SPF, DKIM and DMARC Explained in Plain English

What Are SPF, DKIM and DMARC, and Why Do They Matter?

These three sit right at the heart of email deliverability, and they get thrown around constantly without much explanation. None of them are Zoho features as such, they're internet-wide standards, but getting them right has a direct effect on how your Zoho emails are treated.

The problem they all solve

Email was never designed with security in mind. On its own, nothing stops someone from sending an email that claims to be from your domain when it isn't. SPF, DKIM, and DMARC exist to close that gap, each tackling a slightly different part of the problem.

SPF (Sender Policy Framework)

SPF is a published list, like a guest list on a door, stating exactly which mail servers are allowed to send email on behalf of your domain. When an email arrives claiming to be from you, the receiving server checks whether it actually came from a server on that list.

DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail)

DKIM adds a digital signature to outgoing emails, a bit like a wax seal on a letter. The receiving server can check that seal against your domain's public record to confirm the email genuinely came from you and hasn't been tampered with in transit.

DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance)

DMARC ties SPF and DKIM together and tells receiving servers what to do if an email fails those checks, whether to deliver it anyway, send it to spam, or reject it outright. It can also send you reports showing who is sending email using your domain, which is useful for spotting impersonation attempts.

Note: DMARC isn't a Zoho setting, it's configured entirely at the DNS level for your domain, but it directly affects how confidently mailbox providers deliver email sent through Zoho Mail or Zoho Campaigns. See our article on DNS for more on where these records actually live.
Need help? If you're not sure whether your SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are set up correctly, our team can check them for you. Book a discovery call with 1 Cloud Consultants.