Wondering why your emails sent with Zoho Mail keep landing in spam?
Your domain may not have an SPF record set up.
SPF makes your emails more secure, and email service providers reward you for that with better inbox placement.
After reading this post, you’ll know exactly how to set up an SPF record for Zoho Mail.
Setting Up an SPF Record for Zoho Mail
To set up an SPF record for Zoho Mail, you add Zoho Mail’s SPF record to your domain’s DNS records.
Doing so gives Zoho's sending server permission to send email through your domain.
When email servers receive emails claiming to come from your domain, they check your SPF record to authenticate the emails.
The authentication fails if the sending server isn't in your SPF record. This is how SPF combats email spoofing directly and other cybercrimes indirectly.
Avoid Multiple SPF Records: How to Authorize Zoho Mail with Your Existing SPF Setup
If your domain already has an SPF record, you must add Zoho Mail’s email server to your existing record.
To add Zoho to an existing SPF record, insert this in the record: include:zoho.com.
Add a new line with your full SPF record, including all fields
Click Save
Zoho SPF Verification
After setting up your SPF record, it won’t be active immediately.
In the worst of cases, it can take three days for your record to propagate fully.
The good news?
Usually, your record is good to go in a few hours.
You can use Mailivery's DNS Status meter to verify your SPF record. The SPF status indicator will turn green if your record is active and configured correctly:
You can try the Status meter and explore Mailivery's advanced deliverability features through our free 7-day trial.
What is SPF, Anyway?
Sender Policy Framework was designed to combat email spoofing and phishing attempts.
Since you get to decide what servers can send through your domain, emails claiming to be coming from your domain but sent through an unauthorized server will fail authentication. Unauthenticated emails could then be sent to spam or not get delivered at all.
SPF Records Explained
SPF records look like complicated lines of code.
In reality, they’re easy to understand.
Take Zoho Mail’s SPF record, for example:
v=spf1 include:zoho.com ~all
Here’s what it all means:
The v indicates the SPF version. Since only one SPF version is in widespread use, it’s always: spf1.
The include tag holds the authorized sending server, in this case: zoho.com.
The all tag determines what result to return if emails fail authentication. In the example above, it’s set to soft fail, meaning the email will be marked as suspicious but will not be rejected outright. Use -all (hard fail) for stricter enforcement, but ~all (soft fail) may be safer during testing.
Boost Your Chances of Reaching Your Audience’s Inbox
Good job on setting up your SPF record!
However, to really boost your open rates, you also have to set up two other essential email authentication methods: DKIM and DMARC.
DKIM ensures criminals cannot alter emails during transit, while DMARC lets you decide what to do with emails that fail SPF and DKIM authentication.
These three email security protocols make your emails more secure and more likely to land in your prospect’s inbox.
Finally, don’t forget to warm up your email account.
If you suddenly start sending hundreds of emails, email service providers will think you’re a spammer.
Email warm-up builds up your sender reputation by slowly increasing your sending volume and ensuring your warm-up emails get engaged with. This warm-up activity signals to ESPs that your **emails are worthwhile.
Mailivery uses AI to manage your inbox and automatically:
Sends warm-up emails to real email accounts of other Mailivery users
Opens and responds to the warm-up emails
And moves emails that land in the Spam or Promotions folder to the inbox
Don't Land In Spam. Make more sales. Get Started Today For Free.
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