What does the email authentication check look for?
It checks your domain's DNS for the records that authenticate email and protect against spoofing. Specifically:
- SPF — a record specifying which servers are allowed to send email for your domain.
- DKIM — a cryptographic signature that verifies email genuinely came from your domain and wasn't altered.
- DMARC — a policy tying SPF and DKIM together and telling receivers how to handle messages that fail.
SPF, DKIM and DMARC configured passes; partial setup (e.g. SPF only) is a warning; no email authentication is a fail.
How is it evaluated, and how is it scored?
GEObubbly checks the domain's DNS for SPF, DKIM and DMARC records. It's an extended Infrastructure check that runs server-side, querying the domain's DNS records.
Criteria: Pass — SPF + DMARC and DNSSEC or CAA. Warning — some present. Fail — none.
Why email authentication and domain trust matter
Email authentication is a set of DNS records that prove email claiming to be from your domain is genuinely authorised, protecting your domain from being spoofed by phishers and scammers. SPF (Sender Policy Framework) lists which mail servers may send on your behalf; DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) cryptographically signs your messages so receivers can verify they're authentic and unaltered; and DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance) ties the two together with a policy telling receiving servers what to do with messages that fail the checks. Properly configured, these protect your domain's email reputation, improve deliverability, and stop bad actors from sending convincing phishing emails in your name. The connection to SEO/GEO is indirect but real: this check is about domain trust. A domain with email authentication, a clean reputation, and no history of being used for spam or spoofing is a well-managed, legitimate domain — exactly the kind of established presence that underpins overall credibility.