How to send e-mail…that gets delivered
I just got a really good education on how to make sure your (legit) email will navigate common spam blockers and be delivered successfully, thanks to Jeff Atwood.
Summary
- Make sure the computer sending the email has a Reverse PTR record. Your ISP has to do it, not your DNS provider or web host.
- Sign your messages using DomainKeys Identified Mail. Requires DNS and code changes.
- Set up a SenderID DNS record. Far less critical than the first two, but still nice to have.
Did it work?
- Send a message to a GMail account–they provide excellent diagnostic headers. Look for
Received-SPF
andAuthentication-Results
. - Use the Port25 diagnostic service (check-auth@verifier.port25.com). You can ignore a DomainKeys check fail if the DKIM check passes.
Written on June 16, 2010