Domain Authentication
The Advanced Settings page has been updated in an effort to make setting up authentication easier. Previously, when setting up your authentication, you needed to create two DNS records to set up DKIM. In the updated authentication method, there are now four DNS records needed.
These are the two additional DNS records required when you authenticate a domain:
Mailserver Domain
Previously, a Mailserver Domain was only available to Enterprise plans but is now available on all Marketing plans. Access to a Mailserver Domain helps you achieve full domain alignment and meet Gmail and Yahoo’s authentication requirements.
DMARC
Gmail and Yahoo require all sending domains to have a basic DMARC record. Creating a basic DMARC record is now a standard part of adding a Sending Domain.
Where did the SPF record go?
Previously, there was an area on the Advanced Settings page to set up SPF. It was removed because the SPF record presented here was unnecessary to complete authentication.
Now, when you set up authentication, your From domain (Mailserver Domain) is part of this standard flow and will cover SPF for all messages.
However, we still encourage clients to set up an additional SPF record on your From domain if you:
- Send to international providers in France, China, or Germany
- Struggle with deliverability to Hotmail/Outlook
- Login to your main dashboard and navigate to Settings > Advanced.
- Type the domain of the email address you'll use to send your emails into the "Enter your domain" field provided.
- Login to your DNS provider (i.e., Godaddy) in a separate window. If you do not know your DNS provider, use this tool.
- Copy and paste the records from the table below into the proper fields in your DNS provider. Your records will look like this:
Most DNS providers will require the following items to set up these DNS records:
Type
Choose the relevant type for each row (CNAME or TXT).
Name or Host
Copy and paste the “Name” for each DNS record, like acdkim1._domainkey (most common) or the full CNAME “Name” like acdkim1._domainkey.mydomain.com (less common). Which one you should use depends on whether your DNS provider automatically adds the domain name to the DNS records you create. If you are unsure which to use, look at the format of other DNS records in your settings (do they include the domain name in the Name or Host field?) or ask your DNS provider.
Value or Record
Copy and paste the “Value” shown for each DNS record.
TTL
TTL means "Time Till Live." Use the recommended or default setting of your DNS host. If there isn't a default setting, we recommend 300 (5 minutes).
This process will vary slightly based on your DNS provider. To find specific instructions for your host, use your preferred search engine to look up "Add CNAME/TXT record at _____," replacing the blank line with your DNS provider.
Typically, the DNS record propagates in 5 to 10 minutes, but in rare cases, it can take up to 24 hours, especially if you recently purchased this domain. To view the status of your DNS record, return to the Advanced Settings page and click “Recheck Authentication” or “View DNS Records.”
Once complete you will see a confirmation message appear. Additionally, you will see a green Authenticated status next to the domain if everything was set up correctly.
If you do not see the green Authenticated status next to the domain, please check that your DNS records are set up correctly. Return to the table, and click “Recheck Authentication” or click “View DNS records” to retrieve the DNS records you need to add.