Understanding the New Gmail and Yahoo DMARC Requirements: What Dental Practices Need to Know

In 2024, Gmail and Yahoo updated their rules for handling emails, which could affect how your dental practice’s emails are delivered. If your emails don’t meet these new requirements, they might end up in your patients' spam folders or not be delivered at all. Understanding these changes is crucial to ensure your messages reach your patients.

What is DMARC?

DMARC is a system that helps protect your email from being misused by spammers and scammers. It builds on two other systems, SPF and DKIM:

• SPF checks if emails are being sent from a list of approved servers.

• DKIM ensures that the content of your emails hasn’t been altered in transit.

In simple terms, DMARC helps confirm that emails sent from your domain are genuinely from you and not someone pretending to be you.

Adapting to these new standards is crucial for dental practices to maintain effective communication with patients. For more detailed information on DMARC, visit DMARC.org or refer to the Gmail Help Center and Yahoo’s DMARC Policy pages.

Key Changes to Gmail and Yahoo DMARC Requirements in 2024

1. Enforcement of "p=reject" Policies: Starting in 2024, Gmail and Yahoo have increased their enforcement of DMARC policies, particularly the "p=reject" policy. This means that if an email fails DMARC authentication, it will be rejected and not delivered to the recipient's inbox. For dental practices, this emphasizes the importance of confirming all outbound emails comply with DMARC requirements. 

2. Strict Alignment Requirements: Both Gmail and Yahoo now require strict alignment between the domain used in the "From" address and the domain in the SPF and DKIM records. This means that if your practice sends emails from a subdomain (e.g., newsletter.your Platformspractice.com), the SPF and DKIM records must also align with this subdomain. Failure to do so can result in your emails being marked as unauthenticated and subsequently rejected. (For detailed guidance on SPF and DKIM alignment, you can visit Google's support page on SPF and Yahoo's DKIM documentation.)

3. Increased Reporting and Feedback: Gmail and Yahoo have enhanced their DMARC reporting capabilities, providing more detailed feedback on email authentication failures. dental practices should regularly review these reports to identify and resolve any issues that could lead to email delivery problems. ( For more on how to access and interpret these reports, visit the DMARC Reporting Guide.)

How to Prepare for These Changes

1. Check Your Email Domain:
   Use a domain checker tool to see if your domain is set up correctly with DMARC, SPF, and DKIM.

2. Set Up SPF and DKIM:

   • SPF: Make sure your domain’s SPF record includes all the servers authorized to send emails on your behalf.

   • DKIM: Configure DKIM to sign your outgoing emails, which helps confirm that your emails haven’t been tampered with.

3. Publish a DMARC Record:
   Add a DMARC record to your domain’s DNS settings. This tells other email servers how to handle emails that don’t pass DMARC checks.

4. Monitor Your DMARC Reports:
   Regularly review DMARC reports to catch and fix any issues that could prevent your emails from reaching your patients.

5. Use Aligned Domains:
   Ensure that the domain in your email’s “From” address matches the domains listed in your SPF and DKIM records. This alignment is now a requirement for Gmail and Yahoo.

Why This Matters for Your Dental Practice

These new rules are designed to make email more secure and reduce spam, but if your emails don’t meet these requirements, they could be rejected or marked as spam. This could lead to missed appointments, lost opportunities to connect with patients, and a drop in the effectiveness of your email marketing. Taking the steps to comply with these new rules will help ensure your emails continue to reach your patients.

Note: If you use Google Workspace, be aware that these changes could impact your email volume limits.

Conclusion: Stay Ahead of the Changes

To keep your client communications running smoothly, make sure your email setup is up to date with these new requirements. If you’re a Blumberg Digital client, reach out to our Helpdesk for help with reviewing and updating your DMARC settings. We will be able to guide you through these changes, ensuring your emails continue to reach your patients without any issues.

Don’t let email problems get in the way of connecting with your patients—take action today!