No DMARC Policy - Reason for Sent Emails Going to Spam

Question

Hi,

We've been experience consistent email issues with multiple accounts on two outlook servers, specifically emails going directly to recipients spam folders. I ran MXTools and noted the following errors. What is the probability that these errors are causing the spam issue?

Here is the test result:

DMARC Record Published

What you see when your domain has this problem:
	Missing or Invalid Record

Answer 1

Hi Forensics Greetings! Thank you for posting on Microsoft Community. I will be happy to help. I am a user just like you and only trying to advice/ assist in a best possible way I could resolve your issue.

It seems you are having issues with your mail ending in the spam folder which made you ran a check on MXTools. While not having a DMARC policy in place isn't the sole reason for emails ending up in spam, it can significantly contribute to the problem. Here's why:

1. Authentication and Reputation:

Missing Verification: DMARC authenticates your emails using SPF and DKIM, ensuring recipients can verify their legitimacy. Without DMARC, your emails lack this authoritative validation, making them more vulnerable to spam filters. Domain Reputation: Consistent delivery of unauthenticated emails can tarnish your domain's reputation, negatively impacting deliverability. Spam filters often flag emails from domains with poor reputations.

2. Reporting and Insights: Visibility into Delivery Issues: DMARC provides valuable reports on email authentication results, helping you identify and address delivery problems like spoofing and phishing attempts. Without these insights, you might be unaware of issues hindering your email deliverability.
3. Protection against Spoofing: Domain Abuse: A DMARC policy with a "reject" policy instructs receiving servers to block emails that fail authentication, reducing the risk of your domain being used for malicious purposes like phishing attacks.

Probability of Causing Spam Issues: It's difficult to pinpoint a precise probability, as multiple factors influence spam filtering. However, the absence of a DMARC policy unquestionably weakens your email authentication and potentially harms your domain's reputation, increasing the likelihood of emails being flagged as spam.

Recommendations: Implement DMARC: Create a DMARC record for your domain, starting with a "none" policy for monitoring and gradually moving to a "quarantine" or "reject" policy as you gain confidence in your email authentication. Address Other Factors: Investigate other potential causes of spam filtering, such as: Content filtering (spammy keywords, links, attachments) Sender reputation (past spam complaints, blacklisting) IP address reputation (shared hosting, previous abuse) Recipient spam filter settings By implementing a DMARC policy and addressing other potential issues, you'll significantly enhance your email deliverability and protect your domain's reputation.

Hope this helps and answer your question. Give back to the Community. Help the next person who has this issue by indicating if this reply solved your problem. Click Yes or No below. Kind Regards -Adedayo