Email authentication is essential for ensuring that your marketing messages are delivered safely and reliably to your subscribers’ inboxes.
By setting up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records, you prove to receiving servers that your emails are authorized by your brand and are not malicious.
Setting up authentication early protects your sending reputation and helps avoid deliverability problems down the line.

How SPF, DKIM, and DMARC Work

Each authentication method serves a unique purpose:

• SPF (Sender Policy Framework) verifies that your sending IP addresses are allowed to send on behalf of your domain.

• DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) ensures your email content has not been tampered with during transit.

• DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) provides instructions to receiving servers on how to handle emails that fail SPF and DKIM checks.

These records, when properly set up, work together to build trust with ISPs and email clients. For detailed information about these technologies, see Mimecast's deep-dive here.

Why Email Authentication Matters

Delivra does not block sending if your domain authentication is incomplete. However, unauthenticated domains are at significantly higher risk of emails being filtered into spam folders, blocked, or quarantined.
Additionally, starting in 2024, major providers like Google and Yahoo require authenticated domains to avoid delivery disruptions.

Authentication helps:

• Improve inbox placement

• Protect your brand reputation

• Reduce the number of contacts that get moved into "Held" status

• Meet current industry standards and requirements

Email Authentication Indicators in Delivra

During the Setup step of creating a campaign, you’ll notice authentication indicators next to the “Sender Name and Address” field.
These indicators quickly show whether SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are correctly published for your domain:

• Green checkmark: Authentication is properly configured

• Yellow/Red warning: Authentication is missing or incorrect

For best results, ensure all indicators are green before sending.

Example of passing authentication indicators:

How to Set Up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC

We've put together a full guide on how to authenticate your domain:
➡️ View setup instructions and FAQs here

You will need to:

1. Access your DNS management platform (e.g., GoDaddy, Google Domains, Cloudflare).

2. Add the necessary TXT records for SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.

3. Allow time for DNS changes to propagate (usually up to 48 hours).

Helpful Links for Common DNS Providers

If your DNS host is not listed above, please check their Help Center for specific steps.

Common Issues and Troubleshooting

• SPF record too long: Combine multiple SPF entries where possible to stay under the 255-character limit.

• DKIM mismatch: Double-check that you have correctly copied the public key from Delivra into your DNS.

• No DMARC policy: Even a simple "none" policy is better than none at all to monitor your domain.

Need more help? Our full Email Authentication FAQ has troubleshooting tips.

Getting Help

If you have any questions or run into any trouble setting up your email authentication, email our Support team at support@delivra.com.