How to Add an SPF Record in Namecheap - Step-by-Step Guide

For sales email outreach success, setting up an SPF record is no longer optional.

Without SPF, your emails will go to the spam folder, where your prospects will never see them.

That means fewer opens, fewer clicks, and missed opportunities with every campaign you send.

Let’s prevent that scenario today.

Is Namecheap your domain provider?

We’ll show you how to set up an SPF record on Namecheap in no time. ⬇️

Sender Policy Framework Explained

SPF stands for Sender Policy Framework. It allows you to decide what email servers can send from your domain.

This is important because without SPF, anyone can pretend to be sending from yourdomain.com, including cybercriminals looking to launch phishing attacks.

When email providers receive messages from a domain without an SPF record, or from a server not listed in the SPF record, they’ll flag the email as suspicious or block it entirely.

On the other hand, if the email does come from an authorized server, ESPs trust it more, resulting in better inbox placement and all the good stuff that comes with it.

What servers should I add to an SPF record?

The servers you use to send emails. If you use an email provider like Google to send email (whether you use an outreach tool or not), you must add Google’s servers to your SPF record.

Here’s what Google’s basic SPF record looks like:

v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all

• The v is the version number

• The include holds the authorized sending server

• The IP4 or IP6 tags (not present in the SPF example above) authorize the IP of a sending server instead of the domain

• The all tag specifies the policy for handling emails that fail SPF authentication.

  • The most commonly used all tags are:

    • ~all = Soft fail (more forgiving)

    • all = Hard fail (strict, potentially blocks unauthorized senders)

How to Configure an SPF Record in Namecheap

While an SPF record may look like a complicated line of code, setting one up is quite easy.

Here are the steps to set up an SPF record in Namecheap today:

1. Know what SPF record you have to set up

As mentioned earlier, you must authorize the server of your email service provider.

Your email service provider can be Google Workspace or Office 365…

But if you use your email outreach tool's email infrastructure, you'll have to add their sending server to your SPF record.

To make it slightly more complicated, you may have connected your Google account to your email outreach tool. If that's the case for your domain, you must modify your DNS records in your hosting company's account.

Either way, ask your email provider or outreach tool for the correct SPF record. You’re gonna need it.

⚠️ Before making changes, check whether your domain actually uses Namecheap’s DNS. Sometimes, your domain’s nameservers point to your hosting company’s DNS servers. If that’s the case for your domain, you’ll have to modify your DNS records in your hosting company’s account.

2. Check for an existing SPF record on Namecheap

You cannot have multiple SPF records for your domain. Authentication will not work otherwise.

But without you knowing, your domain might already have an SPF record set up.

If that’s the case, instead of adding a new record, you’ll have to modify the existing one. You can still authorize multiple sending servers this way.

Here’s how to find out if your domain already has an SPF record set up:

1. ➡️ Log in to Namecheap

2. ➡️ Click on Domain list

3. ➡️ Select your domain

4. ➡️ Go to Advanced DNS

5. ➡️ Check for an existing record. You can recognize an SPF record by its version tag: v=spf1.

6. ➡️ SPF record found? Review the server in the include or IP4/6 tags. Still need the server(s) to be authorized? If not, you can delete the record. Note: Ensure you're 100% certain of the record's origin before deleting or adjusting it.

7. ➡️ Need to keep the record? Add an additional include or IP4/6 tag to the record. Here's an example of an SPF record with multiple includes (and, thus, sending servers) in it: v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com include:sendingserver2.net ~all

Note: SPF records have a 10 DNS lookup limit. If you authorize many sending servers, you may hit this limit. Ensure to remove any unnecessary Includes or IP4/6 tags from your record.

3. Add an SPF record to Namecheap

1. ➡️ While still on the Advanced DNS tab, click on Add to add a new record

2. ➡️ Select TXT as the record’s Type

3. ➡️ Put @ in the Name field

4. ➡️ Add the SPF record to the Value field. For example, if you need to authorize Google’s servers to send from your domain, you may add: v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all

5. ➡️ Click the checkmark to save your record

4. Validate your SPF record

After setting up your SPF record, it’s time to step back a little.

DNS changes can take up to 72 hours to propagate fully.

But don’t worry. Typically, your record will become active in a few hours.

Use a tool like MXToolbox to verify your SPF record.

Select the SPF Record Lookup option, enter your domain, and hit the orange button.

Email Authentication Galore

Setting up an SPF record is an excellent step toward reaching your prospect’s inbox.

However, SPF isn’t the only email authentication protocol you have to implement.

You must also set up your DKIM and DMARC records. Together with SPF, they significantly increase your chances of staying out of the spam folder.

Remember, emails that land in spam won’t convert or generate revenue for your business.