Sitecomb research · October 2026
85.0% of the Irish small-business websites we checked didn't pass our email-impersonation check
In our sample of 675, only 14.9% have the record that tells inboxes to reject or quarantine fake emails sent in their name.
The Sitecomb research team
In October we checked 919 Irish small-business websites, drawn from OpenStreetMap across 14 towns and 8 kinds of business. Three things stood out.
1. Most businesses can have fake emails sent in their name
On 5–6 Oct 2026, 85.0% of the businesses in our sample whose website is on its own web address didn't pass our email-impersonation check.
Only 101 of 675 had the record (called DMARC) that tells inboxes like Gmail and Outlook to block emails that pretend to come from them.
Why it matters: without it, it is much easier for anyone to send an email that looks like it came from your business.
- That's one way fake invoices and “we've changed our bank details” emails reach your customers.
- Big email providers increasingly expect it from senders.
2. Trades were the least protected
Only 1 of the 50 trades businesses we checked (plumbers, electricians, builders and the like) had this protection.
Professional services were the best protected, at 28.2% (33 of 117).
- Trades2.0% (1 of 50)
- Food and drink10.4% (15 of 144)
- Health12.5% (15 of 120)
- Community14.8% (4 of 27)
- Shops15.9% (18 of 113)
- Education18.4% (12 of 65)
- Professional services28.2% (33 of 117)
Sitecomb research, checked 5–6 Oct 2026. © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Beauty is not shown: the group is too small to publish fairly.
3. About 1 in 13 websites in our sample lead nowhere
7.9% of the business websites in our sample (73 of 919) no longer exist: the address doesn't lead anywhere.
A business can lose customers this way without knowing it: the listing still sends people to a dead address.
Every town shown falls well short
Protection varies about twofold between the towns shown. In none of them are most businesses protected.
- Cork10.7% (13 of 121)
- Dublin14.5% (16 of 110)
- Ennis14.2% (4 of 28)
- Galway22.7% (15 of 66)
- Kilkenny13.9% (11 of 79)
- Waterford23.4% (15 of 64)
- Wexford14.2% (11 of 77)
Sitecomb research, checked 5–6 Oct 2026. © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Seven of the 14 towns are shown. The other seven are groups too small to show a fair share.
How to fix it (usually quick, and often free)
- Ask whoever runs your email (Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, your web host) to turn on SPF and DKIM for your domain.
- Then add a DMARC record, starting with monitoring only, and move it to “quarantine” once your real emails pass.
- Re-check after a day.
Is your email protected?
Sitecomb tells you whether inboxes are told to block fake email in your name.
Check your site freeHow we checked
- 919 Irish small-business websites, drawn from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL).
- From 14 towns and 8 kinds of business, checked one at a time by Sitecomb's engine on 5–6 Oct 2026.
- 688 could be scored; 116 blocked automated checks, 93 were down or no longer exist, and 22 didn't load.
- Sites we couldn't check are never counted as passing or failing.
- Groups under 20 sites aren't broken down by type, and small groups with very high or very low shares are held back.
- The email check covers only sites on their own domain (675).
- OpenStreetMap lists the businesses that mappers have added, not every business in Ireland.
No business is named in this research. If you own a site in the sample and want it left out of the next update, email hello@sitecomb.com.
For journalists: the numbers may be quoted, and the charts reused, with a link to this page. Contact: hello@sitecomb.com.