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We just open a new e-commerce website and recently noticed Gmail treat our e-mails as spam (notice the red question mark). Our website run behind CloudFlare so the email server IP address is different than the domain.

SPAM marked notice the question mark

We also did not send a bulk email at least not yet. There are some explanations in Google FAQ but not sure what it means or how I need to implement it. Can you please explain how to set these DKIM (preferred) or SPF.

Our website uses nopcommerce (3.70) and developed with ASP.Net.

Onur Topal
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1 Answers1

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Disclaimer: I'm not a "pro" at these things (more later):

  • IMHO, this is probably the simplest explanation of DKIM

  • SPF: in my own words: providing a DNS TXT record that identifies "where" all your emails (smtp/mta servers) can come from. The more complete/formal spec is here

  • You can implement both

Opinionated:

  • SPF is easier to implement

    • identify all the origins of your email, set them in your SPF record, which is a TXT record in DNS

  • DKIM: is more complex - your mail/smtp server/s must implement it.

    As a "web developer" one can see how this would be done in ASP.Net/C#/VB - e.g. sign some payload and using HttClient send some signature in an HTTP header in some outbound request.

    But this is done on an SMTP server, so unless you have one that already implements it, it's something you'll have to do...

IMHO, for DKIM, unless your SMTP/MTA implements it, I'd go for services that provide it. There are 2 types:

  • Transactional email services:

    Not for bulk email. These are the usual "order confirmation" emails, standard support/customer service, etc. emails. They will likely have APIs for you to implement (e.g. sending your MailMessage using thier servers and/or constructing something that equates to it and send that "object" to their API).

  • Bulk email services

    these providers will already have implementations because one of their core value propositions is "deliverability" of your bulk/marketing emails. They should (of course do your due diligence) have both implementations inherently. Will also have their own APIs for bulk email context.

Hth

EdSF
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    OP can use [MX Toolbox](https://mxtoolbox.com/NetworkTools.aspx) to check if those email and (reverse) DNS settings are set up correctly. – VDWWD Mar 01 '17 at 18:02
  • I have added 2 DNS records TXT and SPF in the CloudFlare DNS section with 'v=spf1 ip4:IP_Address_Mail_Sent -all' value. Does this mean mails from this ip address are valid but not the others. Is this correct? As you said DKIM is really complicated and I don't think I have that much control over the server as its a shared hosting. – Onur Topal Mar 01 '17 at 19:10
  • True @VDWWD, though _if memory serves_, unless you actually have control over your IPs (IINM unless the IPs are ["delegated" to you by net provider](http://help.dnsmadeeasy.com/managed-dns/domain/setup-reverse-dns/)), _reverse_ DNS isn't that "easy". – EdSF Mar 01 '17 at 20:34
  • @EdSF, I'm no expert either, but I think you're right that the ISP usually does the reverse DNS with basic hosting solutions. But not having it adds a little more spam score to your email. – VDWWD Mar 01 '17 at 20:41