How do I setup a SPF record for my domain name?

Information and DNS SPF records and openspf

Your domain’s SPF record informs the internet which networks/IPs officially send mail for your domain. They let receiving mail systems know whether a message is actually sent from the sending domain in question or if the message is being spoofed.

In DNS, an SPF record is a specific TXT record located in your domain’s zone file – it is added automatically on account creation. However, if you have recently transferred your hosting over from another web host or have a custom DNS setup, it is possible your domain may lack an SPF record.

If either your mail service or web service is hosted at a third party company, then your SPF record will need to be adjusted accordingly so that both our network and the other company’s network are listed. Also, if your domain sends email from another source such as a newsletter service then that company’s SPF “include” should be added to your domain SPF record as well. You can make these changes in your hosting control panel (cPanel) under “Zone Editor” but please contact our support team for assistance if you are not familiar with making DNS updates – you could cause extended downtime and mail disruption for your domain if mistakes are made in DNS!

It is important that SPF records are constructed properly:

When setup improperly: for example, if you send emails from a mail server or IP address that has not been defined in the SPF record then many receiving mail servers will believe that your email is SPAM and might reject your emails.

When setup properly: for example, if you send emails from a mail server or IP address that has been defined in the SPF record then most receiving servers will recognize that your email is coming from the proper source and this should decrease the likeliness of your emails being tagged or blocked as SPAM.

Posted 2008-05-01 in DNS Domain Name,E-mail