/what-is-cloudflare-and-how-to-get-maximum-out-of-it\/\">Cloudflare for WordPress<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-rollout-plan-copy-paste\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Rollout_plan_copypaste\"><\/span>Rollout plan (copy\/paste)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Publish SPF<\/strong> with all legitimate senders (<code>~all<\/code> during testing).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Enable DKIM<\/strong> for each sender; publish keys; verify <code>dkim=pass<\/code>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Add DMARC<\/strong> <code>p=none<\/code> with <code>rua=<\/code> reports.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Watch reports for <strong>1\u20132 weeks<\/strong>. Fix stragglers (old plugins, forgotten tools).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Move to <strong><code>p=quarantine<\/code><\/strong>, then <strong><code>p=reject<\/code><\/strong> when clean.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Split <strong>marketing<\/strong> and <strong>transactional<\/strong> onto <strong>separate subdomains<\/strong> if volume grows.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-to-test-2-minutes\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_test_2_minutes\"><\/span>How to test (2 minutes)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Send one email to <strong>Gmail<\/strong> and one to <strong>Outlook<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In Gmail, open the message \u2192 <strong>Show original<\/strong>. Look for:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><code>SPF=pass<\/code><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><code>DKIM=pass<\/code><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><code>DMARC=pass<\/code><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Confirm <strong>From<\/strong> matches the domain you authenticated.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Re-send after each DNS change (allow a few minutes for propagation).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-common-pitfalls-quick-fixes\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Common_pitfalls_quick_fixes\"><\/span>Common pitfalls (quick fixes)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>SPF too many lookups (>10):<\/strong> collapse includes, remove unused senders.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Return-Path not aligned:<\/strong> configure a <strong>custom bounce domain<\/strong> with your ESP.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Multiple tools sending:<\/strong> add each to SPF <strong>and<\/strong> enable DKIM per tool.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Cloudflare proxied mail records:<\/strong> switch those to <strong>DNS-only<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Using personal Gmail as From:<\/strong> use a domain mailbox you control.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-minimal-checklist\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Minimal_checklist\"><\/span>Minimal checklist<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>SPF published with all senders (<code>-all<\/code> after testing)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>DKIM enabled (2048-bit) for each sender<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>DMARC <code>p=none<\/code> \u2192 <code>quarantine<\/code> \u2192 <code>reject<\/code> with reports to <code>dmarc@<\/code><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>From domain aligns; custom bounce\/return-path set<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>WordPress uses SMTP\/API via a transactional provider<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>MX\/mail records not proxied; DNS tidy<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Test headers show <strong>pass<\/strong> for SPF\/DKIM\/DMARC<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-faq\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"FAQ\"><\/span>FAQ<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Do I need both SPF and DKIM?<\/strong><br>Yes. DMARC needs <strong>SPF or DKIM<\/strong> to pass <strong>and<\/strong> align. In practice, set <strong>both<\/strong> for resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Should I go straight to <code>p=reject<\/code>?<\/strong><br>No. Start with <code>p=none<\/code>, fix stragglers using reports, then ramp to <strong>quarantine<\/strong> and <strong>reject<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Is a subdomain required?<\/strong><br>Not required, but smart. Use separate subdomains for <strong>marketing<\/strong> and <strong>transactional<\/strong> to protect reputation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Why do marketing emails hit Promotions?<\/strong><br>Promotions tab is normal for bulk mail. Keep <strong>transactional<\/strong> mail on a clean subdomain with tight alignment to stay in <strong>Primary\/Inbox<\/strong> more often.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Order emails landing in spam cost money\u2014lost trust, missed confirmations, support pain. The good news: you can fix most deliverability issues with three records and a simple rollout plan. This guide explains SPF, DKIM, and DMARC in plain English, then shows you exactly what to publish and how to test it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":627,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,3,7],"tags":[234,230,228,232],"class_list":["post-625","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ecommerce","category-hosting","category-security","tag-dkim","tag-dmarc","tag-email-deliverability","tag-spf"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.9 (Yoast SEO v25.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Email Deliverability for Stores: SPF, DKIM, DMARC in Plain English - Pofii Insights<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Stop order emails hitting spam. Plain-English SPF, DKIM &amp; DMARC setup with copy-paste DNS, safe rollout, and tests for reliable delivery.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/email-deliverability-for-stores-spf-dkim-dmarc-in-plain-english\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Email Deliverability for Stores: SPF, DKIM, DMARC in Plain English\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Stop order emails hitting spam. Plain-English SPF, DKIM &amp; DMARC setup with copy-paste DNS, safe rollout, and tests for reliable delivery.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/email-deliverability-for-stores-spf-dkim-dmarc-in-plain-english\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Pofii Insights\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PofiiCOM\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-09-16T23:23:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-11T17:54:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Email-Deliverability.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1536\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"John Cavil\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@PofiiGlobal\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@PofiiGlobal\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"John Cavil\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"TechArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/email-deliverability-for-stores-spf-dkim-dmarc-in-plain-english\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/email-deliverability-for-stores-spf-dkim-dmarc-in-plain-english\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"John Cavil\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/82dd56bd4b7d1ae512907145b3a68873\"},\"headline\":\"Email Deliverability for Stores: SPF, DKIM, DMARC in Plain English\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-09-16T23:23:41+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-11T17:54:55+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/email-deliverability-for-stores-spf-dkim-dmarc-in-plain-english\/\"},\"wordCount\":842,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/email-deliverability-for-stores-spf-dkim-dmarc-in-plain-english\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Email-Deliverability.png\",\"keywords\":[\"DKIM\",\"DMARC\",\"Email Deliverability\",\"SPF\"],\"articleSection\":[\"eCommerce\",\"Hosting Tips &amp; Tricks\",\"Website Security\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/email-deliverability-for-stores-spf-dkim-dmarc-in-plain-english\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/email-deliverability-for-stores-spf-dkim-dmarc-in-plain-english\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/email-deliverability-for-stores-spf-dkim-dmarc-in-plain-english\/\",\"name\":\"Email Deliverability for Stores: SPF, DKIM, DMARC in Plain English - Pofii Insights\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/email-deliverability-for-stores-spf-dkim-dmarc-in-plain-english\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/email-deliverability-for-stores-spf-dkim-dmarc-in-plain-english\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Email-Deliverability.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-09-16T23:23:41+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-11T17:54:55+00:00\",\"description\":\"Stop order emails hitting spam. Plain-English SPF, DKIM & DMARC setup with copy-paste DNS, safe rollout, and tests for reliable delivery.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/email-deliverability-for-stores-spf-dkim-dmarc-in-plain-english\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/email-deliverability-for-stores-spf-dkim-dmarc-in-plain-english\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/email-deliverability-for-stores-spf-dkim-dmarc-in-plain-english\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Email-Deliverability.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Email-Deliverability.png\",\"width\":1536,\"height\":1024,\"caption\":\"Email Deliverability\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/email-deliverability-for-stores-spf-dkim-dmarc-in-plain-english\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/nl.pofii.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Email Deliverability for Stores: SPF, DKIM, DMARC in Plain English\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Pofii\",\"description\":\"Success Simplified.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Pofii\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/cropped-cropped-pofiiinsights-2.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/cropped-cropped-pofiiinsights-2.png\",\"width\":2079,\"height\":221,\"caption\":\"Pofii\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PofiiCOM\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/PofiiGlobal\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/PofiiGlobal\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/Pofii\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/82dd56bd4b7d1ae512907145b3a68873\",\"name\":\"John Cavil\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/brand\/logo-icon-circle-friendly.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/brand\/logo-icon-circle-friendly.png\",\"caption\":\"John Cavil\"},\"description\":\"WordPress Expert, Head of technical support at Pofii Ltd.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/author\/JohnC\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/author\/johnc\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Email Deliverability for Stores: SPF, DKIM, DMARC in Plain English - Pofii Insights","description":"Stop order emails hitting spam. Plain-English SPF, DKIM & DMARC setup with copy-paste DNS, safe rollout, and tests for reliable delivery.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/email-deliverability-for-stores-spf-dkim-dmarc-in-plain-english\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Email Deliverability for Stores: SPF, DKIM, DMARC in Plain English","og_description":"Stop order emails hitting spam. Plain-English SPF, DKIM & DMARC setup with copy-paste DNS, safe rollout, and tests for reliable delivery.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/email-deliverability-for-stores-spf-dkim-dmarc-in-plain-english\/","og_site_name":"Pofii Insights","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PofiiCOM","article_published_time":"2025-09-16T23:23:41+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-01-11T17:54:55+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1536,"height":1024,"url":"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Email-Deliverability.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"John Cavil","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@PofiiGlobal","twitter_site":"@PofiiGlobal","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"John Cavil","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"TechArticle","@id":"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/email-deliverability-for-stores-spf-dkim-dmarc-in-plain-english\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/email-deliverability-for-stores-spf-dkim-dmarc-in-plain-english\/"},"author":{"name":"John Cavil","@id":"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/82dd56bd4b7d1ae512907145b3a68873"},"headline":"Email Deliverability for Stores: SPF, DKIM, DMARC in Plain English","datePublished":"2025-09-16T23:23:41+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-11T17:54:55+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/email-deliverability-for-stores-spf-dkim-dmarc-in-plain-english\/"},"wordCount":842,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/email-deliverability-for-stores-spf-dkim-dmarc-in-plain-english\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Email-Deliverability.png","keywords":["DKIM","DMARC","Email Deliverability","SPF"],"articleSection":["eCommerce","Hosting Tips &amp; Tricks","Website Security"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/email-deliverability-for-stores-spf-dkim-dmarc-in-plain-english\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/email-deliverability-for-stores-spf-dkim-dmarc-in-plain-english\/","url":"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/email-deliverability-for-stores-spf-dkim-dmarc-in-plain-english\/","name":"Email Deliverability for Stores: SPF, DKIM, DMARC in Plain English - Pofii Insights","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/email-deliverability-for-stores-spf-dkim-dmarc-in-plain-english\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/email-deliverability-for-stores-spf-dkim-dmarc-in-plain-english\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Email-Deliverability.png","datePublished":"2025-09-16T23:23:41+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-11T17:54:55+00:00","description":"Stop order emails hitting spam. Plain-English SPF, DKIM & DMARC setup with copy-paste DNS, safe rollout, and tests for reliable delivery.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/email-deliverability-for-stores-spf-dkim-dmarc-in-plain-english\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/email-deliverability-for-stores-spf-dkim-dmarc-in-plain-english\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/email-deliverability-for-stores-spf-dkim-dmarc-in-plain-english\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Email-Deliverability.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Email-Deliverability.png","width":1536,"height":1024,"caption":"Email Deliverability"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/email-deliverability-for-stores-spf-dkim-dmarc-in-plain-english\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/nl.pofii.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Email Deliverability for Stores: SPF, DKIM, DMARC in Plain English"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/","name":"Pofii","description":"Success Simplified.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Pofii","url":"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/cropped-cropped-pofiiinsights-2.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/cropped-cropped-pofiiinsights-2.png","width":2079,"height":221,"caption":"Pofii"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PofiiCOM","https:\/\/x.com\/PofiiGlobal","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/PofiiGlobal","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/Pofii"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/82dd56bd4b7d1ae512907145b3a68873","name":"John Cavil","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/brand\/logo-icon-circle-friendly.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/brand\/logo-icon-circle-friendly.png","caption":"John Cavil"},"description":"WordPress Expert, Head of technical support at Pofii Ltd.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/author\/JohnC"],"url":"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/author\/johnc\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/625","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=625"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/625\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":626,"href":"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/625\/revisions\/626"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/627"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=625"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=625"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pofii.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=625"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}