I've just set up a mail server for a small website, and I've verified that my SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are all correct using mail-tester.com. The only area where I struggle is with the rDNS; I can't set up a PTR record since I host multiple websites on the same VPS, meaning there's no single canonical domain for my IP. Despite this, I feel like my emails still shouldn't be marked as spam.
Currently, Gmail is flagging my emails as spam, while Yahoo doesn't deliver them at all—neither to the inbox nor spam folder. Interestingly, Protonmail seems to accept them without any issues. I came across a discussion where a user had a similar problem due to a new domain, but I've owned my domain for quite some time; it's just a new subdomain that I don't think would be an issue.
If it comes down to needing a PTR record, I'm willing to look into that, but I also question why it's a requirement since hosting several websites on one IP is commonplace. What confuses me is that before I properly configured DKIM, Gmail had been delivering my emails without any problems. It seems like ever since I got DKIM set up, my emails have started going to spam, which makes me believe there may be another underlying issue. Any insights would be greatly appreciated!
3 Answers
The lack of a PTR record can impact email sending, but typically you'd see an error if that was the case. Try looking up your mail server's IP using a reverse lookup tool like MXToolbox to see if a PTR is needed. Also, check your DMARC reports closely to see if there are any DKIM issues popping up! By the way, what kind of mail server are you using?
Having a PTR record is crucial for reliable email sending. It doesn’t matter if you’re hosting multiple sites; just pick a domain name for the PTR. Also, ensure there's an A record that matches the PTR, and the HELO command in your SMTP setup aligns with that name. Review the logs of your SMTP server for any clues too—it can give you some useful info regarding the interaction with Google's servers.
Just a note, Digital Ocean allows only one PTR per VPS and it has to match your VPS's hostname. You can check out their guide for setting it up!
It could be a domain reputation issue if your new subdomain is being flagged. You might want to check out the Gmail Postmaster Tool for more detailed insights on how your emails are being perceived. It's a bit hit-or-miss, but it might help!
Thanks for the suggestion! I’ll definitely look into the Gmail Postmaster Tool.
I'm using Postfix for my mail server.