GoDaddy SPF record
GoDaddy’s email platform uses secureserver.net. Many domains carry this include long after they have migrated their mailboxes to Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace — a dead include that still burns lookups.
The SPF include for GoDaddy
Authorize GoDaddy by adding its mechanism to your single SPF TXT record:
v=spf1 include:secureserver.net ~allApproximate lookup cost: 3 DNS lookup(s). Remember you have a budget of 10 total across every sender in the record.
Provider include values change occasionally. Confirm the current value in your
GoDaddy admin console before publishing, and never create a second
v=spf1 record — a domain may have only one.
Combine all senders into one record:
v=spf1 include:spf.protection.outlook.com include:secureserver.net ~allIf you no longer send mail through GoDaddy, this is a prime candidate to prune. Removing a legacy secureserver.net include is one of the most common ways to get back under the limit for free.
When adding GoDaddy pushes you over the limit
Every include you stack — your mailbox provider, this one, a marketing tool, a
help desk — adds to the same 10-lookup budget. The moment recursive expansion crosses
10, receivers return permerror and your SPF stops
passing. You cannot shrink the nested provider records, so the durable fix is to
flatten the record or move to a
single-lookup macro that stays in sync automatically.
Frequently asked questions
What is the SPF include for GoDaddy?
include:secureserver.net to your single SPF record, e.g. v=spf1 include:secureserver.net ~all. Verify the current value in your GoDaddy admin console.How many DNS lookups does it use?
Can I have a separate SPF record just for this provider?
v=spf1) record. Publishing two causes a permerror. Merge every sender into a single record.