What this deliverability test checks
Deliverability is the share of your mail that reaches the inbox instead of the spam folder or a bounce. Some of it depends on content and recipient behavior, but a large part comes down to setup that anyone can verify through DNS. This test reads that setup and flags what receivers will object to.
| Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| SPF | Lists the servers allowed to send for your domain. Over 10 DNS lookups causes a permerror. |
| DKIM | Signs each message so receivers can confirm it was not changed and came from you. |
| DMARC | Tells receivers what to do when SPF and DKIM fail, and sends you reports. |
| MX | Shows where your domain receives mail, including replies and bounces. |
| PTR (reverse DNS) | Required by Gmail for sending IPs, and checked by many filters. |
| Domain blacklists | Spamhaus DBL, SURBL, URIBL listings can block mail containing your domain. |
| IP blacklists | Spamhaus ZEN, Barracuda BRBL, SpamCop and 100+ others for your mail server IPs. |
Instant DNS test vs inbox placement test
There are two kinds of deliverability test, and they answer different questions. The instant DNS test on this page needs nothing from you except a domain. It sends no email at all and tells you whether your setup is correct.
An inbox placement test works the other way. You send a real message to a set of seed mailboxes at Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo and other providers, and the test reports whether each copy landed in the inbox, the promotions tab or spam. That shows how your actual content and sending reputation perform. Inbox placement tests are part of the Business plan (50 per month), Agency (300) and Scale (1,500).
Start with the DNS test. If your setup is broken, a placement test only confirms the damage. Once the setup is clean, a placement test shows what is left.
The rules your setup has to meet
Since February 2024, Gmail and Yahoo require bulk senders (more than 5,000 messages a day to their users) to authenticate with SPF and DKIM, publish a DMARC record with at least p=none, align the From domain with SPF or DKIM, offer one-click unsubscribe on marketing mail, and keep the user reported spam rate under 0.3%. All senders need valid forward and reverse DNS for their IPs. Microsoft applies similar rules to high volume senders to Outlook.com, Hotmail and Live addresses since May 2025.
Read the full breakdown in our guide to Google and Yahoo bulk sender requirements.
How to test deliverability manually
- 1 Send a message from your normal platform to a personal Gmail address and open Show original. Look for SPF, DKIM and DMARC all marked PASS.
- 2 Check the DKIM line shows your own domain in d=, not only your email platform's domain.
-
3
Read your DNS records with
dig +short yourdomain.com TXTanddig +short _dmarc.yourdomain.com TXT. -
4
Find the sending IP in the headers and run
dig +short -xon it to confirm a PTR exists. - 5 Check your domain and IP on the major blacklists.
- 6 Repeat for every service that sends as your domain, such as your CRM, help desk and billing system.
Common problems this test finds
Each problem comes with a plain explanation and the record change that fixes it. For a closer look at one record, use the SPF checker or the DMARC checker, which explain each tag and setting.
- Two SPF records on one domain, which makes SPF fail for everyone.
- SPF over the 10 lookup limit after adding one more email tool.
- DKIM signing with the platform's domain instead of yours, so DMARC alignment fails.
- No DMARC record, or a record with a typo that receivers ignore.
- A sending IP with no PTR or a generic one.
- A link tracking domain listed on SURBL or URIBL.
From a one-time test to monitoring
Your setup changes whenever someone adds a tool, edits DNS or rotates a key, and those changes often break things quietly. BlacklistMonitoring reruns all of these checks on a schedule, from every 60 minutes on Starter to every 5 minutes on Agency and Scale, and alerts you by email, Slack, Teams or webhook when something fails. Business adds Google Postmaster Tools, Microsoft SNDS and Yahoo signals, spam rate alerts at 0.1% and 0.3%, and inbox placement tests. See email deliverability monitoring or the pricing page.
Frequently asked questions
How do I test my email deliverability?
Start with the free DNS test above to confirm SPF, DKIM, DMARC, reverse DNS and blacklist status. Then run an inbox placement test, which sends a real message to seed mailboxes and shows whether it lands in the inbox or spam.
Does this test send any email?
No. It uses DNS lookups only. Nothing is sent from or to your domain. Inbox placement tests, which do send a message, are a separate feature on paid plans.
What is a good email deliverability rate?
There is no single standard, but opted-in mail from a clean setup should reach the inbox for nearly every recipient. More useful day to day is keeping your Gmail user reported spam rate under 0.1% and never reaching 0.3%.
Why do my emails go to spam even though SPF and DKIM pass?
Passing authentication proves who sent the mail, not that people want it. Low engagement, complaints, sudden volume jumps, listed link domains or a new domain without history can all lead to spam placement.
How often should I test deliverability?
Check after every DNS change or new sending tool, and keep continuous monitoring in place. Problems like a broken SPF record or a new listing can appear at any time and affect every message until fixed.