Imagine this scenario:
You're a postman. Every day, you deliver letters to different houses. To make sure you're trusted and that your letters reach the right homes, you wear a special uniform, show an ID badge, and carry a special letter from the post office.
In the world of emails, being a trusted sender is like being that postman. If you don't have the right "uniform" and "ID badge", your emails might not reach the people you want to send them to. They are even likely to end up in the "spam" folder or not get delivered at all.
The special uniform: SPF
What is it?
SPF stands for Sender Policy Framework. It's like your postman's uniform that shows he's from a trusted postal service.
Why is this important?
Just like a uniform helps people trust the postman, SPF helps email services (like Gmail or Outlook) know that your email is really from you. Without it, your email might be seen as sneaky or untrustworthy.
The ID badge: DKIM
What is it?
DKIM stands for DomainKeys Identified Mail. It's like the postman's ID badge that shows his picture and name.
Why is it important?
An ID badge proves the postman is who he says he is. Similarly, DKIM proves your email is really from your company and not someone pretending to be you. This means people are more likely to see and read your emails.
The special letter from the post office: DMARC
What is it?
DMARC stands for Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance. It's like the postman carrying a letter from the post office that says: "This postman is trustworthy, and here's how you can verify his letters." If he doesn't follow the guidelines in the letter (i.e. doesn't wear the right uniform or doesn't have the correct ID badge), then homeowners know not to trust him.
Why is it important?
The letter is an extra level of trust. Imagine if any stranger could pretend to be your postman, simply by wearing a makeshift uniform or flashing a fake ID. The letter from the post office acts as a safety protocol, telling homeowners exactly how to verify the authenticity of the postman and his deliveries. DMARC works in a similar fashion for emails. By setting clear rules, it ensures that only legitimate emails from your domain get delivered, while suspicious or fraudulent ones are flagged or blocked, protecting your recipients from potential harm and ensuring your genuine emails reach their intended destination.
The blacklist: the naughty list (bonus)
Imagine some postmen are known for delivering junk mail or even stealing packages. They get put on a "naughty list". If you're on this list, many houses won't let you deliver mail to them.
In the email world, this is called a blacklist. If your company gets on this list, many of your emails won't get delivered. So, it's super important to check if you're on any blacklist and fix any problems.
In conclusion
Email health is like making sure that the homeowners trust our postman. Not having this right means that almost nobody will actually receive your emails in their inbox, which would be a shame.
Luna offers a way to check your email health in your email settings.
If your email health comes up with DMARC, SPF or DKIM issues, check out EasyDMARC!