Email Deliverability Score

Gmail and Yahoo changed the game in February 2024 by requiring SPF, DKIM, and DMARC for bulk senders. If you're sending more than 5,000 emails per day without proper authentication, your messages are either going to spam or bouncing outright. This scoring tool evaluates your domain across 7 critical checks and gives you a letter grade from A+ to F, so you know exactly where you stand and what to fix first.

How the scoring breakdown works

The score is out of 100 points, distributed across seven areas based on their impact on deliverability. DKIM carries the most weight at 25 points — it's the strongest authentication signal because it survives email forwarding. SPF is worth 20 points and validates that your sending server is authorized by your domain. DMARC adds another 20 points by telling receiving servers what to do when SPF or DKIM fails. MX records count for 15 points (your domain needs to be able to receive mail). TLS gets 10 points for encrypting emails in transit. Reverse DNS (rDNS) is worth 5 points, and BIMI rounds it out with 5 points for brand display in inboxes.

What each letter grade means

An A+ (95-100) means everything is configured correctly — you have the full authentication stack plus extras like BIMI and proper rDNS. An A (85-94) means the core trio (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is solid with minor gaps in secondary checks. A B (70-84) typically means one major protocol is misconfigured or missing — you'll see deliverability issues with stricter providers. A C (55-69) signals serious problems — multiple authentication failures that are actively hurting your inbox placement. D (40-54) and F (below 40) mean critical infrastructure is missing and most bulk email will land in spam or get rejected.

Why this matters right now

Before 2024, you could get away with sloppy authentication and still reach most inboxes. That era is over. Gmail now blocks emails from domains without basic SPF and DKIM. Yahoo follows the same rules. Microsoft is tightening enforcement too. On top of that, properly authenticated domains see 10-15% better inbox placement even with providers that don't strictly enforce — authentication is a positive reputation signal, not just a pass/fail gate.

Fixing your score

Start with the highest-value fixes. If SPF is failing, use our SPF generator to create the right record. For DKIM issues, our DKIM generator walks you through key creation and DNS setup. DMARC problems? The DMARC generator helps you set an appropriate policy. After making changes, use the DNS propagation checker to verify records have propagated before re-testing. Run this score check after any platform migration, DNS change, or if you notice open rates dropping unexpectedly.