Guides

Email deliverability, explained plainly

Short technical guides. Every claim here is something you can verify yourself with a DNS lookup.

Skip the theory, check your domain now

The free DMARC checker looks up your SPF, DKIM, DMARC and MX records in seconds. No signup. Just checking SPF? The SPF checker shows the exact record and flags the 10-lookup and -all issues. Just checking DKIM? The DKIM checker finds your key and flags weak or missing keys. Worried your IP is blacklisted? The IP blocklist checker tests it against 9 major lists. Not sure if your domain even receives mail? The MX record checker looks up your MX records, resolves each mail server to its IP and checks reverse DNS. Got a suspicious email and want to know if it's real? The email header analyzer reads the raw headers and tells you whether SPF, DKIM and DMARC passed. Getting a weekly DMARC XML you cannot make sense of? The DMARC report parser turns it into a who's-sending-as-you list. Need the record itself? The DMARC record generator writes the exact TXT for you.

Open the DMARC checker

SendGrid vs Postmark: shared-IP volume or reputation-first sending?

SendGrid is the full platform with a shared IP pool. Postmark is transactional-only with a reputation-first model. What each costs, what each buys, and which one fits.

Mailgun vs Postmark: shared IP pool or reputation-first sending?

Mailgun gives you a flexible, cheap shared-IP workhorse. Postmark gives you a reputation-first transactional service. What the difference costs and buys.

SendGrid vs Mailgun: two shared-IP workhorses, different trade-offs

Both are shared-IP workhorses. The difference is marketing features, pricing and ecosystem. How to choose between them.

Resend vs Postmark: developer-first simplicity versus reputation-first sending

Resend is the new developer-first transactional API. Postmark is the reputation-first veteran. Both are transactional-only, but they optimize for different things.

SendGrid vs Resend: mature full-stack email versus the lean transactional API

SendGrid is the mature full-stack email platform. Resend is the lean developer-first transactional API. How the two differ and which fits your product.

Mailgun vs Resend: the flexible workhorse versus the developer-first API

Mailgun is the flexible, cheap shared-IP workhorse. Resend is the developer-first transactional API. How they differ and which one fits.

SendGrid alternatives: when to switch and how to move without breaking deliverability

The real SendGrid alternatives, who should actually switch, and the migration checklist that keeps your domain out of spam during the move.

Postmark alternatives: when to leave a reputation-first provider

Postmark users usually stay for deliverability. When switching makes sense, what the alternatives are, and the migration checklist that keeps your domain clean.

Mailgun alternatives: when the shared-IP workhorse stops fitting

Mailgun is cheap and flexible, but shared-IP reputation and the lack of marketing focus are real limits. The alternatives and the safe migration path.

Resend alternatives: when the lean transactional API is not enough

Resend is the cleanest developer experience in transactional email, but it is young and narrow. The alternatives and when each one makes sense.

Can you use SendGrid for cold email? Short answer: no, and here is why

SendGrid shared IPs, its terms, and why cold outreach from the platform lands in spam. What actually works for cold email, and how to set it up.

Can you use Postmark for cold email? No, and the terms say so

Postmark is transactional-only by design and its terms prohibit unsolicited bulk mail. Why cold email on Postmark is a bad idea, and what to use instead.

Can you use Mailgun for cold email? Risky, and here is the minimum setup

Mailgun is more permissive than Postmark but its shared IPs and terms still make cold email risky. The minimum viable setup if you do it anyway.

Can you use Resend for cold email? No, it is a transactional API

Resend is transactional-only by design, its terms restrict unsolicited mail, and its shared IPs are new. Why cold email on Resend fails, and what to use instead.

Best email deliverability testing tools in 2026

Mail-Tester, GlockApps, Litmus, MXToolbox, Sender Score and Inboxproof compared: what each checks, what it costs, and which to use for cold email.

SendGrid deliverability: why your emails go to spam and how to fix it

SendGrid is accepting your mail but recipients are not seeing it. The five reasons SendGrid deliverability drops, and the exact fix for each one.

Postmark deliverability: why your emails go to spam and how to fix it

Postmark accepts your mail but recipients never see it. The five reasons Postmark deliverability drops, and the exact fix for each one.

Mailgun deliverability: why your emails go to spam and how to fix it

Mailgun accepts your mail but recipients never see it. The five reasons Mailgun deliverability drops, and the exact fix for each one.

Resend deliverability: why your emails go to spam and how to fix it

Resend accepts your mail but recipients never see it. The five reasons Resend deliverability drops, and the exact fix for each one.

Mail-Tester alternatives: free spam score and deliverability checkers

The best free and paid alternatives to Mail-Tester, by use case: full domain checks, single-purpose lookups, and inbox placement.

GlockApps alternatives: inbox placement and deliverability testing

Compare GlockApps with InboxMonster, 250ok, Litmus and the free checkers, and see when you actually need paid inbox-placement testing.

Email deliverability for e-commerce: SPF, DKIM, DMARC for online stores

Why order confirmations and marketing emails from your store land in spam, and the exact DNS and reputation fixes for Shopify, WooCommerce and headless.

How to check email deliverability (and what the results mean)

The DNS records to look up, what each result means, and the order to check them in. No test-email guessing.

Email deliverability checklist: 24 things to check before you send

The five areas that decide inbox placement: DNS records, sending infrastructure, list hygiene, content, and monitoring. Run it before every launch.

Email deliverability software: what to look for in 2026

The checks that matter, what is worth paying for, and how to tell a real tool from a marketing page.

How to get out of the spam folder, and keep it there

The order that matters: fix authentication, clear blocklists, correct the sending behavior, then monitor so it never comes back.

How to improve your cold email reply rate

Reply rate is decided before your first word of copy: by whether the email reaches the primary inbox. Here is the order to fix it.

Gmail Postmaster Tools, explained: what the metrics actually mean

What each Postmaster Tools metric means, how to read reputation, and what to do when a number moves the wrong way.

Best cold email tools in 2026, and the deliverability layer they all miss

A practical comparison of Instantly, Smartlead, Lemlist, Woodpecker, Reply.io and Apollo, and the sending-domain checks that decide whether any of them land in the inbox.

Email deliverability for agencies: keep every client inbox-ready

The deliverability stack for agencies: per-domain authentication, daily monitoring of every client domain, and white-label reports you can hand over.

Email deliverability monitoring: catch broken records before campaigns die

What to monitor, how often, and what to do when an alert fires. The daily loop that keeps every sending domain inbox-ready.

What an email deliverability audit tool actually checks (and what to look for)

The seven checks that decide delivery, why a score without the records is a black box, and how to tell a real audit from a marketing page.

Email deliverability for developers: make sure your product's email actually lands

Sent is not delivered. The records you own even when you send through a provider, why "it worked yesterday" is not a guarantee, and how to monitor so a broken record never kills your user experience.

Transactional email deliverability: the complete guide

Keep password resets, receipts and alerts out of spam: dedicated warmed-up IP, SPF/DKIM/DMARC setup, near-zero bounce rates, and daily monitoring.

Cold email deliverability: how to keep outreach out of spam

The setup that keeps cold outreach in the primary inbox: a dedicated sending domain, correct authentication, slow warmup, clean lists, and daily monitoring.

How to read email headers: SPF, DKIM and DMARC results explained

Where the authentication results live in raw headers, what each value means, and the one-minute test to tell a real email from a spoof.

How to create a DMARC record (step by step, with the exact TXT)

What the record looks like, where it goes in your DNS, which policy to start with, and how to confirm it is live. With a free generator that writes it for you.

What is DMARC? A practical guide for small business domains

How the record works, what p=none actually does, and the minimum setup that stops your domain from being used to send mail you didn't authorize.

MX records explained: how mail finds your domain

What MX records are, how priorities work, and the five MX mistakes that cause mail to bounce. Check your own in seconds with the free MX checker.

SPF vs DKIM vs DMARC: which one do you actually need?

What each record proves, what happens when one is missing, and the order to fix them in. With the exact TXT records to start from.

Is your domain being spoofed? How to check in 30 seconds

The three DNS lookups that tell you whether someone can send "from" your domain and get it delivered, and what to do if the answer is yes.

DMARC p=none vs p=quarantine vs p=reject: which should you use?

What each policy actually does, when to move between them, and the safe order that avoids rejecting your own transactional mail.

Why your email is not landing in Gmail's inbox in 2026

The concrete requirements Gmail enforces for bulk senders, in the order to check them: authentication, alignment, spam rate, unsubscribe, volume.

Why is my email in spam? The 7 causes, in order of likelihood

Authentication, alignment, reputation, list quality, content signals, warmup, and blocklists. The order to check them and how to tell which one you have.

Is my domain blacklisted? How to check your IP reputation

What blocklists are, how to check if your sending IP is listed on Spamhaus, SpamCop, or Barracuda, and how to get delisted fast.

Is my IP blacklisted? How to check and get delisted

How to check your sending IP against 9 major blocklists, what a listing means for deliverability, and how to get delisted from Spamhaus, SpamCop, and Barracuda.

How to delist from Spamhaus (step by step)

On the SBL or XBL? Confirm the listing, fix the root cause, submit the delisting request, and verify the re-scan. Plus how to stay off the list.

What is a good email deliverability score?

What a 0-100 deliverability score means, what 90+ / 70-89 / 50-69 / below 50 actually tells you, and the order to fix things to move it up.

How to monitor DMARC reports

What aggregate and forensic DMARC reports are, how to read them, and how to set up monitoring so you catch authentication failures before they hurt your deliverability.

SPF record not working? How to fix common SPF syntax errors

Why your SPF record might not be working, the most common syntax errors (missing v=spf1, missing -all, too many DNS lookups, duplicate records), and how to fix them.

How to set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC for Google Workspace

Step-by-step guide to configuring SPF, DKIM, and DMARC for Google Workspace so your email authenticates correctly and reaches the inbox.

How to set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC for Microsoft 365

Step-by-step guide to configuring SPF, DKIM, and DMARC for Microsoft 365 so your email authenticates correctly and reaches the inbox.

Gmail SMTP error 550-5.7.26: how to fix it

Why Gmail rejects your email with SMTP error 550-5.7.26, and how to fix it by configuring SPF, DKIM, and DMARC correctly.

DKIM not signing emails? How to fix it

Why your DKIM signature might not be working, the most common causes (missing record, wrong selector, weak key, misalignment), and how to fix them.

Email authentication for startups: the 2026 checklist

The complete 2026 checklist for email authentication for startups: SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and the other records you need to get into the inbox.

Reverse DNS (PTR) for mail servers: why your sending IP needs one

What a PTR record is, why receiving servers require it, what forward-confirmed PTR means, and how to check and fix your sending IP.

How to warm up a new email domain for cold outreach

A step-by-step warm-up plan: how many days, how many emails per day, how to ramp, and how to know when your domain is ready for real volume.

SMTP error codes explained: 250, 450, 550, 554 and more

What each SMTP status code means and how to fix it: 250 accepted, 4xx temporary failures, 550 mailbox unavailable, 554 relay denied, and the codes that predict spam placement.

How DKIM selectors work: finding, rotating and troubleshooting your key

What a DKIM selector is, how to find yours in DNS, how providers name theirs, how to rotate a key without breaking delivery, and the mistakes that fail your DKIM check.

Email bounce codes explained: hard bounces, soft bounces and what to do about each

What email bounce codes mean and how to fix them: hard bounces (550, 5.1.1, 5.7.1), soft bounces (450, 4.2.1, 4.3.0), and the bounce-rate thresholds that get you delisted.

The SPF 10-lookup limit: why your SPF record is failing and how to fix it

Why SPF records are limited to 10 DNS lookups, how to count them, and how to fix a "too many DNS lookups" permerror by flattening and consolidating your includes.

Outlook SMTP error 550 5.7.1: what it means and how to fix it

Outlook returns 550 5.7.1 when it does not trust the sender. The three records to check, the IP reputation test, and the order to fix it.

Email not delivering to Outlook: the 4-step diagnosis

Outlook is not receiving your email. The four causes in order of likelihood, and the exact check for each one.

Yahoo email in spam: what Yahoo checks and how to get out

Yahoo has some of the strictest authentication requirements of the major providers. What it checks, the records it requires, and the order to fix it.

Yahoo 550 5.7.1 error: what it means and how to fix it

Yahoo rejects your email with 550 5.7.1. What the code means, the five causes in order of likelihood, and the exact fix for each one.

Email rejected by Microsoft: the 5 causes and the fix for each

Microsoft is rejecting your email. The five causes in order of likelihood, the exact check for each one, and the fix that actually works.

Email not landing in Yahoo: the 4-step diagnosis

Yahoo is not receiving your email. The four causes in order of likelihood, and the exact check for each one.

Cold email bounce rate: what's a good number and how to fix it

What counts as a good cold email bounce rate, why it matters for deliverability, and the exact steps to bring a high bounce rate back under control.

Cold email infrastructure: domains, IPs, warm-up and rotation that survive 2026

How many sending domains you need, how to authenticate each one, warm-up, rotation, and the monitoring that catches a broken record before it burns a domain.

SendGrid, Postmark, Mailgun, Resend: why your transactional email lands (or doesn't)

What actually decides whether your app's emails land, how to check your sending domain's SPF, DKIM, DMARC, TLS and IP reputation, and how to catch a broken record before your users stop receiving password resets.

Why is my email going to spam? The five causes and the fix for each

The five reasons mail lands in the spam folder, how to tell which one is yours, and the exact record or change that fixes it. Work through them in order and you will usually find the cause in the first two.

Email deliverability for SaaS: keep your users receiving password resets

Your SaaS sends transactional and notification email through a provider. When deliverability breaks, your users miss password resets and onboarding emails. Here's how to catch it before your users do.

Cold email domains: how many you need, how to rotate them, and how to keep them out of spam

The domain math for cold email, how to set each one up, when to rotate, and how to keep the pool out of spam. For agencies running cold email at volume.

Email deliverability by platform: find the guide for your stack

Shopify, WordPress, WooCommerce, Squarespace, Wix, HubSpot, Salesforce, Mailchimp, or Klaviyo. Each platform has different gotchas. Find the guide for your specific stack.

Email deliverability for Shopify: keep order confirmations out of spam

Shopify merchants lose sales when order confirmations land in spam. The 6 DNS records that decide delivery, how to check them in 30 seconds, and how to monitor them.

Email deliverability for WordPress: stop your contact form emails going to spam

WordPress sites lose leads when contact form emails and password resets land in spam. The DNS records that decide delivery, the WordPress-specific gotchas, and how to check your domain in 30 seconds.

Email deliverability for WooCommerce: keep order confirmations out of spam

WooCommerce stores lose sales when order confirmations and shipping updates land in spam. The DNS records that decide delivery, the WooCommerce-specific gotchas, and how to check your domain in 30 seconds.

Email deliverability for Squarespace: keep your form emails out of spam

Squarespace sites lose leads when contact form emails and password resets land in spam. The DNS records that decide delivery, the Squarespace-specific gotchas, and how to check your domain in 30 seconds.

Email deliverability for Wix: keep your form emails out of spam

Wix sites lose leads when contact form emails and password resets land in spam. The DNS records that decide delivery, the Wix-specific gotchas, and how to check your domain in 30 seconds.

Email deliverability for HubSpot: keep your CRM emails out of spam

HubSpot users lose leads when CRM emails and marketing campaigns land in spam. The DNS records that decide delivery, the HubSpot-specific gotchas, and how to check your domain in 30 seconds.

Email deliverability for Salesforce: keep your Marketing Cloud emails out of spam

Salesforce Marketing Cloud users lose leads when campaigns and transactional emails land in spam. The DNS records that decide delivery, the Salesforce-specific gotchas, and how to check your domain in 30 seconds.

Email deliverability for Mailchimp: keep your campaigns out of spam

Mailchimp users lose engagement when campaigns land in spam. The DNS records that decide delivery, the Mailchimp-specific gotchas, and how to check your domain in 30 seconds.

Email deliverability for Klaviyo: keep your campaigns out of spam

Klaviyo users lose revenue when campaigns land in spam. The DNS records that decide delivery, the Klaviyo-specific gotchas, and how to check your domain in 30 seconds.

Email deliverability for ActiveCampaign: keep your campaigns out of spam

ActiveCampaign users lose engagement when campaigns and transactional emails land in spam. The DNS records that decide delivery, the ActiveCampaign-specific gotchas, and how to check your domain in 30 seconds.

Email deliverability for ConvertKit: keep your campaigns out of spam

ConvertKit users lose engagement when campaigns and automated emails land in spam. The DNS records that decide delivery, the ConvertKit-specific gotchas, and how to check your domain in 30 seconds.

Email deliverability for GetResponse: keep your campaigns out of spam

GetResponse users lose engagement when campaigns and automated emails land in spam. The DNS records that decide delivery, the GetResponse-specific gotchas, and how to check your domain in 30 seconds.

Email deliverability by audience: agencies, developers, e-commerce, SaaS

Email deliverability guides organized by audience. Find the guide that matches your use case and fix the DNS records that decide delivery.

SPF Record Checker: Verify Your Domain's SPF in 30 Seconds

What an SPF record is, the five most common mistakes, and how to check yours for free. No signup required.

Email Deliverability Test: Check Your Domain in 30 Seconds

Run a free deliverability test on your domain. Check SPF, DKIM, DMARC, TLS, PTR and IP reputation. Get a spam-risk score and the exact record to fix.

Inbox Placement Test: Check Where Your Email Lands

Run a free inbox placement test on your domain. Check SPF, DKIM, DMARC, TLS, PTR and IP reputation to find out if your email lands in the inbox or spam.

Check If Your Email Is in Spam: 5 Ways to Find Out

Your email might be landing in spam without you knowing. Here are 5 ways to check, from DNS record lookups to free deliverability tests. No signup required.

Email Spam Test: Check Your Domain's Spam Risk in 30 Seconds

Run a free email spam test on your domain. Check SPF, DKIM, DMARC, TLS, PTR and IP reputation to find out your spam risk. Get the exact record to fix.

Best Email Deliverability Tools in 2026: 7 Options Compared

The 7 best email deliverability tools in 2026, compared. Check SPF, DKIM, DMARC, TLS, PTR and IP reputation. Free options and paid options.

How to Fix Your SPF Record: 5 Common Mistakes and How to Solve Them

Your SPF record might be broken. Here are the 5 most common SPF mistakes and how to fix them, step by step. No signup required.

How to Set Up DMARC: Step-by-Step Guide for 2026

Set up DMARC on your domain in 5 steps. Learn what DMARC does, how to choose the right policy, and how to monitor your DMARC reports. No signup required.

Check If Your Domain Is on a Blocklist: How to Find Out and Get Delisted

Your domain might be on a blocklist. Here's how to check if your domain is on a blocklist, and how to get it delisted. No signup required.

Prefer not to read the theory?

Run a free audit of your domain