You can send campaigns and automations that include your own domain email address in the footer. I showed you how in a previous article about sender details.
It's a great feature, and I'm delighted with the feedback, but here's the thing. To protect and improve your delivery rates, you really need to authenticate your domain with DKIM. Read on.
What is DKIM?
DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) is a security tool to prevent spam and spoofs. When enabled, the sending email server adds an encrypted key to each outgoing email. The receiving server uses a public key created by the sending domain to verify the message. If the keys match, the message is considered authentic.
Here's a use case. Let's say you update the tinyAlbert sender details and enter the email address for a business called Tinyavacado (tinyavacado.com). Your business uses tinyAlbert to send email marketing campaigns. Without DKIM setup for your domain, your sending domain will look like it's coming via one of tinyEmail's delivery domains. On the surface, that mismatch of domain names might look fishy to an unsuspecting receiving server.
Say your sender identity is [email protected]. If you set up DKIM with tinyAlbert, instead of your emails showing something like the following, it will all be your domain.
[email protected] mailed-by:tec35.com, Signed by: tinyemail.com
Why is authenticating your domain important?
Internet Service Providers, (ISPs) like Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft scan email for spam and spoofed addresses. They use DKIM authentication to inspect emails and decide whether they are spam or not spam. Authenticated emails are less likely to be sent to spam or junk folders.
Spam filters and ISPs look at links in emails to decide if the message is legit and should be delivered. By setting up DKIM authentication for your domain, the chances of your emails landing in the subscriber's Inbox increase.
Big email service providers like Google and Yahoo are taking steps to reduce the amount of spam that their users receive. Among those actions, one is directly related to tinyAlbert customers: you must authenticate your sender domain by enabling a DKIM record. The Google/Yahoo deadline was February 2024. If your DKIM is not set up after that, Google and Yahoo won't deliver your emails.
Authenticate your domain with DKIM signing
Authenticating your domain with tinyAlbert is relatively simple. Complete two steps.
Set up the correct records with your domain registrar.
Self-sign on our site.
Step 1: Set up a DKIM with your domain registrar
If you own a domain and use it to send messages from tinyAlbert, create a DKIM for the domain.
If you don't own a domain, contact our support team, and we'll figure something out.
You should add the following CNAME records to your DNS settings:
HOST: tec1._domainkey VALUE: tec1.dkim.tinyemail.com
Here are some guides on how to set up DNS records for common domain registrars:
Shopify: Learn how to add a CNAME record to your store.
Amazon Web Services: Configuring DNS, Resource Record Types
Dreamhost: DNS Overview
GoDaddy: Add a CNAME Record
Google Domains: DNS Basics
Hostgator: Manage DNS records
Hover: Edit DNS Record
Namecheap: SPF & DKIM
Squarespace: Advanced DNS Settings
Set 2: Self-sign on our site
After you create the DKIM, come back to tinyAlbert and click the Account icon.
Click the DKIM menu tab. Now, self-sign a DKIM for your sender domain.
Click the Sender domain field.
Select your domain name on the drop-down menu.
Click the Check link.
If the sender domain on this page matches the domain listed in the DKIM record, tinyAlbert displays a verified message.
If the sender domain does not match the DKIM record on your domain registrar, click the link to open our instructions in the knowledge base.
Wrap up
That's it. Now you know how to authenticate your own domain as the sender of your emails.