How the DNS Health Score Is Calculated
A health score is only useful if you know what it's actually measuring. Here is the exact scoring behind it — not a rounded-off summary.
The Starting Point
Every domain starts at 100 points. Specific, individually-checked issues subtract from that starting score — there's no complex weighting or normalization underneath it.
The Checks and Their Point Values
| Check | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| No A record | -30 | The domain may not be reachable as a website at all |
| No MX record | -15 | Email may not work — only counted when MX is genuinely absent, not on a lookup error |
| No SPF record | -20 | Checked by looking for v=spf1 in the domain's TXT records |
| No DMARC record | -15 | Checked by looking for v=DMARC1 in the TXT records at _dmarc.<domain> |
| Fewer than 2 nameservers | -10 | A single nameserver is a single point of failure for the whole domain |
How the Letter Grade Is Decided
The final score maps directly to a letter grade: A at 90 or above, B at 80, C at 70, D at 60, and F below that.
One Resolver, Not a Panel
Every check in a report queries the same fixed resolver (Google's 8.8.8.8), not multiple resolvers compared against each other — the score reflects what that one resolver currently sees, not a consensus view.
What It Deliberately Doesn't Check
DNSSEC status, TTL values and whether an MX target actually responds are all outside this score on purpose. It's a fast, opinionated checklist of the most common, highest-impact misconfigurations — not an exhaustive audit.
Run a Health Report
See the theory in practice — run a DNS Health Report for your own domain.