Recovery Email Deliverability Best Practices (SPF, DKIM, Dedicated Sending Domain)

Email deliverability is one of the most important factors in whether your recovery campaigns succeed. A well-written recovery email that lands in the spam folder will not recover any carts.

This guide covers:

• Configuring sender settings inside Cart Abandonment Recovery
• Setting up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records on your domain
• Why you should use a proper SMTP service instead of default WordPress mail
• Best practices for sender domains and deliverability monitoring

Why Deliverability Matters

By default, WordPress uses PHP’s basic mail() function. This has several issues:

• Emails are sent from your web server IP — often on shared hosting with bad reputations.
• No authentication — SPF/DKIM aren’t configured out of the box.
• Frequently flagged as spam by Gmail, Outlook, and other major providers.

For abandoned cart recovery to work, your emails must reliably reach the inbox.

Prerequisites

• Cart Abandonment Recovery plugin installed and activated
• Access to your domain’s DNS records (through your registrar or host)
• A business email address for your “From” sender

Step 1 — Configure Sender Settings in the Plugin

Go to WooCommerce > Cart Abandonment > Settings > Email.

Configure:

Step 2 — Use an SMTP Service (Highly Recommended)

Don’t rely on default WordPress mail. Use a dedicated transactional email service:

Recommended Providers

How to Connect

1. Install a plugin like SureMails (Knowledge Base) or any other SMTP plugin.
2. Create an account with your chosen SMTP provider.
3. Follow the plugin’s wizard to enter your API key or SMTP credentials.
4. Send a test email to confirm it works.

Step 3 — Set Up SPF Record

SPF (Sender Policy Framework) tells receiving servers which IPs are allowed to send email on behalf of your domain.

How to Add

1.   Log in to your DNS provider (e.g., Cloudflare, GoDaddy, Namecheap).

2.   Add a TXT record for your domain:

• Type: TXT
• Name: @
• Value: v=spf1 include:YOUR-SMTP-PROVIDER.com ~all
• Replace YOUR-SMTP-PROVIDER.com with your SMTP provider’s include statement:
  • SendGrid: include:sendgrid.net
  • Mailgun: include:mailgun.org
  • Amazon SES: include:amazonses.com
  • Google Workspace: include:_spf.google.com

3.   Save and wait up to 24 hours for DNS propagation.

Already using Google Workspace or Microsoft 365? You can combine: v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com include:sendgrid.net ~all

Step 4 — Set Up DKIM Record

DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) cryptographically signs your emails so receiving servers can verify they weren’t tampered with.

Your SMTP provider will give you one or more DKIM keys to add as TXT or CNAME records. Follow the exact instructions from your SMTP provider — they differ slightly across services.

Example (SendGrid — CNAME style):

• Name: s1._domainkey  |  Value: s1.domainkey.u1234.wl.sendgrid.net
• Name: s2._domainkey  |  Value: s2.domainkey.u1234.wl.sendgrid.net

Step 5 — Set Up DMARC Record

DMARC tells receiving servers what to do when SPF or DKIM checks fail. Start with a monitoring-only policy:

• Type: TXT
• Name: _dmarc
• Value: v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:[email protected]

This won’t block any email but will send you reports about authentication issues. After monitoring for 2–4 weeks and fixing any issues, tighten to p=quarantine or p=reject.

Step 6 — Verify Your Setup

Use free tools to confirm everything is working:

• MXToolbox SuperTool — check SPF, DKIM, DMARC records
• Mail-Tester.com — send a test email and get a spam score (aim for 9+/10)
• Google Postmaster Tools — monitor your domain reputation with Gmail
• GlockApps — comprehensive inbox placement testing

Expected Outcome

After completing all six steps, your recovery emails should:

• Pass SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication checks (verifiable via MXToolbox)
• Score 9+/10 on Mail-Tester.com
• Land consistently in the inbox rather than the spam folder for Gmail, Outlook, and other major providers

Tips & Best Practices

Content Best Practices

• Use a recognizable From Name — e.g., “Sarah at ExampleStore”
• Keep subject lines under 50 characters — better mobile display
• Avoid spam trigger words — “FREE!!!”, “100% GUARANTEED”, all caps, excessive exclamation marks
• Balance text and images — image-only emails often get flagged
• Always include a plain-text version — most SMTP plugins handle this automatically

Domain Best Practices

• Use your main domain or a subdomain — e.g., [email protected] or mail.yourstore.com
• Avoid brand-new domains — they have no sending reputation; warm them up slowly.
• Consider a dedicated sending subdomain (e.g., send.yourstore.com) for high-volume transactional mail — isolates reputation.

Monitoring

• Watch bounce rates — over 2% is a warning sign
• Check spam complaints — keep below 0.1%
• Review unsubscribes regularly — rising rates may indicate targeting issues

Troubleshooting

Emails Going to Spam

If your recovery emails are still landing in spam after completing the steps above, refer to How to Fix Recovery Emails Going to the Spam Folder

FAQs