DMARC, SPF and DKIM Simplified
In Email Marketing, ensuring your emails hit the inbox stage without a hitch is crucial. This is where the trio of DMARC, SPF, and DKIM takes the spo...
Authenticated Received Chain (ARC)
Also known as: ARC, Email ARC
Authenticated Received Chain (ARC) is an email standard that keeps your authentication results when a message is forwarded or passes through mailing lists. It lets receiving servers see that earlier checks passed even if SPF or DKIM now look broken.
Authenticated Received Chain is like a travel log for your email. Each server that handles the message records what it saw about your authentication. That history travels with the email. This helps the final mailbox provider understand what really happened along the way.
ARC matters when your emails often go through mailing lists, forwarders, or help desk tools. Those tools can change the message and cause normal checks such as SPF or DKIM to fail. With ARC in place, the receiving server can see that your email was valid before those changes. This reduces the chance that good email ends up in spam.
If you run a mailing list or any service that forwards email, work with your provider or team to enable ARC. Start by turning it on in a test environment and checking delivery to major inbox providers. Watch your authentication reports for fewer failures on forwarded traffic. Over time this can protect your reputation and keep important messages visible.
Related Terms
Authentication
The process of proving to inbox providers that your emails really come from your domain. It helps stop spoofing and keeps more of your messages out of spam.
Learn more →DKIM(DomainKeys Identified Mail)
DKIM is a way to sign your emails so receiving servers can confirm they came from your domain and were not changed on the way.
Learn more →SPF
Sender Policy Framework is a DNS setting that lists which servers can send email for your domain so inbox providers can quickly check if a message is real or spoofed.
Learn more →Forward(Forward To A Friend)
When someone shares your email with another person by clicking forward in their email client or using a forward to a friend link in your email. It is a strong signal that they found your message useful, but manual forwards often break tracking so many teams prefer using dedicated forward to a friend features instead.
Learn more →