How to Set Up DMARC for GoDaddy | SimpleDMARC

Why GoDaddy Needs Its Own Walkthrough

GoDaddy is a domain registrar, not an email platform — most GoDaddy domains actually send mail through something else entirely: Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, or GoDaddy's own Email & Office product. GoDaddy just hosts the DNS. That distinction matters, because your SPF setup depends entirely on which one applies to you.

The other thing worth knowing upfront: GoDaddy's DNS panel has one specific quirk that breaks more DMARC setups than anything else on this list. It's fixable in ten seconds once you know what to look for.

Start with p=none. You want visibility before enforcement, same as anywhere else.

Step 1Generating Your DMARC Record

Create a TXT record in monitor mode:

v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc-reports@yourdomain.com; ruf=mailto:dmarc-reports@yourdomain.com; fo=1; adkim=r; aspf=r; pct=100

p=none means nothing gets blocked yet — you're just watching. rua and ruf are where reports land. Keep alignment relaxed (adkim=r, aspf=r) while you're still working out what's actually sending mail as your domain.

Step 2Publish the Record in GoDaddy's DNS Panel

Go to My Products → your domain → DNS → Add Record. Select TXT.

Paste the full record value, leave TTL on Automatic, and save. GoDaddy's panel sometimes takes a minute or two to visually reflect the change even after it's actually saved — don't assume it failed if it doesn't show up instantly.

Step 3Configure SPF for Your Real Email Provider

Confirm which service actually sends your mail before touching SPF. If it's Microsoft 365:

v=spf1 include:spf.protection.outlook.com ~all

If it's Google Workspace:

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

If it's GoDaddy's own Email & Office product:

v=spf1 include:secureserver.net ~all

Step 4Enable DKIM

DKIM setup depends on your email provider, not GoDaddy — GoDaddy's DNS panel just hosts whatever record your provider requires. Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace each have their own DKIM generation process in their respective admin consoles; if you're using GoDaddy's own email, DKIM setup happens in the Email & Office control panel instead.

Step 5Wait for Enforcement (Monitor First)

Give it one to two weeks before changing your policy. Watch your reports for:

• Anything failing that you don't recognize
• Legitimate senders that need adding to SPF
• How much of your mail already passes cleanly

Once you're confident, move to p=quarantine, then p=reject, by updating the same record.

Step 6Verify Your Setup

• Run a DMARC Checker — this will immediately flag a malformed Name field if that's the issue
• Confirm SPF with the SPF Checker
• Send a real test message and check the authentication headers on the receiving end.