Deliverability
A free email deliverability audit you can do this afternoon
Find where an email goes missing with a test message, its headers and a simple evidence sheet.
Before paying for a deliverability report, follow one message from your business to an inbox you control. You need the sending time, the recipient, any error and the received headers. This small audit can distinguish a setup error from a problem that needs deeper help.
Imagine a customer says a quote never arrived. Sending it repeatedly only adds noise. Ask whether their address is correct, look for a bounce, and send a clearly labelled test to your own second mailbox. Never ask a customer for their mailbox password.
Trace the message
- 1
Write down one test
In Venmail, send a short message to an address you control at a different provider. Use a unique subject such as Delivery check 04 September. Record the time and sender. Avoid attachments for this first test.
- 2
Find the first missing handoff
Check Sent and any failure notice. If the message is absent from Sent, investigate submission first. If it bounced, copy the status code and explanation. If it arrived in spam, save the original headers before moving it.
- 3
Read the authentication results
Look for Authentication-Results added by the receiving provider. SPF checks the authorized sending path; DKIM checks a signature; DMARC checks alignment with the visible From domain. A pass is useful evidence, not a promise of inbox placement.
- 4
Check public records
A technical teammate can use the free checkdmarc project linked below to inspect SPF and DMARC. Compare its findings with the exact records provided for your Venmail domain. Do not replace your DNS with a guessed example.
- 5
Change one thing and repeat
Correct a confirmed mismatch, send a new uniquely named test and compare results. If authentication already passes, look at the recipient explanation and message history instead of changing DNS at random.
| Evidence | Example entry | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| Sent time | 14:10 UTC, quote-test-04 | Find the same message in both mailboxes |
| Receiver result | Spam folder; DKIM pass; DMARC fail | Check the signing domain against From |
| Change | Corrected the authorized sender | Retest and save the new headers |
Keep an untouched copy of the original result. The contrast between two tests is often more useful to support than a screenshot of a green score. Remove customer addresses and message bodies before sharing the evidence outside your team.
Start with Venmail's Free plan for basic email work and broadcasts. Check the current plan and your account's sending allowance before importing a list. A free workspace does not imply unlimited sending or access to every integration. Venmail
You have a useful result when
- One message can be traced end to end
- You know whether the failure was submission, rejection or filtering
- DNS findings are tied to your actual domain
- The retest records what changed
Read the receiver’s evidence before changing settings
Venmail’s free Email Header Analyzer turns the Authentication-Results fields in a received message into a readable summary. No account is needed, and the header text stays in your browser. Use the tool linked below with one recent test message; do not paste a customer’s message body.
A ten-minute evidence check
- 1
Collect a fresh message
Send a message you control through the same workflow that has the problem. Open the received copy and use Show original, View source or Message details. Record separately whether it landed in Inbox or Spam.
- 2
Read each receiver entry
Paste the original headers into the analyzer. Several Authentication-Results fields can exist. Confirm which receiver belongs to your mailbox provider before relying on its result; a sender can insert a misleading header.
- 3
Choose one investigation
If the trusted receiver reports an authentication failure, compare your sending provider’s exact setup values with DNS. If authentication passes but placement is poor, check recipient consent, complaints, list quality and content before changing authentication records.
- 4
Keep a private summary
Download the tool’s status-only summary for your incident notes. It excludes addresses, domains, subjects and raw headers. Add any sensitive identifiers separately only when your support team actually needs them.
Synthetic example: authentication passes but placement is unknown
Authentication-Results: mx.example.net;
spf=pass smtp.mailfrom=example.org;
dkim=pass header.d=example.org;
dmarc=pass header.from=example.orgExpected tool output: SPF pass, DKIM pass and DMARC pass for one receiver entry. This example proves how to read the output, not that a real email reached an inbox. The tool does not perform a fresh DNS lookup or verify a signature. RFC Editor
Your audit is useful when
- You recorded the sending workflow and the recipient’s observed folder.
- You identified the trusted receiving provider’s result, rather than choosing whichever header says pass.
- You have one next action and will compare a fresh message after the change.
Ready for the next practical step?
Read a received message’s reported SPF, DKIM and DMARC results. No account or upload required.
Open the free email header analyzerRelated practical guides
Email deliverability services: platform, specialist or agency?
Diagnose the failure first, then hire the right kind of help.
Read the guideWhen to hire an email deliverability specialist
Know which evidence and access a credible specialist should request.
Read the guideSources and review method
Venmail publishes this guide and may be one of the products discussed. We compare providers on consistent dimensions, link to primary documentation and state non-fit cases. Product limits and pricing should be rechecked before purchase.