What is the quantitative impact of implementing DMARC on email deliverability and engagement?

Summary

Implementing DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) has multifaceted impacts on email deliverability and engagement. Primarily, DMARC serves as a security mechanism to prevent domain spoofing and phishing attacks, contributing to improved sender reputation and inbox placement. Case studies and anecdotal evidence suggest potential enhancements in inbox placement, delivery speeds, and user engagement. Some report increased trust from ISPs and higher open rates after DMARC implementation. A key aspect is that DMARC implementation often correlates with adherence to email marketing best practices. However, failing DMARC, even with lenient policies, can negatively impact deliverability. Integrating BIMI with DMARC may provide further engagement boosts. Experts also highlight the importance of DMARC reports for identifying and addressing email authentication issues. While DMARC's primary role is security-focused, it provides trust signals to mailbox providers. The effectiveness is indirectly linked to reducing unauthorized domain use, and DMARC does not guarantee direct, quantifiable improvements in metrics without good list hygiene and sending practices.

Key findings

  • Security & Spoofing Prevention: DMARC primarily functions as a security tool, preventing domain spoofing and phishing attacks.
  • Improved Reputation & Deliverability: By preventing spoofing, DMARC improves sender reputation and increases the likelihood of legitimate emails reaching the inbox.
  • Engagement Boost: Some evidence suggests a potential boost in user engagement metrics such as open rates and click-through rates.
  • Correlation with Best Practices: DMARC implementation is often associated with adherence to broader email marketing best practices, leading to overall performance improvements.
  • Reporting and Insights: DMARC reports offer valuable insights into email authentication issues and potential deliverability problems.
  • Potential for Increased Clicks: Compliant emails can have 2x more unique clicks.

Key considerations

  • DMARC as a Foundation: DMARC is more about establishing a baseline for authentication and security, rather than a direct driver of specific deliverability metrics.
  • Context-Dependent Impact: The quantitative impact of DMARC can vary depending on the specific email program, sender reputation, and existing authentication practices.
  • Ongoing Monitoring: Regularly reviewing DMARC reports is essential to identify and address authentication issues and optimize email deliverability.
  • Policy Enforcement: Failing DMARC, even with lenient policies (p=none), can have negative consequences for deliverability.
  • Comprehensive Approach: DMARC is most effective when used as part of a comprehensive email authentication strategy that includes SPF and DKIM.

What email marketers say
14Marketer opinions

Implementing DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) offers several benefits for email deliverability and engagement. Primarily, DMARC functions as a security tool to prevent domain spoofing and phishing attacks. This, in turn, improves sender reputation and inbox placement. Multiple sources report that DMARC enforcement reduces phishing attempts, protects brand reputation, and can lead to increased trust from ISPs, resulting in higher open rates and better inbox placement. Furthermore, proper DMARC monitoring is crucial for understanding its impact and achieving significant improvements in deliverability. However, it's important to note that DMARC's direct impact on deliverability metrics may be intertwined with other email best practices.

Key opinions

  • Improved Deliverability: DMARC implementation enhances email deliverability by preventing spoofing and phishing, leading to better inbox placement.
  • Reputation Protection: DMARC safeguards sender reputation by stopping malicious actors from using domains for harmful campaigns.
  • Engagement Boost: Compliant emails can see an increase in unique clicks, with some users reporting improved open rates.
  • Correlation with Best Practices: DMARC users often adhere to other email best practices, contributing to better overall metrics.
  • Attack Prevention: DMARC effectively stops attacks, especially in cases of active domain spoofing and phishing.

Key considerations

  • DMARC as Security Tool: DMARC is primarily a security tool, and its impact on deliverability depends on the presence of spoofing attempts.
  • Monitoring Importance: Proper DMARC monitoring is crucial for understanding its impact and making necessary adjustments.
  • Best Practices: The effectiveness of DMARC is intertwined with other email marketing best practices like domain authentication and list hygiene.
  • Implementation Steps: Enabling DMARC involves branding authentication domains versus shared domains and aligning everything for optimal results.
  • Failing DMARC: Failing DMARC policy can lead to emails being flagged as spam or blocked altogether.
Marketer view

Email marketer from EasyDMARC.com says DMARC offers significant benefits for brand protection and email security, reducing the risk of phishing and spoofing attacks that negatively impact email deliverability.

December 2021 - EasyDMARC.com
Marketer view

Email marketer from Valimail.com reports that DMARC enforcement improves deliverability by preventing phishing and spoofing attacks, which in turn enhances sender reputation and inbox placement.

October 2024 - Valimail.com
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks shares an experience where a company under attack found that complete and competent deployment of DMARC stopped the attacks. Suggests that DMARC, along with other services like lookalike detection and secure gateways, work together to protect against email attacks.

August 2024 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks is writing a data report and shares initial findings that compliant emails have up to 2x unique clicks. They are investigating whether it's worse to have no DMARC versus failing DMARC.

December 2021 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks explains that DMARC is primarily a security tool to prevent domain spoofing. If spoofing is occurring, DMARC implementation can improve reputation by stopping malicious actors, assuming good email and list practices are in place. However, if spoofing isn't happening, implementing DMARC might not show noticeable changes.

July 2021 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Reddit says that after implementing DMARC, they saw a 15% increase in emails landing in the primary inbox and a 10% improvement in open rates due to increased trust from ISPs.

December 2024 - Reddit
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks shares firsthand experience that enabling DMARC helped improve reputation, partly due to the necessary steps like branding authentication domains versus using a shared domain and aligning everything.

May 2022 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from SocketLabs explains that Implementing DMARC helps improve email deliverability, prevent domain spoofing, and increase email open rates by ensuring that only legitimate emails are sent from your domain.

May 2021 - SocketLabs
Marketer view

Email marketer from Postmarkapp.com says DMARC enforcement policies (p=reject or p=quarantine) significantly reduce phishing attempts and domain spoofing, which in turn protects sender reputation and improves deliverability rates.

December 2022 - Postmarkapp.com
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks explains that being spoofed can hurt deliverability, and DMARC helps prevent spoofing.

July 2023 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from SparkPost shares that implementing DMARC helps improve email deliverability by allowing senders to specify how email receivers should handle unauthorized use of their domain, leading to better inbox placement.

November 2023 - SparkPost
Marketer view

Email marketer from Proofpoint.com shares that implementing DMARC helps improve brand reputation by preventing malicious actors from using your domain for phishing campaigns, thus preserving sender reputation.

May 2023 - Proofpoint.com
Marketer view

Email marketer from Email Geeks notes a strong correlation between DMARC users and adherence to best practices, resulting in better overall metrics. The improvement isn't necessarily from DMARC itself but from the implementation of general best practices.

March 2022 - Email Geeks
Marketer view

Email marketer from Mailjet.com shares DMARC monitoring is crucial for understanding its impact, noting that proper implementation and monitoring can lead to a 20-30% improvement in email deliverability over time.

January 2024 - Mailjet.com

What the experts say
5Expert opinions

Experts highlight various impacts of implementing DMARC. Case studies indicate improvements in inbox placement, delivery speeds, and consumer engagement post-implementation. Failing DMARC can result in emails being marked as spam or blocked, even with lenient policies. Integrating BIMI with DMARC may further boost engagement. While DMARC's primary function is to prevent spoofing and phishing, thereby supporting deliverability, it doesn't directly quantify metric improvements. However, DMARC reports offer valuable insights into email authentication issues, helping senders address factors impacting deliverability.

Key opinions

  • Improved Metrics: Case studies demonstrate improvements in inbox placement, delivery speeds, and consumer engagement after DMARC implementation.
  • Negative Impact of Failing DMARC: Failing DMARC can lead to emails being marked as spam or blocked, even with lenient policies.
  • BIMI Integration: Integrating BIMI with DMARC may further boost engagement.
  • Indirect Deliverability Support: DMARC indirectly supports deliverability by preventing spoofing and phishing, thereby supporting deliverability, it doesn't directly quantify metric improvements
  • Insightful Reports: DMARC reports offer valuable insights into email authentication issues, helping senders address factors impacting deliverability.

Key considerations

  • Case-Specific Results: The quantitative impact of DMARC may vary depending on specific circumstances and sender practices.
  • Policy Enforcement: Even lenient 'p=none' policies can result in deliverability issues if DMARC checks fail.
  • Beyond DMARC: While DMARC can indirectly help improve email marketing metrics, it is more focused on preventing fraud and attacks using your domain.
  • Monitoring Is Key: Regularly reviewing DMARC reports is essential to identify and address authentication issues.
  • Not A Direct Metric Driver: DMARC doesn't directly quantify the improvements in metrics like open rates or inbox placement.
Expert view

Expert from Spam Resource clarifies that DMARC's primary function is to prevent domain spoofing and phishing, and while it indirectly supports deliverability by protecting sender reputation, it does not directly quantify the improvements in metrics like open rates or inbox placement.

December 2023 - Spam Resource
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks suggests adding BIMI to DMARC adoption, as it requires a restrictive DMARC policy. A Verizon/Yahoo test shows that BIMI can boost engagement.

November 2023 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks shares a case study by 250ok that showed improved inbox placement, delivery speeds, and consumer engagement after DMARC implementation for a consumer brand.

February 2023 - Email Geeks
Expert view

Expert from Word to the Wise shares that DMARC can improve deliverability. It states that DMARC reports can provide valuable insights into email authentication issues, allowing senders to identify and address any issues impacting their deliverability.

September 2022 - Word to the Wise
Expert view

Expert from Email Geeks explains that failing DMARC can lead providers to put mail in the spam folder or block it entirely. Even 'p=none' policies can result in blocking or spam foldering of mail that fails DMARC.

September 2022 - Email Geeks

What the documentation says
4Technical articles

Documentation from multiple sources emphasizes that implementing DMARC improves email deliverability and security. DMARC authenticates email sources, reducing impersonation risks, increasing the likelihood that legitimate emails reach the inbox. It sends trust signals to mailbox providers and prevents domain spoofing and phishing attacks, especially within platforms like Gmail. Overall, it improves email authentication, ensuring an organization's domain isn't misused.

Key findings

  • Authenticates Email Sources: DMARC verifies the authenticity of email sources, reducing the risk of impersonation.
  • Increases Trust: Implementing DMARC signals trustworthiness to mailbox providers.
  • Prevents Spoofing: DMARC helps prevent domain spoofing and phishing attacks.
  • Improves Deliverability: DMARC improves the likelihood of legitimate emails reaching the inbox.

Key considerations

  • Focus on Security: While DMARC improves deliverability, its primary focus is on security by authenticating emails.
  • Trust Signals: DMARC sends trust signals which is likely to improve deliverability not guarenteed deliverability improvements.
  • Platform Specific: While it mentions the specific improvement of deliverability in Gmail inboxes DMARC is not platform specific.
Technical article

Documentation from Agari.com explains that DMARC authenticates email sources, reducing the risk of impersonation. This helps ensure legitimate emails reach the inbox, thus positively impacting placement.

April 2023 - Agari.com
Technical article

Documentation from DMARC.org answers that implementing DMARC provides trust signals to mailbox providers, increasing the likelihood that legitimate emails are delivered to the inbox and not marked as spam.

July 2023 - DMARC.org
Technical article

Documentation from Microsoft shares that implementing DMARC is an important way to help ensure that your organization's domain isn't used for email spoofing. It can also help improve deliverability by improving the authentication of your email.

January 2025 - Microsoft
Technical article

Documentation from Google explains that DMARC helps prevent email spoofing and phishing attacks by verifying the authenticity of email sources, thereby improving deliverability to Gmail inboxes.

March 2022 - Google