# Tools by Valley: the full site > Free, single-use GTM tools made by Valley. Each tool does one job, needs no signup, says where it runs, and links to the public source of any rule it checks against. # Free GTM tools. None of them want your email. > Small tools for prospecting, cold email, LinkedIn and pipeline. Paste your work in, get the answer, close the tab. ## Open it, use it, go. Nothing to sign up for. - **No signup.** Open a tool and use it. No account, no email, no trial. - **What you type stays yours.** Most tools run in your browser, so your input never reaches us. A tool that needs our server says what it looks up, and that we don't keep it. - **Rules with sources.** When a tool checks against a rule or a limit, it links to where that rule comes from, and says when we read it. ## The shelves - [01 Data and prospecting](https://tools.joinvalley.co/data-and-prospecting): Check, clean and fill in contact data. - [04 Email outreach](https://tools.joinvalley.co/email-outreach): Set up your domain and stay out of spam. - [06 Outbound planning](https://tools.joinvalley.co/outbound-planning): Size a campaign before you start sending. ## Every tool - [Cold email calculator](https://tools.joinvalley.co/cold-email-calculator): Works back from the meetings you want to the people to contact and emails to send. - [Email spam checker](https://tools.joinvalley.co/email-spam-checker): Scores a cold email out of 100 and flags links, money signs, em dashes and merge tags. - [LinkedIn X-ray search builder](https://tools.joinvalley.co/linkedin-x-ray-search): Builds a Google search that finds LinkedIn profiles by job title, company and city. - [SPF, DKIM and DMARC checker](https://tools.joinvalley.co/spf-dkim-dmarc-checker): Checks a domain's SPF, DKIM and DMARC records against Gmail and Yahoo's sender rules. ## Questions people ask ### Are these tools free? Yes. Every tool on Tools by Valley is free to use, with no trial and no paid tier. ### Do I need to sign up? No. There's no account, no email gate and no login: open a tool and use it. ### Do you keep what I type into a tool? No. Tools that run in your browser never send your input to us, and tools that need our server use it only to answer and don't keep it. Each tool's page says which kind it is. ### Where do the rules a tool checks come from? From public sources. Each tool links to the sources it checks against and says when we read them. ### How do I get more replies to cold emails? Write to fewer people who are more likely to buy, and give each one a reason to reply. Valley finds buyers showing real buying signals and messages them across email and LinkedIn. Customers see 15-45% reply rates, against a category average of about 2%. ### What is Valley? Valley is an AI outbound platform. Valley finds buyers showing real buying signals and messages them across email and LinkedIn. ### Who makes these tools? Valley makes them. Valley finds buyers showing real buying signals and messages them across email and LinkedIn. ## Next step Want replies, not just clean copy? Valley finds buyers showing real buying signals and messages them across email and LinkedIn. [Valley](https://www.joinvalley.co/?utm_source=tools_suite) --- Tools by Valley, made by [Valley](https://www.joinvalley.co/?utm_source=tools_suite). HTML version: https://tools.joinvalley.co/ # Every tool, sorted by the job it does ## 01 Data and prospecting Check, clean and fill in contact data. - [LinkedIn X-ray search builder](https://tools.joinvalley.co/linkedin-x-ray-search): Builds a Google search that finds LinkedIn profiles by job title, company and city. ## 04 Email outreach Set up your domain and stay out of spam. - [Email spam checker](https://tools.joinvalley.co/email-spam-checker): Scores a cold email out of 100 and flags links, money signs, em dashes and merge tags. - [SPF, DKIM and DMARC checker](https://tools.joinvalley.co/spf-dkim-dmarc-checker): Checks a domain's SPF, DKIM and DMARC records against Gmail and Yahoo's sender rules. ## 06 Outbound planning Size a campaign before you start sending. - [Cold email calculator](https://tools.joinvalley.co/cold-email-calculator): Works back from the meetings you want to the people to contact and emails to send. --- Tools by Valley, made by [Valley](https://www.joinvalley.co/?utm_source=tools_suite). HTML version: https://tools.joinvalley.co/catalog # Data and prospecting. Who to contact, and how. > Check, clean and fill in contact data. Shelf 01 (FIND) of the Tools by Valley catalog: https://tools.joinvalley.co/catalog ## Tools - [LinkedIn X-ray search builder](https://tools.joinvalley.co/linkedin-x-ray-search): Builds a Google search that finds LinkedIn profiles by job title, company and city. --- Tools by Valley, made by [Valley](https://www.joinvalley.co/?utm_source=tools_suite). HTML version: https://tools.joinvalley.co/data-and-prospecting # Email outreach. Sending, and landing in the inbox. > Set up your domain and stay out of spam. Shelf 04 (SEND) of the Tools by Valley catalog: https://tools.joinvalley.co/catalog ## Tools - [Email spam checker](https://tools.joinvalley.co/email-spam-checker): Scores a cold email out of 100 and flags links, money signs, em dashes and merge tags. - [SPF, DKIM and DMARC checker](https://tools.joinvalley.co/spf-dkim-dmarc-checker): Checks a domain's SPF, DKIM and DMARC records against Gmail and Yahoo's sender rules. --- Tools by Valley, made by [Valley](https://www.joinvalley.co/?utm_source=tools_suite). HTML version: https://tools.joinvalley.co/email-outreach # Outbound planning. Who, how many and how often. > Size a campaign before you start sending. Shelf 06 (RUN) of the Tools by Valley catalog: https://tools.joinvalley.co/catalog ## Tools - [Cold email calculator](https://tools.joinvalley.co/cold-email-calculator): Works back from the meetings you want to the people to contact and emails to send. --- Tools by Valley, made by [Valley](https://www.joinvalley.co/?utm_source=tools_suite). HTML version: https://tools.joinvalley.co/outbound-planning # Cold email calculator > Works back from the meetings you want to the people to contact and emails to send. Free, no signup. Runs in your browser. Nothing you type is sent to us. **Cold email calculator. Work back from the meetings you want, in seconds, no signup.** Use it at https://tools.joinvalley.co/cold-email-calculator ## How it works It works backwards from the meetings you want. People to contact = meetings ÷ (reply rate × share of replies that are interested × share of those that book). Emails = people × emails per person. Everything runs in your browser, and nothing you type is sent to us. The rates are yours. The page opens on an example so the numbers aren't blank, but it isn't a benchmark: put in what your own sends show, or a guess you can check against them later. It flags two limits Google publishes: 2,000 messages a day per Google Workspace user, counted over a rolling 24 hours, and the bulk sender rules that apply once you send more than 5,000 messages a day to Gmail accounts. Then the infrastructure: mailboxes = emails a day ÷ what one mailbox sends a day (your cap), and domains = mailboxes ÷ mailboxes per domain. Add what a mailbox costs you and it totals the month. The caps are yours to set; we don't recommend a number. The table shows the same goal at other reply rates. Every time the reply rate doubles, the people, emails and mailboxes you need halve, which is why we'd work on who you write to and what you say before sending more. ## Sources - [Google Workspace Help: Gmail sending limits in Google Workspace](https://knowledge.workspace.google.com/admin/gmail/gmail-sending-limits-in-google-workspace) (read 2026-10-15) - [Google's email sender guidelines (Gmail Help)](https://support.google.com/a/answer/81126) (read 2026-10-14) ## Questions people ask ### How many cold emails does it take to book a meeting? Divide 1 by your reply rate times the share of replies that are interested times the share of those that book. With the example's 5%, 40% and 50%, that's 100 people per meeting, or 300 emails at 3 emails per person. ### How do I calculate how many leads I need for outbound? Leads to contact = meetings you want ÷ (reply rate × interested rate × booking rate). For 10 meetings at 5%, 40% and 50%, that's 1,000 people a month. ### How many mailboxes do I need for cold email? Divide the emails you send a day by what one mailbox sends a day. With the example's 150 emails a day and a cap of 30 per mailbox, that's 5 mailboxes, or 3 domains at 2 mailboxes each. The cap is your call; Google Workspace's own limit is 2,000 messages a day per user. ### What is a good cold email reply rate? No mail provider or standards body publishes one, so measure your own. Valley reports 15-45% reply rates, against a category average of about 2%. ### How many emails can I send a day from Google Workspace? Google's help page puts it at 2,000 messages a day per user, 1,500 for mail merge and 500 on a trial account, counted over a rolling 24 hours. We read it on 15 Oct 2026. ### When do Gmail's bulk sender rules apply? When you send more than 5,000 messages a day to Gmail accounts. Google then asks for SPF, DKIM and DMARC, one-click unsubscribe on marketing email, and a spam rate kept under 0.3%. ### Is it better to send more emails or raise my reply rate? Raise the reply rate first. Doubling it halves the people and emails you need for the same meetings, and sending more to the wrong people tends to bring complaints, not replies. That's our view. ### How does the calculator count follow-ups? It counts every email in your sequence for every person, so the email total is a ceiling. People who reply early stop getting follow-ups, so you'll usually send a little less. ### Is this cold email calculator free? Yes. It's free, needs no signup and runs in your browser, so nothing you type is sent to us or stored. ## Related tools - [SPF, DKIM and DMARC checker](https://tools.joinvalley.co/spf-dkim-dmarc-checker): Checks a domain's SPF, DKIM and DMARC records against Gmail and Yahoo's sender rules. - [Email spam checker](https://tools.joinvalley.co/email-spam-checker): Scores a cold email out of 100 and flags links, money signs, em dashes and merge tags. - [LinkedIn X-ray search builder](https://tools.joinvalley.co/linkedin-x-ray-search): Builds a Google search that finds LinkedIn profiles by job title, company and city. ## Next step Want replies, not just clean copy? Valley finds buyers showing real buying signals and messages them across email and LinkedIn. [Valley](https://www.joinvalley.co/?utm_source=tools_suite) Shelf: [06 Outbound planning](https://tools.joinvalley.co/outbound-planning) --- Tools by Valley, made by [Valley](https://www.joinvalley.co/?utm_source=tools_suite). HTML version: https://tools.joinvalley.co/cold-email-calculator # Email spam checker > Scores a cold email out of 100 and flags links, money signs, em dashes and merge tags. Free, no signup. Runs in your browser. Nothing you type is sent to us. **Email spam checker. Score a cold email in seconds, no signup.** Use it at https://tools.joinvalley.co/email-spam-checker ## What it checks - **Links** (Fix · Valley's rule): A first cold email doesn't need a link. Plain domains and email addresses count too, because mail apps turn them into links, and every link is one more thing a spam filter checks. - **Dollar signs and other money symbols** (Fix · Valley's rule): Money symbols make a cold email read like an offer. - **Percentages** (Fix · Valley's rule): Percentages read like a marketing claim in a first email. - **Em dashes** (Fix · Valley's rule): To a lot of readers, an em dash now looks machine-written. - **Unfilled merge tags** (Fix · Valley's rule): A tag like {{first_name}} or [Company] that didn't fill in tells the reader they're one of thousands. - **Unresolved spintax** (Fix · Valley's rule): Spin syntax like {Hi|Hey} sent as written shows the email was mass-produced. - **Exclamation marks** (Fix · Valley's rule): Exclamation marks read as hype in a cold email. - **Emojis** (Fix · Valley's rule): Emojis make a first email look like a newsletter. - **Re: or Fwd: in the subject** (Fix · US law (FTC)): Re: or Fwd: suggests a conversation that didn't happen. The FTC's CAN-SPAM guide says “the subject line must accurately reflect the content of the message.” Fine in a real follow-up in the same thread. - **No subject line** (Fix · Valley's rule): An email with no subject looks like a mistake, or like spam. - **Words in capitals** (Worth a look · Valley's rule): Capitals read as shouting. Short acronyms like CEO or B2B are fine. - **Words that read like an ad** (Worth a look · Valley's rule): Our list of words that make a cold email sound like a promotion. No mail provider publishes a list of banned words, so read these in context. - **Long subject line** (Worth a look · Valley's rule): A short subject looks like a note from a person. Ours stay under 45 characters. - **Long email** (Worth a look · Valley's rule): Ours stay under 125 words, so a first email fits on a phone screen without scrolling. - **A way to opt out** (Worth a look · US law (FTC)): US law asks commercial email, business-to-business included, to tell people how to opt out. The FTC's guide says a return email address counts, so a line asking them to reply works and keeps the email free of links. - **A postal address** (Worth a look · US law (FTC)): The FTC's CAN-SPAM guide says commercial email must include your valid physical postal address. A registered PO box counts. ## How it works It reads your subject line and email in your browser and checks them against 16 things as you type. Nothing you type leaves this page. Most checks are Valley's own rules for cold email that goes out at volume: no links, no money symbols or percentages, no em dashes, no exclamation marks, no merge tags left unfilled. They're how we'd send it, not rules a mail provider publishes, and the page labels each one. Three checks rest on US law. The FTC's CAN-SPAM guide says commercial email, business-to-business included, needs a subject line that matches the message, a way to opt out and a valid postal address. This isn't legal advice. The score starts at 100 and takes 12 off for each thing to fix and 4 for each thing worth a look. It can't see your domain's setup (SPF, DKIM and DMARC), your sending reputation or how many emails you send a day, and those matter too. ## How to keep cold email out of spam. What Gmail and Yahoo ask for, and what we add. Clean wording is one part of it. Where a cold email lands also depends on how your domain is set up, how many people mark it as spam, and how easy it is to say no. Here's what the two biggest inbox providers publish, what US law asks, and the rules we follow on top. ### Set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC. Gmail and Yahoo both ask every sender to set up SPF or DKIM on the sending domain. Google asks anyone sending more than 5,000 messages a day to Gmail accounts for all three of SPF, DKIM and DMARC, and a DMARC policy of none is enough. Yahoo asks its bulk senders for the same, with the From domain aligned to SPF or DKIM. This checker can't see any of that, because it only reads the text. Your domain host or sending tool can tell you whether all three pass. Sources: [Google's email sender guidelines (Gmail Help)](https://support.google.com/a/answer/81126) (read 2026-10-14), [Yahoo's sender requirements and recommendations](https://senders.yahooinc.com/best-practices/) (read 2026-10-14) ### Keep spam complaints under 0.3%. Both providers draw the line at a spam rate of 0.3%: the share of email delivered to the inbox that people mark as spam. Google also recommends staying under 0.1%, and shows the rate in Postmaster Tools. Our view: complaints come from people an email had nothing to do with. Writing to fewer, better-matched people keeps the rate down better than any change of wording. Sources: [Google's email sender guidelines (Gmail Help)](https://support.google.com/a/answer/81126) (read 2026-10-14), [Yahoo's sender requirements and recommendations](https://senders.yahooinc.com/best-practices/) (read 2026-10-14) ### Make it easy to say no. US law asks commercial email, business-to-business included, for a clear way to opt out and a valid postal address. The FTC's guide says a return email address counts as the way out, and that opt-outs must be honoured within 10 business days. This isn't legal advice. Past 5,000 messages a day to Gmail, or as one of Yahoo's bulk senders, marketing email also needs one-click unsubscribe and a visible unsubscribe link in the body, and Yahoo asks for unsubscribes to be honoured within 2 days. If that's you, keep the unsubscribe link, even though this checker flags every link. Sources: [The FTC's CAN-SPAM Act compliance guide for business](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/can-spam-act-compliance-guide-business) (read 2026-10-14), [Google's email sender guidelines (Gmail Help)](https://support.google.com/a/answer/81126) (read 2026-10-14), [Yahoo's sender requirements and recommendations](https://senders.yahooinc.com/best-practices/) (read 2026-10-14) ### Don't dress it up as something else. Google's guidelines say not to put Re: or Fwd: on a subject unless the email really is a reply or a forward, to keep links visible and easy to understand, and not to hide content with HTML or CSS. The FTC's guide says the subject line must reflect what the message is about, and the From line must say who sent it. Sources: [Google's email sender guidelines (Gmail Help)](https://support.google.com/a/answer/81126) (read 2026-10-14), [The FTC's CAN-SPAM Act compliance guide for business](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/can-spam-act-compliance-guide-business) (read 2026-10-14) ### Write it like one person to another. The checker's other rules are Valley's own, for cold email that goes out at volume: no links, no money symbols or percentages, no em dashes, no exclamation marks or emojis, and every merge tag filled in. No provider publishes these. They're the rules we write by, and the checker labels each one as ours. And the best-written email still needs the right reader. Valley finds, researches and writes to the people most likely to buy from you. [Valley](https://www.joinvalley.co/?utm_source=tools_suite) ## Sources - [The FTC's CAN-SPAM Act compliance guide for business](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/can-spam-act-compliance-guide-business) (read 2026-10-14) - [Google's email sender guidelines (Gmail Help)](https://support.google.com/a/answer/81126) (read 2026-10-14) - [Yahoo's sender requirements and recommendations](https://senders.yahooinc.com/best-practices/) (read 2026-10-14) ## Questions people ask ### What does this email spam checker check? It checks a cold email's subject and body for 16 things, including links, dollar signs, percentages, em dashes, unfilled merge tags, exclamation marks and words that read like an ad, and scores it out of 100. ### Is there an official list of spam trigger words? No. No mail provider publishes a list of banned words, so the checker treats wording as worth a look and keeps its hard rules to things like links, money symbols and merge tags. ### Why shouldn't a cold email have links? A first cold email doesn't need one, and every link is one more thing a spam filter checks. If someone wants to see more, they'll reply. ### Why no em dashes in a cold email? To a lot of readers an em dash now looks machine-written. A full stop or a comma does the same job. ### Does a cold email need an unsubscribe link? US law asks for a way to opt out, and the FTC's guide says a return email address counts, so a line asking people to reply works without a link. This isn't legal advice. ### Is my email sent anywhere? No. The checks run in your browser, and nothing you type is sent to us or stored. ### What should I do once my email passes? Send it to people who are likely to care. Valley finds buyers showing real buying signals and messages them across email and LinkedIn. ### Does a high score mean my email will land in the inbox? No. The score shows how closely the email follows these checks. Inbox placement also depends on your domain setup, sending reputation and volume, which a text check can't see. ## Related tools - [SPF, DKIM and DMARC checker](https://tools.joinvalley.co/spf-dkim-dmarc-checker): Checks a domain's SPF, DKIM and DMARC records against Gmail and Yahoo's sender rules. ## Next step Want replies, not just clean copy? Valley finds buyers showing real buying signals and messages them across email and LinkedIn. [Valley](https://www.joinvalley.co/?utm_source=tools_suite) Shelf: [04 Email outreach](https://tools.joinvalley.co/email-outreach) --- Tools by Valley, made by [Valley](https://www.joinvalley.co/?utm_source=tools_suite). HTML version: https://tools.joinvalley.co/email-spam-checker # LinkedIn X-ray search builder > Builds a Google search that finds LinkedIn profiles by job title, company and city. Free, no signup. Runs in your browser. Nothing you type is sent to us. **LinkedIn X-ray search builder. Find people through Google, in seconds, no signup.** Use it at https://tools.joinvalley.co/linkedin-x-ray-search ## LinkedIn X-ray search examples. Seven searches you can run as they are. Each one is a search string this builder writes. Run it as it is, or swap in your own titles, company and city above. ### Everyone at one company **When:** You know the account and want to see who works there. **Note:** The company name matches anywhere on a profile, so people who used to work there show up too. Search: > site:linkedin.com/in "Stripe" [Run it on Google](https://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Alinkedin.com%2Fin%20%22Stripe%22) ### Decision makers at a company **When:** You know the account and the roles that buy. **Note:** List every title the buyer might use. They're joined with OR, so any one of them matches. Search: > site:linkedin.com/in ("VP Sales" OR "Head of Sales" OR "Chief Revenue Officer") "Stripe" [Run it on Google](https://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Alinkedin.com%2Fin%20(%22VP%20Sales%22%20OR%20%22Head%20of%20Sales%22%20OR%20%22Chief%20Revenue%20Officer%22)%20%22Stripe%22) ### One role in one city **When:** You sell to a role, in a region. **Note:** Add the city as people write it on their profile. Try the metro area name too. Search: > site:linkedin.com/in "Account Executive" "Austin" [Run it on Google](https://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Alinkedin.com%2Fin%20%22Account%20Executive%22%20%22Austin%22) ### Founders in a market **When:** You sell to founder-led companies in one space. **Note:** A market word like fintech has to appear on the profile, so try a few spellings. Search: > site:linkedin.com/in ("Founder" OR "Co-founder") "fintech" [Run it on Google](https://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Alinkedin.com%2Fin%20(%22Founder%22%20OR%20%22Co-founder%22)%20%22fintech%22) ### Leave out recruiters and job seekers **When:** Your results fill up with people who talk about the role instead of doing it. **Note:** Each word after a minus sign is left out of the results. Search: > site:linkedin.com/in "Head of Sales" -recruiter -"open to work" -hiring [Run it on Google](https://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Alinkedin.com%2Fin%20%22Head%20of%20Sales%22%20-recruiter%20-%22open%20to%20work%22%20-hiring) ### Posts about a topic **When:** You want people talking about the problem you solve right now. **Note:** Where a search engine has indexed posts on the topic, this finds the conversation, not just profiles. Search: > site:linkedin.com/posts "cold email" [Run it on Google](https://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Alinkedin.com%2Fposts%20%22cold%20email%22) ### Company pages in a niche **When:** You're building an account list before you look for people. **Note:** An industry word and a city narrow it down, as long as the company page mentions them. Search: > site:linkedin.com/company "Berlin" "logistics" [Run it on Google](https://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Alinkedin.com%2Fcompany%20%22Berlin%22%20%22logistics%22) ## How it works It turns what you type into one search: site: keeps the results to LinkedIn, quotes keep each title, company and city together as an exact phrase, and a minus sign leaves a word out. Google's help page documents all three. Several job titles are joined with OR, so any one of them can match. Microsoft documents OR for Bing; Google's help page doesn't list it, so if a search looks off, try one title at a time. Nothing you type is sent to us. The search goes to Google or Bing only when you press the button, and it runs there, never on LinkedIn. X-ray search only finds what LinkedIn shows to search engines. LinkedIn lets members turn their public profile, or parts of it, off for search tools, and says changes can take weeks or months to show up in search results. ## Sources - [Google Search Help: Refine Google searches](https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/2466433) (read 2026-10-15) - [Microsoft Support: Advanced search keywords (Bing)](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/advanced-search-keywords-ea595928-5d63-4a0b-9c6b-0b769865e78a) (read 2026-10-15) - [LinkedIn Help: LinkedIn public profile visibility](https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/a518980) (read 2026-10-15) ## Questions people ask ### What is LinkedIn X-ray search? LinkedIn X-ray search is a Google or Bing search limited to LinkedIn with the site: operator, like site:linkedin.com/in "Head of Sales" "London". It finds public LinkedIn profiles without searching inside LinkedIn. ### How do I find employees of a company on LinkedIn? Search Google for site:linkedin.com/in and the company name in quotes, then add job titles to narrow it down, like site:linkedin.com/in "Stripe" ("Head of Sales" OR "VP Sales"). The company name matches anywhere on a profile, so check each result is a current employee. ### How do I find a company's employees on LinkedIn ethically? Search only what people have made public, which is all X-ray search can see, then contact the few who fit with a reason that's about them, and stop when someone says no. That's our view, not a rule anyone publishes. ### Why doesn't X-ray search find everyone? Because it only sees what LinkedIn shows to search engines. LinkedIn's help page says members can turn their public profile off for search tools, and that changes can take weeks or months to reach Google or Bing. ### Does LinkedIn X-ray search work on Bing? Yes. Microsoft documents site: and OR for Bing, and this builder has a Bing button. Results can differ between the two, so it's worth running the same search on both. ### Do I need Sales Navigator for X-ray search? No. The search runs on Google or Bing, so it needs no LinkedIn seat. LinkedIn shows people who aren't signed in a simplified public profile, so you may need to sign in to see someone's full profile. ### Is this LinkedIn X-ray search builder free? Yes. It's free, needs no signup and runs in your browser. Nothing you type is sent to us; the search goes to Google or Bing only when you press the button. ### What should I do once I've found the right people? Write to each one with a reason that's about them, not a template. Valley finds buyers showing real buying signals and messages them across email and LinkedIn. ## Related tools - [Cold email calculator](https://tools.joinvalley.co/cold-email-calculator): Works back from the meetings you want to the people to contact and emails to send. - [Email spam checker](https://tools.joinvalley.co/email-spam-checker): Scores a cold email out of 100 and flags links, money signs, em dashes and merge tags. ## Next step Want replies, not just clean copy? Valley finds buyers showing real buying signals and messages them across email and LinkedIn. [Valley](https://www.joinvalley.co/?utm_source=tools_suite) Shelf: [01 Data and prospecting](https://tools.joinvalley.co/data-and-prospecting) --- Tools by Valley, made by [Valley](https://www.joinvalley.co/?utm_source=tools_suite). HTML version: https://tools.joinvalley.co/linkedin-x-ray-search # SPF, DKIM and DMARC checker > Checks a domain's SPF, DKIM and DMARC records against Gmail and Yahoo's sender rules. Free, no signup. We look this up and don't keep it. **SPF, DKIM and DMARC checker. Check a sending domain in seconds, no signup.** Use it at https://tools.joinvalley.co/spf-dkim-dmarc-checker ## What it checks - **An SPF record** (Gmail and Yahoo): Gmail and Yahoo ask every sender to set up SPF or DKIM, and bulk senders to set up both. - **Only one SPF record** (RFC 7208): A domain must not publish more than one SPF record. With two, SPF returns a permanent error. - **SPF within 10 DNS lookups** (RFC 7208): include, a, mx, ptr, exists and redirect each cost a lookup, and so does everything inside an include. Past 10, SPF returns a permanent error. - **Every SPF include works** (Microsoft): An include that doesn't resolve, or points to a domain with no SPF record, makes SPF fail. - **An SPF record that ends in ~all or -all** (RFC 7208, Google, Microsoft): +all lets any server pass as you. ~all and -all tell receivers what to do with servers you didn't list: Google recommends ~all, Microsoft -all. - **No ptr in SPF** (RFC 7208): The SPF standard says the ptr mechanism should not be published. - **A DMARC record** (Gmail and Yahoo): Gmail asks for DMARC from 5,000 messages a day to Gmail accounts, and Yahoo asks its bulk senders. A policy of none is enough. - **Only one DMARC record** (RFC 9989): If a domain publishes more than one DMARC record, receivers discard them all. - **A valid DMARC policy** (RFC 9989): p= is required, and has to be none, quarantine or reject. - **DMARC reports go somewhere** (RFC 9989): rua= is optional, but without it nobody sends you the reports that show who sends as your domain. - **No retired DMARC tags** (RFC 9989): The current DMARC standard removed the pct tag. - **A DKIM key** (Gmail and Yahoo): Bulk senders need DKIM at Gmail and Yahoo. We try the common selectors; give us yours if it's different. - **No revoked DKIM key** (RFC 6376): A DKIM key record with an empty p= means the key has been revoked. - **A 2048-bit DKIM key** (Google): Google says to pick 2048-bit keys if your DNS host supports them, because longer keys are more secure. ## SPF, DKIM and DMARC record examples. What each one looks like, and where it goes. Publish each as a TXT record at your DNS host. Each example says who documents it. ### SPF for Google Workspace **Host:** @ (the domain itself) **Source:** Google's own example for domains that send only through Google Workspace. Google recommends ~all. TXT record: > v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all ### SPF for Microsoft 365 **Host:** @ **Source:** Microsoft's example for domains that send only through Microsoft 365. Microsoft recommends -all, alongside DKIM and DMARC. TXT record: > v=spf1 include:spf.protection.outlook.com -all ### SPF with another sending service **Host:** @ **Note:** One record, every sender in it. Use the include value your service documents; this one is a placeholder. TXT record: > v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com include:_spf.example-sender.com ~all ### SPF for a domain that never sends email **Host:** @ **Source:** Microsoft's record for parked domains: no server may send as this domain. TXT record: > v=spf1 -all ### DMARC to start with **Host:** _dmarc **Note:** p=none asks receivers to take no action, and Gmail and Yahoo accept it. Reports show you who sends as your domain. TXT record: > v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc@acme.com ### DMARC that rejects spoofed mail **Host:** _dmarc **Note:** Once the reports show all your real mail passing, reject asks receivers to refuse mail that fails. TXT record: > v=DMARC1; p=reject; rua=mailto:dmarc@acme.com ### DKIM key from Google Workspace **Host:** google._domainkey (google is Google's default selector) **Note:** Google generates the key in the Admin console; you publish it. The key below is shortened. TXT record: > v=DKIM1; k=rsa; p=MIIBIjANBgkqhkiG9w0BAQEFAAOCAQ8AMIIBCgKCAQEA… ## How it works It looks up the domain's SPF, DMARC and MX records, tries the common DKIM selectors (or yours), and follows every SPF include to count DNS lookups. The lookups run on our server through Cloudflare's public DNS resolver; we don't keep the domain or the results. Each check names its source: the SPF, DKIM and DMARC standards (RFC 7208, RFC 6376 and RFC 9989, which replaced RFC 7489), Gmail's and Yahoo's sender requirements, and Google's and Microsoft's setup guides. It can only see DKIM keys at selectors it knows. If yours isn't found, look for s= in the DKIM-Signature header of an email you've sent and check again with it. Records that pass don't guarantee the inbox: complaints, content and how many people you write to matter too. The email spam checker covers the content. ## Sources - [RFC 7208: Sender Policy Framework (SPF)](https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc7208) (read 2026-10-15) - [RFC 6376: DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) Signatures](https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc6376) (read 2026-10-15) - [RFC 9989: Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance (DMARC)](https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc9989) (read 2026-10-15) - [Google's email sender guidelines (Gmail Help)](https://support.google.com/a/answer/81126) (read 2026-10-14) - [Yahoo's sender requirements and recommendations](https://senders.yahooinc.com/best-practices/) (read 2026-10-14) - [Google Workspace Help: Set up SPF](https://knowledge.workspace.google.com/admin/security/set-up-spf) (read 2026-10-15) - [Google Workspace Help: Set up DKIM](https://knowledge.workspace.google.com/admin/security/set-up-dkim) (read 2026-10-15) - [Microsoft Learn: Set up SPF for your Microsoft 365 domain](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/defender-office-365/email-authentication-spf-configure) (read 2026-10-15) - [Microsoft Learn: How to use DKIM for email in your custom domain](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/defender-office-365/email-authentication-dkim-configure) (read 2026-10-15) ## Questions people ask ### What is an SPF record? An SPF record is a DNS TXT record, starting v=spf1, that lists the servers allowed to send email for a domain. Receivers check it to see whether a message came from one of them (RFC 7208). ### What is DKIM? DKIM signs each email with a private key, and the domain publishes the matching public key in DNS at {selector}._domainkey.{domain}, so receivers can check the signature (RFC 6376). ### What is DMARC? DMARC is a DNS TXT record at _dmarc.{domain} that tells receivers what to do with mail that fails authentication (none, quarantine or reject) and where to send reports (RFC 9989). ### Do I need SPF, DKIM and DMARC to send cold email? Gmail and Yahoo ask every sender for SPF or DKIM. Send more than 5,000 messages a day to Gmail accounts and Google asks for all three, with a DMARC policy of at least none; Yahoo asks the same of its bulk senders. ### Which DMARC policy should I start with? p=none. Gmail and Yahoo accept it, it asks receivers to take no action, and the reports show who sends as your domain. Move to quarantine or reject once the reports show all your real mail passing; that last part is our view. ### What does 'too many DNS lookups' mean for SPF? SPF allows at most 10 DNS lookups. include, a, mx, ptr, exists and redirect each cost one, and so does everything inside an include. Past 10, SPF fails with a permanent error (RFC 7208). ### Can a domain have two SPF records? No. A domain must not publish more than one SPF record, and with two, SPF returns a permanent error (RFC 7208). Merge every sender into one record. ### Should my SPF record end in ~all or -all? Both are valid. Google recommends ~all for Google Workspace; Microsoft recommends -all for Microsoft 365, alongside DKIM and DMARC. ### How do I find my DKIM selector? Open an email you've sent, view its original headers, and find the DKIM-Signature header: the selector is its s= value (RFC 6376). Google Workspace's default selector is google; Microsoft 365 uses selector1 and selector2. ### Do you keep the domains I check? No. We look the records up through Cloudflare's public DNS resolver and don't store the domain or what we found. ### My records pass. Why do my emails still land in spam? Authentication gets your email considered; complaints and content decide the rest. Check the email itself with the email spam checker, and write to fewer, better-matched people. Valley finds buyers showing real buying signals and messages them across email and LinkedIn. ## Related tools - [Email spam checker](https://tools.joinvalley.co/email-spam-checker): Scores a cold email out of 100 and flags links, money signs, em dashes and merge tags. - [Cold email calculator](https://tools.joinvalley.co/cold-email-calculator): Works back from the meetings you want to the people to contact and emails to send. ## Next step Want replies, not just clean copy? Valley finds buyers showing real buying signals and messages them across email and LinkedIn. [Valley](https://www.joinvalley.co/?utm_source=tools_suite) Shelf: [04 Email outreach](https://tools.joinvalley.co/email-outreach) --- Tools by Valley, made by [Valley](https://www.joinvalley.co/?utm_source=tools_suite). HTML version: https://tools.joinvalley.co/spf-dkim-dmarc-checker # Made by Valley. For the small jobs around outbound. Tools by Valley is a set of free, single-use tools for go-to-market work: prospecting, cold email, LinkedIn, pipeline and the wiring between them. Each one does one job. None ask you to sign up. We build them for the jobs that don't need a platform. When a tool checks your work against a rule, it links to where that rule comes from and says when we read it. ## Who makes them Valley is an AI outbound platform that finds the people most likely to buy from you - from live buying signals, natural-language search, or your own lists - qualifies them against your ICP, researches each one, and sends personalized messages across email and LinkedIn that get 15-45% reply rates, against a category average of about 2%. [Valley](https://www.joinvalley.co/?utm_source=tools_suite) ## Get in touch Write to hey@joinvalley.co. --- Tools by Valley, made by [Valley](https://www.joinvalley.co/?utm_source=tools_suite). HTML version: https://tools.joinvalley.co/about # Privacy. What happens to what you type. Updated 2026-10-26. ## What you type into a tool Tools that run in your browser never send your input to us. Tools that need our server say so on their page; they use your input only to give you the answer, and we don't keep it. ## Cookies We don't set cookies ourselves. DataFast, our analytics provider, sets a first-party visitor ID cookie on joinvalley.co so a visit that spans Valley's sites counts once. No advertising or cross-site tracking cookies. ## What we count When a Valley button appears on screen or is clicked, we count it, with the page it was on. We store no IP address, no cookie and nothing that identifies you. ## Analytics We use DataFast, a privacy-friendly analytics service shared with joinvalley.co, to see which pages people visit and how they move between Valley's sites. It records pages viewed, referrer, country and device type. It never sees what you type into a tool. ## Links to Valley Links to joinvalley.co carry tags (utm_source=tools) so Valley can see that a visit came from here. ## Our host Cloudflare hosts the site and processes each request to deliver it. Cloudflare's privacy policy: https://www.cloudflare.com/privacypolicy/ ## Questions Write to hey@joinvalley.co. --- Tools by Valley, made by [Valley](https://www.joinvalley.co/?utm_source=tools_suite). HTML version: https://tools.joinvalley.co/privacy