Cold email domain checker: is this domain ready to send from?
A cold email domain checker tells you whether a sending domain is set up before you warm it up: how old it is, whether it has MX records for replies, an SPF record under the 10-lookup limit, a DKIM key, a DMARC policy and a website or redirect. Each item passes or gets a specific fix. It is a checklist, not a guarantee of inbox placement.
Sample result
getacme.example is almost ready for cold email (85/100): DKIM has no key yet and the domain is 12 days old.
- Domain
- getacme.example
- Checklist score
- 85/100
- SPF lookups
- 1 of 10
What this means for you
Turn on DKIM in your mailbox provider's admin, then warm the inboxes up before full campaigns. Each gap comes with its fix.
- Age, MX, SPF, DKIM, DMARC and website in one run
- Follows every SPF include and counts lookups
- The exact record to add for each gap
- 25 domains per ten minutes, 100 signed in, CSV
- Cold email
- Domain
- Bulk
By SimpleVerifier Team · Last updated
How do I check a domain before sending cold email?
- Enter the domain you'll send from, such as getacme.com, or paste up to 25 domains one per line (100 when signed in with Google).
- Press Check readiness. The registry's RDAP server, public DNS and the domain's home page are each asked once; no email is sent.
- Read the checklist score and the verdict: ready, almost ready or not ready. Every item marked Fix or Fail comes with the exact change to make, such as the SPF or DMARC record to add.
- Fix the gaps, run it again, then warm the inboxes up and verify the list before the first campaign.
Example
- You enter
- The domain
getacme.example, registered 12 days ago, with Google Workspace MX, SPFv=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all, no DKIM key yet and DMARCv=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc@getacme.example, redirecting toacme.example. - You get
- Almost ready, checklist score 85/100: MX, SPF (within the 10-lookup limit), DMARC and the redirect pass. DKIM is marked Fix because no key was found on the common selectors, with the steps to turn it on in the Google Admin console, and the domain is flagged as new, with the fix to warm the inboxes up first.
- Limits
- Up to 25 domains per ten minutes without an account and 100 when signed in with Google. DNS, RDAP and one home page request per domain; no email is sent.
How do I know if my domain is ready for cold email?
Check six things before the first send: the domain can receive replies (MX records), it authorises your mailbox provider with one SPF record that stays within 10 DNS lookups, it signs mail with DKIM, it publishes a DMARC policy, it has a website or a redirect to your main site, and it isn't brand new. This checker reads all six at once.
The first four are requirements. Google's email sender guidelines require SPF and DKIM and a DMARC record of at least p=none from bulk senders, and Yahoo's sender requirements say the same. The last two are good practice rather than published rules, so they count for less in the score.
How is the checklist score worked out?
Each item has a fixed weight: SPF, DKIM and DMARC 20 points each, MX and website 15 each, domain age 10. A pass earns the full weight, an item that needs work earns half, and a missing item or a lookup that didn't answer earns nothing. A domain where SPF, DKIM, DMARC or MX fails is not ready, whatever the score.
The score measures setup, not reputation. Two domains with the same score can land very differently because inbox placement also depends on the list, the content, the volume and each mailbox provider's history with the domain, none of which public DNS shows.
Why does the SPF lookup count matter for cold email?
RFC 7208 limits SPF to 10 DNS lookups across the whole record, includes of includes counted. Over that, receivers return permerror and SPF fails, as if there were no record. Cold email setups often add a sequencer, a CRM and a warm-up tool to SPF, and each include can cost several lookups.
The checker follows every include and reports the total, and flags 9 or 10 as one include away from failing. If it's over 10, remove services that don't send as this domain; the SPF lookup counter shows which include costs the most, and the SPF flattener can turn includes into IP ranges.
How old should a domain be before cold emailing?
No mailbox provider publishes a minimum age. What a new domain lacks is history: providers have nothing to judge it on, so its first sends are watched closely. The checker flags domains under 30 days old as new, our rule of thumb, and the fix is a warm-up, not a wait.
Start with a handful of emails a day per inbox and ramp up over a few weeks; the email warm-up calculator builds the week-by-week schedule. An older domain with a bad history is worse than a new one, so age alone is never a reason to buy an expired domain; see aged and expired domains for cold email.
Does a cold email domain need a website?
It should have one, or redirect to your main site. Recipients who are curious about a sender type the domain into a browser, and a parked page or an error makes the email look like a throwaway. A redirect at your registrar or DNS host is enough; the checker follows it and shows where it lands.
Which checks are required and which are good practice?
| Check | Who asks for it | Weight here |
|---|---|---|
| SPF | Gmail, Yahoo and Microsoft (bulk senders) | 20 |
| DKIM | Gmail, Yahoo and Microsoft (bulk senders) | 20 |
DMARC (at least p=none) | Gmail, Yahoo and Microsoft (bulk senders) | 20 |
| MX for replies | Good practice; bounces and replies need it | 15 |
| Website or redirect | Good practice | 15 |
| Domain age | Good practice; no published minimum | 10 |
Microsoft's requirements apply to Outlook.com consumer mailboxes from May 2025.
Who uses this tool, and for what?
- Cold emailers
- Check every new sending domain after setting up DNS and before warm-up starts, so a missing DKIM key isn't found three weeks in.
- Agencies
- Audit a client's twenty sending domains in one run and send them the CSV with the fix for each gap.
- Domain buyers
- Just bought a domain to send from? Run it after adding the mailbox provider's records to confirm nothing was missed.
- Founders
- Confirm the secondary domain you send outreach from is set up as carefully as the main one.
What can’t this tool tell you?
- It checks setup, not reputation: it can't see blocklist history, complaint rates or how each mailbox provider currently treats the domain.
- DKIM is tried on about 20 common selectors. A sending tool that uses an account-specific selector shows as Fix even when it signs correctly.
- Registration dates come from the TLD's RDAP server. Registries without RDAP (.io, .co and others) show the age as No answer.
- The 30-day new-domain flag and the item weights are our rules of thumb, not published thresholds.
- Up to 25 domains per ten minutes without an account, 100 signed in.
Common questions
- How do I check if my domain is good for cold email?
- Enter it in this checker. It reads the domain's registration date, MX, SPF with its total DNS lookup count, DKIM, DMARC and home page, and lists the exact fix for anything missing.
- Does this guarantee my emails land in the inbox?
- No. It checks setup only. Inbox placement also depends on your list quality, content, sending volume and the domain's history with each mailbox provider.
- Do I need DMARC for cold email?
- Yes. Gmail and Yahoo require bulk senders to publish a DMARC record, and p=none with a rua= report address is enough to meet the requirement.
- What does SPF permerror mean?
- The SPF record couldn't be evaluated, most often because it needs more than 10 DNS lookups once every include is followed. Receivers then treat SPF as failed.
- Why is DKIM marked Fix when I set it up?
- The checker tries the selectors common providers use. Some sending tools give each account its own selector, which can't be listed from DNS; check yours with the DKIM checker and your selector.
- Does this tool send an email from my domain?
- No. It reads public DNS, the registry's RDAP record and the home page. Nothing is sent to or from the domain's mail servers.
- Can I check several sending domains at once?
- Yes. Paste up to 25 domains without an account, or 100 after a Google sign-in, every ten minutes, and download the checklist as CSV.
Sources
Authentication and capacity are half of deliverability.
The other half is who you send to. Every hard bounce counts against the domain and inboxes you are sending from, and nothing in DNS can tell you which addresses on your list are dead.
- Bulk verification with real SMTP mailbox checks
- Hard bounces removed before a send, not discovered after
- Catch-all, disposable and role detection on every row
One plan, cancel anytime, no contract. Sign in with Google and your first 100 email checks are free, no card. The free tools stay free either way.