SPF Records for Small Business Owners

You started a business, not an IT department. But somehow you're now dealing with "SPF records" and "email authentication" because your emails keep landing in spam.

This guide explains SPF in terms that make sense for business owners—and shows you how to fix it.

Why Your Business Emails Go to Spam

You send invoices that clients never see. Marketing emails disappear. Customer support replies vanish. Sound familiar?

The culprit is often missing or broken email authentication. Email providers like Gmail and Outlook look for proof that your emails are legitimate. Without that proof, they assume the worst.

SPF is one form of that proof.

SPF in Plain English

SPF (Sender Policy Framework) is a list that tells the world which services are allowed to send email using your domain name.

Think of it like a company badge system. Your SPF record is the list of approved employees. When an email arrives claiming to be from your company, the recipient's email server checks the badge list. If the sender isn't on the list, the email is treated with suspicion.

Without SPF, anyone can send emails that appear to come from your business. Spammers exploit this constantly.

Check Your Business Email

See if your domain has an SPF record and whether it's configured correctly.

What the Results Mean

If you have no SPF record: Your emails have no authentication. This hurts deliverability and leaves your domain vulnerable to spoofing.

If SPF shows errors: There's something wrong with your configuration. This needs to be fixed.

If SPF passes: Good news—your basic authentication is working.

Common Small Business Email Setups

Most small businesses use one of these:

Google Workspace (Gmail for Business)

Your SPF record should include:

include:_spf.google.com

Full record:

v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all

Microsoft 365 (Outlook for Business)

Your SPF record should include:

include:spf.protection.outlook.com

Full record:

v=spf1 include:spf.protection.outlook.com ~all

Multiple Services

If you also use marketing tools (Mailchimp, HubSpot) or other email services, each needs to be in your SPF record:

v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com include:servers.mcsv.net ~all

How to Set Up SPF

Setting up SPF requires access to your domain's DNS settings. This is typically managed at your domain registrar (GoDaddy, Namecheap, Google Domains, etc.).

What Happens Without SPF

Your emails land in spam. Gmail, Outlook, and other providers trust authenticated emails more. Without SPF, your emails are more likely to be flagged.

Competitors could spoof your domain. Without SPF protection, anyone can send emails that appear to come from your business. This could be used for phishing attacks against your customers.

Your sender reputation suffers. Email providers track domain reputation. Unauthenticated sending hurts your reputation over time, making deliverability worse.

The Complete Email Authentication Picture

SPF is one part of email authentication. For best results, you should also have:

DKIM — Adds a digital signature to your emails. Your email provider usually handles this. Check your DKIM.

DMARC — Tells email providers what to do when authentication fails. Check your DMARC.

Setting up all three provides the strongest protection for your business email.

Common Small Business Questions

"My web developer/agency set this up. Is it working?"

Check with our tool above. If it shows errors or is missing, follow up with whoever manages your DNS.

"I use multiple email services. Do I need separate SPF records?"

No—you can only have one SPF record. Combine all your services into that single record. See our SPF FAQ for details.

"My Shopify/Squarespace/etc. sends emails. Do I need to add them?"

If a service sends email using your domain (not their own domain), they need to be in your SPF record. Check the service's documentation for their SPF requirements.

"How do I know if my email provider set this up?"

Use our checker. If SPF is valid and includes your email provider, you're set. If not, contact your provider for their SPF setup instructions.

When to Get Help

Managing DNS isn't everyone's strength. Consider getting help if:

• You're not comfortable editing DNS records
• You have multiple email services to configure
• Your SPF check shows errors you don't understand
• Email deliverability problems persist after setup

Your web developer, IT support, or domain registrar support can help configure SPF correctly.

Monitor Your Email Authentication

Email authentication isn't set-and-forget. Services change, you add new tools, and misconfigurations happen.

The Email Deliverability Suite monitors your SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and MX records daily and alerts you when something breaks—before your customers notice.