# Why your contact form lands in spam

> The form works, the mailbox is fine, and enquiries still vanish. Almost always the problem is three DNS records nobody wrote down.

Every mail server your message passes through asks the same question: is this really from this domain, and did anyone authorize this server to send it? The answers live in three DNS records — SPF says which servers may send, DKIM signs the message so tampering shows, DMARC tells receivers what to do when the checks fail and reports the results back to you. Without them you are a stranger asking to be let in; with them you are a name on the list. This site ships all three, which is why a two-minute DNS audit is part of every contact-form deploy.

## SPF is the guest list

One TXT record listing the servers allowed to send for your domain — and the all-too-common mistake is a second SPF record instead of updating the first. Two SPF records means receivers pick neither; the fix is one record that mentions every sender: your mail provider, the site's form handler, the invoicing tool.

## DKIM is the wax seal

The sending server signs each message with a private key; receivers verify it against the public key in DNS. A signed message that arrives changed fails loudly — which is exactly what you want, because the failure lands on the forger, not on you.

## DMARC is the policy and the report

DMARC ties the two together and answers 'what if the checks fail' — monitor, quarantine or reject — plus it sends you aggregate reports of who is sending as your domain. Start with p=none watching, then tighten to quarantine, then reject. Skipping the watching phase is how legitimate mail gets locked out.

## What to take away

- One SPF record, never two — merge every sender into it.
- DKIM signs the message; tampering fails the check, not you.
- DMARC starts at p=none watching, then tightens.
- A two-minute DNS audit belongs in every form deploy.

## Tags

Email, DNS, Deliverability

## We build this for clients

https://dfieldsolutions.com/en/services/full-stack

## More from the lab

- https://dfieldsolutions.com/en/lab/custom-software-cost.md — What custom software actually costs
- https://dfieldsolutions.com/en/lab/custom-vs-off-the-shelf.md — Custom software or off the shelf — the honest test
- https://dfieldsolutions.com/en/lab/first-90-days-retainer.md — The first ninety days of a retainer, as it actually goes
- https://dfieldsolutions.com/en/lab/client-portal-vs-email.md — Why clients get a progress page instead of status emails

---

Source: https://dfieldsolutions.com/en/lab/email-deliverability-basics
DField Solutions — Dunakeszi, Hungary — dezso@dfieldsolutions.com
Booking: see https://dfieldsolutions.com/en/contact