Monitor your email deliverability
Email deliverability drifts over time — an IP gets listed, a DNS record changes, a spam complaint spikes. Keeping an eye on it means you catch problems before your mail quietly starts landing in spam. (Set the foundation first: DKIM/SPF/DMARC.)
1. Read your DMARC reports
Once DMARC is set with a reporting address (rua=mailto:…), receivers send you
aggregate reports — who’s sending as your domain and whether SPF/DKIM passed.
They’re XML (ugly by hand); a free DMARC report viewer makes them readable. Watch
for:
- Your mail consistently passing SPF+DKIM.
- Unknown sources sending as you — a sign of spoofing (tighten to
p=reject).
2. Check blacklists regularly
Your server’s IP can land on a blocklist from a spam complaint or a compromised site. Look it up periodically on a blacklist checker. If listed:
- Find and fix the cause (scan for malware, check for a hacked site sending spam).
- Follow the blocklist’s delisting process.
3. Seed / inbox-placement tests
Before a newsletter or important send, run a mail-tester check: send to the address it gives you and get a score plus a list of issues (auth, content, blacklist status). Fix anything flagged.
4. Watch the signals that predict trouble
- Rising bounces → list hygiene or reputation problem → fix bounces.
- Spam complaints → your content or sending practices.
- Sudden volume from a new domain/IP → warm up gradually.
Keep the fundamentals solid
Deliverability rests on authentication + reputation:
- SPF, DKIM, DMARC all passing.
- Reverse DNS (PTR) set for your mail host.
- Good sending habits → stop landing in spam.
Running OrbixPanel? DKIM signing is set up at install; add monitoring to keep it healthy. OrbixPanel.com → — the free, self-hosted, AI-powered hosting control panel.