Do small email senders need their own SPF/DKIM records or can they rely on their ESP?

Summary

The prevailing consensus among email experts, marketers, and technical documentation is that small email senders should prioritize implementing their own SPF/DKIM records rather than solely relying on their ESP's authentication. While reputable ESPs establish a baseline IP reputation, individual authentication is vital for enhancing trust with mailbox providers, elevating deliverability rates, and safeguarding sender reputation. By implementing these protocols, senders gain heightened control over their sending reputation, enabling them to prevent spoofing attempts, fortify against phishing attacks, and ensure critical communications reach the intended recipients. Proactive authentication practices are also advantageous in mitigating any negative impacts on deliverability, establishing a resilient foundation for potential future growth, and preparing for evolving authentication requirements imposed by mailbox providers. Overall, consistent email authentication, which encompasses SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, is a universally endorsed best practice irrespective of list size. By establishing domain ownership and employing digital signatures, senders ensure their legitimate emails are recognized and delivered securely.

Key findings

  • Enhanced Trust: Setting up SPF/DKIM builds trust with mailbox providers, leading to improved deliverability.
  • Sender Reputation: Implementing SPF/DKIM enhances sender reputation and demonstrates legitimacy.
  • Spoofing Prevention: SPF/DKIM protocols verify the sending domain, preventing spoofing and phishing attacks.
  • Increased Control: Having your own SPF/DKIM records gives you more control over your sending reputation.
  • Future Growth: Treating SPF/DKIM as a long-term strategy builds a solid foundation for future growth.
  • Inbox Placement: Proper authentication improves inbox placement and helps avoid spam filters.
  • Transactional Emails: Authentication ensures important transactional emails reach recipients reliably.
  • Comprehensive Security: Implementing SPF, DKIM, and DMARC provides comprehensive email security.
  • Domain Ownership: Authenticating as your own domain allows filters to classify your emails correctly (bulk, transactional, etc.).

Key considerations

  • ESP Baseline: Reputable ESPs can provide a baseline IP reputation.
  • Domain Ownership: Even if technically challenged, owning a domain is crucial.
  • Freemail Avoidance: Avoid using freemail addresses in the From: header.
  • Consistent Approach: Consistent authentication is always recommended regardless of list size.
  • DMARC Dependence: For DMARC implementation, both SPF and DKIM are required.
  • Shared IP Limitations: Relying only on shared IPs can limit control and troubleshooting capabilities.

What email marketers say
10Marketer opinions

The consensus among email marketing experts is that even small email senders should implement their own SPF/DKIM records instead of solely relying on their ESP's authentication. While ESPs provide initial authentication, setting up your own records is crucial for establishing trust with mailbox providers, improving deliverability, and enhancing sender reputation. This practice helps prevent spoofing, protects against phishing attacks, ensures important emails reach inboxes, and provides more control over your sending reputation as your list grows.

Key opinions

  • Trust & Deliverability: Setting up SPF/DKIM builds trust with mailbox providers, improving deliverability and reducing the chances of emails landing in the spam folder.
  • Sender Reputation: Implementing SPF/DKIM enhances sender reputation, proving you're a legitimate sender.
  • Spoofing Prevention: SPF/DKIM protocols verify your sending domain, preventing spoofing and phishing attacks.
  • Control: Having your own SPF/DKIM records gives you more control over your sending reputation.
  • Long-Term Strategy: Treating SPF/DKIM as a long-term deliverability strategy builds a solid foundation for future growth.
  • Impact on Inbox Placement: Proper email authentication ensures that your emails reach the inbox.

Key considerations

  • Initial Setup: While ESPs provide initial authentication, relying solely on them isn't sufficient.
  • List Size: Implementing SPF/DKIM is essential regardless of list size.
  • Transactional Emails: Authentication is crucial for ensuring important transactional emails reach recipients.
  • Comprehensive Security: Consider implementing comprehensive email security measures, including SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.
  • Future Growth: Starting early with SPF/DKIM provides a solid foundation for future growth and consistent inbox placement.
Marketer view

Email marketer from Mailjet recommends treating SPF/DKIM as a long-term deliverability strategy. Starting early, even with a small list, builds a solid foundation for future growth and ensures consistent inbox placement as your email program evolves.

January 2022 - Mailjet
Marketer view

Email marketer from Litmus suggests that even if you primarily send transactional emails with a small list, authentication is crucial. It ensures these important messages, like password resets and order confirmations, reliably reach your customers' inboxes.

June 2021 - Litmus
Marketer view

Email marketer from SparkPost emphasizes that sender reputation is critical for all senders. Properly configuring SPF and DKIM helps build and maintain a positive sender reputation, improving deliverability and ensuring your emails reach the inbox.

June 2022 - SparkPost
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum responds that not setting up SPF/DKIM is a bad idea. Even with a small list, it can significantly impact your deliverability. Setting up your own records demonstrates that you're a legitimate sender and helps prevent your emails from being marked as spam.

October 2022 - Email Marketing Forum
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit explains that while relying on an ESP's shared authentication might seem convenient initially, setting up your own SPF/DKIM gives you more control over your sending reputation and helps build long-term trust with mailbox providers, even for smaller lists.

October 2024 - Reddit
Marketer view

Email marketer from Sendinblue shares that implementing SPF/DKIM is essential for all senders, regardless of size. These protocols verify your sending domain, preventing spoofing and enhancing your sender reputation, which directly impacts inbox placement.

May 2022 - Sendinblue
Marketer view

Email marketer from GlockApps explains that proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) has a significant impact on inbox placement. It helps email providers verify your identity and protects your emails from being marked as spam, regardless of list size.

January 2024 - GlockApps
Marketer view

Email marketer from EasyDMARC advocates for comprehensive email security, including SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, regardless of the list size. Even small businesses are targets for phishing attacks. Proper configuration protects your brand reputation and ensures that your legitimate emails are delivered to intended recipients.

July 2023 - EasyDMARC
Marketer view

Email marketer from Campaign Monitor advises that setting up SPF/DKIM records is a fundamental step in improving email deliverability. These records authenticate your emails, proving to ISPs that you're a legitimate sender and reducing the chances of your emails landing in the spam folder.

September 2024 - Campaign Monitor
Marketer view

Email marketer from MailerLite explains that while ESPs handle initial authentication, setting up your own SPF/DKIM records is crucial for establishing trust and improving deliverability. It helps mailbox providers recognize you as a legitimate sender, especially as you grow your list.

February 2023 - MailerLite

What the experts say
4Expert opinions

Email experts generally agree that small senders should implement their own SPF/DKIM records. Authenticating allows you to control your sending reputation, which is increasingly important as mailbox providers tighten authentication requirements. While reputable ESPs offer a baseline IP reputation, owning your authentication provides better control, easier troubleshooting, and builds trust with ISPs, leading to improved deliverability, especially for transactional emails. It's also recommended for all senders, regardless of list size, to prepare for potential future authentication requirements and to gain better control over how mailbox providers classify their emails.

Key opinions

  • Control of Reputation: Owning your authentication gives you more control over your sending reputation compared to relying solely on an ESP's shared IP reputation.
  • Increased Deliverability: Implementing SPF/DKIM builds trust with ISPs, ensuring your emails reach the inbox, especially important for transactional emails.
  • Future-Proofing: Authenticating early prepares you for potential future authentication requirements from mailbox providers.
  • Granular Control: Owning your authentication allows for more granular control and easier troubleshooting of delivery issues.
  • Better Classification: Authenticating as your own domain helps filters classify your emails correctly (bulk, transactional, etc.).

Key considerations

  • Legitimate ESP: If using a legitimate ESP, their shared IP can initially get you in the door, providing a base level of reputation.
  • Domain Ownership: If tech-averse, owning a domain and using it in the From: header with DKIM signing is highly recommended.
  • Freemail Addresses: Avoid using freemail addresses (e.g., @gmail.com) in the From: header, as it can negatively impact delivery.
  • Consistent Authentication: Consistent email authentication (SPF, DKIM) is a best practice regardless of list size.
  • Shared vs. Dedicated IPs: While ESPs offer shared IPs, controlling your sending reputation is more beneficial in the long run.
Expert view

Expert from Spam Resource says that consistent email authentication (SPF, DKIM) is always a best practice, no matter the size of your email list. It builds trust with ISPs and helps ensure your emails reach the inbox, especially important for transactional emails and important updates.

April 2021 - Spam Resource
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks shares that it is a really good idea, even for small senders, to sign as themselves, particularly because they have little chance of developing their own reputation on shared resources. Furthermore, it may turn out that the requirement is for anyone sending through an ESP, not based on volume, so authenticating early makes them prepared. It is generally better to stand on your own two feet as filters have gotten a LOT better about reputation for small senders than they used to be. They also have a lot more 'buckets' of mail classification (bulk, transactional, one-to-one, mailing list, kind of things) than they used to. So you're always better off authenticating as your own domain.

November 2024 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks explains that if you’re sending from a legitimate ESP then the IP you’re sending from will have adequate reputation, even in the shared pools, and that should get you in the door. If they’re genuinely too small or tech adverse to own a domain then they’re likely to have an increasingly bad delivery time as mailbox providers ratchet down on authentication, particularly if they try and use a freemail domain in the From:. If they have a domain then using that in the From: header and for DKIM signing will likely give them better results.

June 2024 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise suggests that while using an ESP's shared IP can provide a baseline reputation, ultimately, controlling your sending reputation through your own authentication is more beneficial, regardless of list size. It allows for more granular control and easier troubleshooting.

October 2023 - Word to the Wise

What the documentation says
5Technical articles

Technical documentation from Google, Microsoft, DMARC.org, RFC Editor, and DKIM.org highlights the importance of SPF and DKIM records for all email senders, including small businesses. SPF records authorize specific mail servers to send emails on behalf of a domain, preventing unauthorized messages and spoofing. DKIM uses digital signatures to verify sender identity, combating phishing. DMARC relies on both SPF and DKIM for enhanced security and protection against domain misuse. Implementing these protocols safeguards brand reputation and ensures legitimate emails reach recipients.

Key findings

  • SPF Prevents Spoofing: SPF records prevent spammers from sending unauthorized messages that appear to come from your domain by specifying authorized mail servers.
  • Phishing Protection: Implementing SPF and DKIM helps prevent spoofing and phishing attacks, protecting your brand reputation.
  • DKIM Verifies Sender: DKIM verifies sender identity through digital signatures, preventing email spoofing and phishing.
  • DMARC Enhances Security: DMARC relies on SPF and DKIM for enhanced security and protects domains from being used in phishing attacks.
  • Syntax Definition: RFC Editor defines the technical syntax for SPF records, outlining mechanisms and qualifiers.

Key considerations

  • Small Business Benefits: Even small businesses benefit from implementing SPF, protecting their brand and ensuring legitimate emails reach recipients.
  • DMARC Dependence: DMARC relies on SPF and DKIM, so both must be properly implemented for DMARC to function effectively.
  • Universal Application: Regardless of the size of the email sender's list, DKIM is beneficial in preventing email spoofing and phishing.
  • DMARC Extra Layer: Small senders that implement DMARC can benefit from the extra layer of security it provides.
Technical article

Documentation from Google explains that SPF records help prevent spammers from sending unauthorized messages that appear to come from your domain. By publishing an SPF record, you can specify which mail servers are authorized to send mail on behalf of your domain.

March 2022 - Google Workspace Admin Help
Technical article

Documentation from RFC Editor specifies the technical syntax for SPF records. It outlines the different mechanisms and qualifiers that can be used to define which mail servers are authorized to send mail on behalf of your domain.

November 2024 - RFC 7208
Technical article

Documentation from DKIM.org explains that DKIM provides a method for verifying the sender's identity through a digital signature attached to the email. This helps prevent email spoofing and phishing attacks, regardless of the size of the email sender's list.

August 2024 - DKIM.org
Technical article

Documentation from Microsoft emphasizes that even small businesses benefit from implementing SPF. It helps prevent spoofing and phishing attacks, protecting your brand reputation and ensuring that your legitimate emails reach their intended recipients.

November 2022 - Microsoft 365 Documentation
Technical article

Documentation from DMARC.org details that DMARC relies on SPF and DKIM to function effectively. Even if you're a small sender, implementing DMARC helps protect your domain from being used in phishing attacks, providing an extra layer of security.

April 2022 - DMARC.org