Understand Email Deliverability

Learn how SPF, DKIM, and bounce handling work in JobsiteOn to ensure your emails reach customer inboxes reliably.

Written by Noah BrooksUpdated 2 days ago6 min readIntermediate

What this guide covers

This guide explains how email deliverability works in JobsiteOn. You will learn what SPF and DKIM records are, why they matter for getting your emails delivered, and how JobsiteOn handles bounced emails. This is essential knowledge for anyone managing their company's email communication.

By the end you will understand:

What email deliverability means and why it matters
How SPF records authorize JobsiteOn to send email on your behalf
How DKIM signatures prove your emails are authentic
How bounce handling works and what to do about bounced emails
How to troubleshoot common deliverability issues

Before you begin

Your company email address should already be configured. See Set Up Your Company Email Address.
You will need access to your domain's DNS settings (through your domain registrar or hosting provider) to verify or update SPF and DKIM records.

What is email deliverability?

Email deliverability is the measure of how successfully your outgoing emails reach the recipient's inbox rather than being caught by spam filters, rejected by the receiving server, or lost in transit. Poor deliverability means your customers may never see your emails.

Several factors affect deliverability:

Authentication records (SPF and DKIM) -- prove you are authorized to send from your domain
Sender reputation -- built over time based on engagement and complaint rates
Content quality -- emails that look like spam trigger filters
Bounce rate -- too many bounced emails hurt your reputation

SPF -- Sender Policy Framework

SPF is a DNS record that tells receiving email servers which servers are authorized to send email on behalf of your domain. When you use JobsiteOn to send emails from office@yourcompany.com, the recipient's email server checks your domain's SPF record to verify that JobsiteOn's servers are permitted senders.

How SPF works

You add an SPF record to your domain's DNS settings
The record includes JobsiteOn's mail servers as authorized senders
When a recipient's server receives your email, it checks the SPF record
If JobsiteOn's servers are listed, the email passes the SPF check
If not listed, the email may be marked as suspicious or sent to spam

Setting up SPF

During the company email setup process, JobsiteOn provides you with the exact SPF record to add to your DNS. It typically looks like:

v=spf1 include:mail.jobsiteon.com ~all

If you already have an SPF record for your domain (for example, from Google Workspace or Microsoft 365), you need to merge the records rather than creating a second one. A domain can only have one SPF record.

Tip: If you already have v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all, update it to v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com include:mail.jobsiteon.com ~all to authorize both services.

Screenshot: The DNS settings page at a domain registrar showing an SPF TXT record with the JobsiteOn include directive

DKIM -- DomainKeys Identified Mail

DKIM adds a digital signature to every outgoing email. This signature is verified by the recipient's email server using a public key published in your domain's DNS. DKIM proves that the email was genuinely sent by an authorized system and was not tampered with in transit.

How DKIM works

JobsiteOn signs each outgoing email with a private key
A corresponding public key is published as a DNS record on your domain
The recipient's server retrieves the public key and verifies the signature
If the signature is valid, the email passes the DKIM check

Setting up DKIM

During email setup, JobsiteOn generates a unique DKIM key pair for your domain and provides you with a CNAME or TXT record to add to your DNS. The record name typically looks like:

jobsiteon._domainkey.yourcompany.com

Add this record to your DNS settings exactly as provided. DKIM records can take up to 48 hours to propagate, though most propagate within a few hours.

Screenshot: The JobsiteOn email settings page showing the DKIM DNS record to copy, with a verification status indicator

Bounce handling

A bounce occurs when an email you sent cannot be delivered to the recipient's address. JobsiteOn tracks bounces automatically and takes action to protect your sender reputation.

Hard bounces

A hard bounce means the email address is permanently undeliverable. Common causes:

The email address does not exist
The domain does not exist
The recipient's server permanently rejected the email

When a hard bounce occurs, JobsiteOn marks the conversation with a bounce indicator and prevents further emails to that address until you manually verify it.

Soft bounces

A soft bounce means the email could not be delivered temporarily. Common causes:

The recipient's mailbox is full
The recipient's server is temporarily down
The message was too large

JobsiteOn automatically retries soft bounces several times over a period of hours. If the email eventually delivers, no action is needed. If all retries fail, it is treated as a hard bounce.

Viewing bounce information

Open the conversation where a bounce occurred. The conversation timeline shows a bounce event with details about why delivery failed. Use this information to correct the email address or follow up with the customer through another channel.

Note: A high bounce rate damages your domain's sender reputation. Regularly clean your contact list by removing or correcting invalid email addresses.

Troubleshooting deliverability issues

My emails are going to the recipient's spam folder

Verify your SPF and DKIM records are correctly configured and passing checks
Avoid spam-like language in your subject lines (excessive caps, exclamation marks)
Ensure your emails include meaningful content, not just links or images
Ask the recipient to add your company email address to their contacts

The email settings page shows SPF or DKIM as "not verified"

DNS changes can take up to 48 hours to propagate. If it has been longer than 48 hours, double-check the DNS records at your domain registrar for typos or formatting errors.

A customer says they did not receive my email but there is no bounce

The email may have been delivered to their spam or junk folder. Ask the customer to check there. Also verify the recipient email address is spelled correctly.

Animation: A walkthrough showing the email settings page with SPF and DKIM verification statuses, then navigating to a conversation timeline showing a bounce event with error details

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