What SPF does
SPF is a short text record in your domain’s settings that lists the services allowed to send email for your domain, such as Google Workspace or the service your app uses for sign-up emails. Inboxes check it to tell your real emails from fakes. A domain should have exactly one SPF record, ending with ~all or -all. The SPF standard treats two records as an error.
SPF, DKIM and DMARC in one minute
- SPF lists who may send for your domain.
- DKIM signs each email so inboxes can check it wasn’t changed. Your email service gives you the record to add.
- DMARC tells inboxes what to do with emails that fail both checks. Gmail requires it from bulk senders.
Why your sign-up emails still go to spam
The most common cause is sending from your builder’s or database’s built-in email service instead of your own domain. Our guide to emails going to spam shows how to fix it.