Most small shop owners think of email security as an IT problem. But in December your order confirmations, shipping updates and gift-card emails are some of the most trusted messages your customers open, which is exactly why they are worth copying. Three short DNS records decide how easy that is.
SPF: who is allowed to send as you
SPF is a text record that lists the services allowed to send mail for your domain, such as your shop platform and your email provider. It ends with a rule for everyone else. The free Security Check looks for an SPF record that ends in -all (or ~all) after following its redirects.
DMARC: what inboxes should do with fakes
DMARC tells receiving inboxes what to do when a message claims to be from you but fails the checks. A policy of none only collects reports. The Security Check marks this line as passed when DMARC is set to quarantine or reject.
CAA: who may issue your certificates
CAA is not about email, but it lives in the same DNS. It names the certificate authorities allowed to issue certificates for your domain. The check shows whether a CAA record is published.
A 5-minute pre-Christmas routine
- Run your shop's home page through the Security Check.
- Read the At a glance list: a tick, a cross, or a dash when it couldn't be measured.
- If SPF or DMARC shows a cross, list every service that sends mail for you before you change anything, so real order emails keep arriving.
- Make one change at a time, then check again.
If your domain doesn't receive mail at all, the report says it has no inbox (no MX), which is expected. The check reads the live response, the certificate and public DNS only. It doesn't try passwords, scan ports or run an attack, so check only sites you own or have permission to check.
You get 10 free checks a day, shared with the SEO audit, then 20 more for £2 or wait until midnight UK time. Reports stay in your browser. Run the free Security Check now, and browse printables, ebooks and Vastu guides at DreamingAisles.
