What are the next steps after resolving a DMARC record not found error due to a server outage?
Summary
What email marketers say9Marketer opinions
Email marketer from EmailOnAcid shares that after DNS propagation, send test emails to various email providers (Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook) to check if they are being delivered to the inbox and passing authentication checks.
Email marketer from Litmus recommends checking how your emails render across different email clients and devices to ensure there are no display issues that could affect user engagement and sender reputation.
Email marketer from Reddit shares that it's important to check your DMARC record's DNS propagation using online tools to ensure the corrected record is visible worldwide. Some resolvers might still cache the old record.
Email marketer from GlockApps shares that you should use inbox placement testing tools to see where your emails are landing (inbox, spam, promotions) across different email providers and identify any deliverability issues.
Email marketer from Mailjet shares that you should monitor email deliverability metrics closely. Check bounce rates, spam complaints, and placement in inbox vs. spam folders to ensure emails are reaching recipients as expected.
Email marketer from SparkPost explains that if the outage affected your sending reputation, consider warming up your IP address gradually. Start with low volumes of emails to engaged users and increase gradually to avoid triggering spam filters.
Email marketer from Gmass explains that it's crucial to monitor your sender reputation using tools like Google Postmaster Tools to identify any negative impacts from the outage and take corrective actions.
Email marketer from Email Marketing Forum suggests contacting your ESP's support to inform them about the server outage and ask for assistance in monitoring your sending reputation and deliverability.
Email marketer from Talos Intelligence shares that you can check your domain and IP reputation on their website to see if your sending reputation has been affected by the server outage.
What the experts say6Expert opinions
Expert from Email Geeks asks about the DMARC record TTL and notes that 15 minutes is a normal email delivery time. She later adds that a TTL of 1200 is good as Google should not have cashed the bad result and expects no real problems.
Expert from Email Geeks shares that the issue isn't something that lingers very long after it's fixed and wouldn't be too worried.
Expert from Word to the Wise shares that after resolving the DMARC issue, gradually increase your email volume to avoid triggering spam filters. Rapidly increasing volume can raise red flags and harm your sender reputation.
Expert from Spamresource shares that you should check your feedback loops (FBLs). Ensure that you are receiving and processing feedback from ISPs about spam complaints, which can help you identify and address any deliverability issues caused by the outage.
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that you should review your SPF and DKIM records along with your DMARC record to ensure all authentication mechanisms are correctly configured and functioning as expected. Incorrect settings can compound deliverability problems.
Expert from Spamresource explains to assess the damage to your sender reputation. Even after fixing the DMARC record, the outage might have led to increased bounce rates or spam complaints. Monitor your reputation scores with tools like Google Postmaster Tools.
What the documentation says3Technical articles
Documentation from MXToolbox explains that you can use their DNS lookup tools to check your DMARC, SPF, and DKIM records. This can help confirm that the records are correctly configured and visible to mail servers.
Documentation from Google explains that DNS changes can take 24-48 hours to propagate fully across the internet. Monitoring DNS records using tools like `dig` or `nslookup` can help confirm when the correct DMARC record is visible globally.
Documentation from DMARC.org shares that you can use online DMARC record validators to check if your DMARC record is correctly formatted and published in your DNS settings. These tools can help identify syntax errors or other issues that could cause authentication failures.