How to Check Your Business Email Is Set Up Correctly (Test Checklist)

"It sent, so it works" is how businesses discover three months later that half their mail has been landing in spam. A proper test takes ten minutes and checks both directions, every device, and the authentication that receivers look at. Run this checklist after any DNS change, after adding a mailbox, and once a quarter.

Quick summary

• MX: run a lookup (nslookup -type=mx yourdomain.com on Windows or Mac, or an online DNS checker). You should see exactly mail.oqumail.com with priority 10 and nothing left over from a previous host.
• SPF: look up TXT records at the root. Exactly one record starting v=spf1; for OquMail it is v=spf1 MX (Mail Exchanger — where incoming email is delivered) a:mail.oqumail.com ~all. Two SPF records is an automatic fail.
• DKIM: look up TXT at your selector._domainkey.yourdomain.com. It should start v=DKIM1 and the p= value should not be cut off.
• DMARC: TXT at _dmarc.yourdomain.com starting v=DMARC1. A starting record is v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc@yourdomain.com.
• If your host verifies live, use that instead of manual lookups. OquMail's dashboard checks all four and shows which one is wrong, which saves guessing.

Part 1: DNS, before you send anything

1. MX: run a lookup (nslookup -type=mx yourdomain.com on Windows or Mac, or an online DNS checker). You should see exactly mail.oqumail.com with priority 10 and nothing left over from a previous host.
2. SPF: look up TXT records at the root. Exactly one record starting v=spf1; for OquMail it is v=spf1 MX (Mail Exchanger — where incoming email is delivered) a:mail.oqumail.com ~all. Two SPF records is an automatic fail.
3. DKIM: look up TXT at your selector._domainkey.yourdomain.com. It should start v=DKIM1 and the p= value should not be cut off.
4. DMARC: TXT at _dmarc.yourdomain.com starting v=DMARC1. A starting record is v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc@yourdomain.com.
5. If your host verifies live, use that instead of manual lookups. OquMail's dashboard checks all four and shows which one is wrong, which saves guessing.

Part 2: send to Gmail and read the headers

1. From webmail, send a short message to a Gmail address you control. Use a real subject and a couple of sentences; a blank test looks like spam.
2. In Gmail, open the message, click the three dots, Show original. The summary at the top lists SPF, DKIM and DMARC with PASS or FAIL.
3. Below that, find the authentication (proof that email really comes from your company)-Results header and confirm DKIM (a digital signature that proves your email was not tampered with)=pass header.d=yourdomain.com and SPF (Sender Policy Framework — a list of servers allowed to send email as your domain)=pass. If DMARC shows pass, alignment is correct.
4. Note which folder it landed in. Inbox is the goal; Promotions or Spam with all three passing usually means a new domain with no reputation yet, which improves with normal use.

Part 3: receive from outside

1. Reply from Gmail to your business address. It should arrive within a minute.
2. Send a message with a 5 MB attachment from Gmail to check attachments come through.
3. Send to a role address such as support@ and confirm everyone who should see it does.
4. If nothing arrives, check the MX records (the settings that tell the internet where to deliver email for your domain) again and wait; DNS changes can take up to 48 hours to reach every resolver, though most are updated within an hour.

Part 4: every app, both directions

• Phone: send a message and reply to one. Check the outgoing server is mail.oqumail.com, port 587, STARTTLS.
• Desktop: the same. On port 587 choose STARTTLS, not SSL/TLS. Picking SSL on 587 is the single most common setup mistake and it makes sending silently fail.
• Webmail: confirm the Sent folder shows messages sent from the phone and desktop, which proves IMAP is syncing rather than storing sent mail locally.
• Signature and display name: check both look right on each app; phone apps often default to no signature.

Part 5: things people forget

• Website contact form: submit it and confirm the notification arrives. Forms are usually configured with SMTP credentials that break when passwords change.
• Auto-reply and filters: if you set any, send a test that should trigger them.
• Old forwarding: check the registrar or previous host is no longer forwarding your domain's mail somewhere else. Double delivery causes duplicate replies.
• Delivery logs: if your host keeps per-message logs, look at your test message there. OquMail records each delivery attempt with the remote server's response, so "accepted" versus "deferred" is visible without guessing.

A quick pass-fail summary

MX      -> mail.oqumail.com (10)        [ ]
SPF     -> one record, v=spf1 ...        [ ]
DKIM    -> selector._domainkey present   [ ]
DMARC   -> _dmarc present, v=DMARC1      [ ]
Gmail   -> SPF/DKIM/DMARC all PASS       [ ]
Inbound -> reply from Gmail arrives      [ ]
Phone   -> send + receive                [ ]
Desktop -> send + receive, 587 STARTTLS  [ ]
Form    -> website form notification     [ ]

Common questions

Everything passes but Gmail still puts me in spam. Why?

Reputation, not configuration. A brand-new domain has no sending history. Send normal mail to people who reply, ask early contacts to mark you Not spam, and avoid bulk sends for the first weeks. Placement usually settles within a month.

SPF passes but DMARC fails. What is wrong?

Alignment. SPF checks the envelope sender, which may be a different domain from your visible From address when a service sends on your behalf. Make sure DKIM signs with your domain (header.d=yourdomain.com), because DMARC passes if either SPF or DKIM aligns.

How often should I repeat the test?

After any DNS change, after adding a domain or a sending service, and quarterly as a habit. A five-minute Gmail test each quarter catches expired DKIM keys and registrar changes before customers notice.