At a glance
Its easy to configure DNS records and the impact on your welcome emails is huge! In this article you find all the information needed for the authentication of your domain.
Quicklinks
Why set up the authentication?
Who can do the authentication?
How does the authentication work?
Why set up the authentication?
SPF (Sender Policy Framework) & DKIM (Domain Keys Identified Mail) are authentication systems that tell Internet Service Providers (ISPs), like Gmail and Yahoo, that incoming mail has been sent from an authorized system, and that it is not spam.
Once set up, SPF & DKIM will help the deliverability of your welcome emails – meaning your emails have a better chance of being delivered to the supporters inbox and not their spam folder.
Who can do the authentication?
As you need to configure your domain for SPF & DKIM authentication, it can only be done on custom domains or domains that you own. It also means SPF & DKIM authentication cannot be done for free webmail accounts like Google, Yahoo, and Hotmail.
How does the authentication work?
DKIM allows for a unique signature to be added to the message header for each email you send. This signature is specific for your domain and is generated by a private key. The corresponding public key is added to a DNS record for your domain.
When an email server receives the welcome email, it checks the public key to determine if your private key was used to generate the email signature. If your private key was not used, the email is considered to be a phishing or spam attempt.
Setup step by step
1. Access DNS records
You will need access to your DNS records in your domain hosting account (GoDaddy, 1&1, HostGator, OVH, ….). If you cannot find, or do not have access to your DNS records, please contact your domain hosting provider for assistance.
2. Get SPF & DKIM DNS records from Formunauts
We will provide you with the SPF & DKIM values. Please write us a short email to support@formunauts.com
3. Add Values to DNS records
To authenticate your domain, you will need to copy the SPF & DKIM values to set up the SPF & DKIM DNS records in your hosting account.
Log into your hosting account or where your DNS records can be accessed. Go to the section where you can create and view your DNS records. (If you are unsure where to find your DNS records, please contact your hosting provider for assistance.)
Here is a short checklist to configure the DNS records:
SPF:
- SPF is a TXT record
- Only one SPF record for your domain
- Host Name ends with a period
- Depending on your domain host, double quotes may be needed around the TXT value
DKIM:
- DKIM is a TXT record
- Multiple DKIM records can exist for your domain
- Host Name ends with a period
.
- Some providers may require double quotes around the TXT value
.
4. Check your DNS Status with Formunauts
Once you have completed and saved your SPF & DKIM records. We will check the DNS status for you. It may take up to 24 hours for your DNS changes to reach the Mailjet system. We will give you the status update as soon as possible. If the authentication is not working after 24 hours, we will recommend checking the DNS record checklist above or to contact your domain host provider for further assistance.
With the authentication, it will be much more likely that your welcome emails get delivered to the inbox of your supporters!
Further reading
Mailjet
Authenticating Domains with SPF & DKIM
Comments
0 comments
Please sign in to leave a comment.