Why is reverse DNS important for avoiding spam filters?
Summary
What email marketers say7Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Email Geeks explains that this pattern would lead to an increased chance of being marked as spammy based on sending IP at Cloudmark. Recommends legitimate senders to ensure a suitable valid rDNS set that reflects their brand or organisation and is not the default pattern that the hosting provider assigns.
Email marketer from Reddit User Throws_Up_Sunshine shares that having a proper rDNS record is absolutely crucial for good deliverability. Many ISPs and spam filters use it as a primary way to verify the legitimacy of a sending server. If your rDNS doesn't match your sending domain, your emails are likely to end up in the spam folder.
Email marketer from MXToolbox responds that an IP Address should have a matching PTR record pointing back to the hostname of the mail server. Many mail systems use this to verify the sending server is who they say they are.
Email marketer from SendPulse explains that reverse DNS helps establish the legitimacy of your email server, improving your sender reputation and deliverability. A missing or mismatched rDNS can negatively affect your deliverability rate.
Email marketer from SparkPost explains that a properly configured reverse DNS (rDNS) is crucial for sender reputation. It allows receiving servers to verify the identity of the sending server, which helps build trust and improves email deliverability. A mismatch or missing rDNS can lead to your emails being flagged as spam.
Email marketer from ServerFault User ventz answers that Reverse DNS is a first line of defense to prevent spam. If a server has no rdns then many spam filters will mark it as spam automatically.
Email marketer from Mailjet shares that reverse DNS helps establish the legitimacy of your email server. It confirms that the IP address is associated with the domain it claims to be, which can significantly improve your sender reputation and deliverability.
What the experts say4Expert opinions
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that having correct forward and reverse DNS records can help with deliverability. Forward Confirmation means that your HELO/EHLO matches what your DNS forwards to and having forward confirmation helps the mail server know that the sender is who they say they are.
Expert from Email Geeks shares that the term for the issue is “generic reverse dns” rather than static vs dynamic, and sending mail from there is not recommended.
Expert from Email Geeks explains that the reverse DNS provided doesn’t look particularly static and doesn’t clearly identify the sender.
Expert from SpamResource explains that a missing or incorrect rDNS record is a red flag. rDNS allows a mail server to confirm the identity of the server sending the email, a step to reduce the amount of spam received by users.
What the documentation says4Technical articles
Documentation from Microsoft Learn responds that a PTR record (reverse DNS) is important because some email systems use it to verify that the sending server is authorized to send email for the domain. Without a valid PTR record, your email might be rejected or marked as spam.
Documentation from Google Workspace Admin Help explains that reverse DNS is important because many email servers perform reverse DNS lookups to verify the sender's identity. If your domain doesn't have a reverse DNS record, or if the record doesn't match your sending IP address, your emails are more likely to be marked as spam.
Documentation from RFC 1912 responds that every internet-reachable mail server should have a reverse address mapping to ensure that the server is who it says it is and that its domain has been configured correctly.
Documentation from DigitalOcean shares that creating a reverse DNS record is an important part of setting up an email server. Creating the rDNS record can help to establish trust with other mail servers and increase the likelihood that your outgoing email is delivered.