Does having an MX record on the from domain improve email deliverability?
Summary
What email marketers say12Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Cloudflare explains that an MX record tells the world which mail servers are authorized to accept emails on behalf of your domain. These records play an integral role in ensuring emails are delivered to the intended destination.
Email marketer from Reddit shares that MX records are essential for routing email to the correct server. If you don't have them, email will bounce. They improve deliverability by ensuring proper routing.
Email marketer from WhatIsMyIP tells us that the absence of a proper MX record can significantly impact email deliverability. If an email domain has an improperly configured or missing MX record, receiving mail servers won't be able to locate the designated server responsible for accepting incoming email messages, leading to delivery issues and potential message rejection.
Email marketer from Sendinblue explains that MX records are used to direct incoming emails to your mail server. The record contains information about the mail server that is responsible for receiving emails on behalf of your domain, and these records are essential to make sure you are receiving emails. Although it doesn't directly say it improves deliverability it makes it clear that the absense of an MX record will stop you from receiving emails.
Marketer from Email Geeks said it *should* accept mail even if you discard it, and that having an MX record is a yes.
Email marketer from DNS Records shares that without an MX record configured in your DNS settings, there’s no way for an external mail server to know where to deliver your email. Although it doesn't directly say it improves deliverability it makes it clear that the absense of an MX record will stop you from receiving emails.
Email marketer from Mailjet explains that MX records authenticate your domain, helping receiving servers identify your emails as legitimate. This in turn helps you avoid spam filters and improves deliverability.
Email marketer from Neil Patel indicates that proper DNS settings, including MX records, are crucial for email deliverability. He suggests checking DNS records as a proactive measure to prevent deliverability issues.
Email marketer from Tech Support Forum mentions that MX records act like a directory, guiding email to the right place. Without them, your email might get lost or marked as spam, therefore MX records are important for email deliverability.
Email marketer from SparkPost emphasizes that missing or incorrect MX records are a common cause of deliverability problems. They highlight the importance of proper configuration for successful email delivery.
Marketer from Email Geeks said 100% yes regarding having an MX record.
Marketer from Email Geeks said that not all scanning tools are going to look past the existence of an MX record and yes, a scanner could be checking for an MX record to exist as part of its processing without then looking for an A record.
What the experts say3Expert opinions
Expert from Word to the Wise, Laura Atkins, mentions that a basic check involves ensuring valid MX records exist. She mentions that without them, delivery is impossible, as there's no designated server to receive mail for the domain.
Expert from Spam Resource highlights the significance of sender authentication, which includes having correctly configured MX records. Having the records properly setup enhances deliverability and helps to avoid spam filters.
Expert from Email Geeks states that sending mail from a domain that does not accept mail is bad practice and expects it to be a negative mark in some filtering systems that may hurt deliverability. She also mentioned it's easier to check for MX records rather than doing a pingback to port 25.
What the documentation says4Technical articles
Documentation from RFC Editor specifies that every domain that intends to receive mail MUST have valid MX records. Although it doesn't directly address the deliverability impact of *not* having one, it implies importance for mail exchange.
Documentation from Microsoft Support says an MX record is required for email to be delivered to your domain. Without it, others can't find your mail server, and you won't receive email. Although it doesn't directly say it improves deliverability it makes it clear that the absense of an MX record will stop you from receiving emails.
Documentation from Digital Ocean suggests if a domain name lacks correctly configured MX records, emails sent to that domain will not be delivered. Instead, they will be returned to the sender with a notification stating that the recipient’s address could not be found. Although it doesn't directly say it improves deliverability it makes it clear that the absense of an MX record will stop you from receiving emails.
Documentation from Google Workspace Admin Help explicitly states that MX records are required to direct email to a mail server on your domain and are essential for receiving email. Although it doesn't directly say it improves deliverability it makes it clear that the absense of an MX record will stop you from receiving emails.