What Is DMARC and Why It Matters for Your Domain’s Security

If you manage a website or send emails from your own domain, there’s a good chance you’ve heard of DMARC — but do you know what it actually does, or why it matters?

In this post, we’ll break down what DMARC is, how it works, and why it’s crucial for protecting your brand, your customers, and your email deliverability. Plus, we’ll show you how to quickly check your domain’s DMARC status using our free Domain Health Scanner.

What is DMARC?

DMARC stands for Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance. It's a protocol that helps prevent email spoofing — a common tactic used in phishing and business email compromise (BEC) attacks.

When DMARC is set up correctly, it tells receiving mail servers what to do when they get an email that claims to come from your domain but fails authentication checks (like SPF or DKIM). It also allows you to get reports on who’s sending emails on your behalf.

Why is DMARC Important?

Without DMARC, anyone can spoof your domain and send fake emails that appear to come from you. This can lead to:

• Phishing attacks targeting your customers or staff
• Brand damage and loss of trust
• Poor email deliverability (your real emails going to spam)

With DMARC properly configured, you gain control and visibility over how your domain is used — or misused.

Common DMARC Issues

Many businesses set up DMARC incorrectly or not at all. Here are some of the most common problems:

• No DMARC record at all
• Policy set to “none”, which monitors but doesn’t block spoofed emails
• SPF or DKIM misconfigurations, which break DMARC enforcement
• No reporting addresses, so you miss out on valuable insights

Not sure if your domain is protected? You can run a quick check with our Domain Health Scanner. It’s free, instant, and checks for DMARC, SPF, DKIM, and more.

How to Set Up DMARC

To set up DMARC, you need to add a TXT record to your domain’s DNS. Here’s an example of a basic DMARC record:

v=DMARC1; p=quarantine; rua=mailto:dmarc-reports@yourdomain.com

• p=quarantine tells mail servers to treat unauthenticated emails with suspicion
• rua= defines where reports should be sent

More advanced setups may include ruf=, pct=, or sp= for granular control.

Take the First Step Toward Better Email Security

If you're not sure whether your domain is protected by DMARC — or you just want to double-check your configuration — our Domain Health Scanner can help.

It takes just a few seconds to scan your domain and highlight issues with DMARC, SPF and DKIM. No technical setup required.