How to Add and Verify a Domain for Email Authentication

Overview

Adding and verifying your own domain is a critical step for establishing secure and professional email communication through your CRM. This process authenticates your emails, which helps protect your brand from spoofing, improves deliverability by increasing the likelihood your messages land in the inbox, and builds trust with your recipients.

Before You Begin

Before you start, please ensure you have the following:

• Access to the DNS management console for your domain (e.g., from providers like GoDaddy, Cloudflare, or Namecheap).
• The domain or a subdomain you plan to use for sending emails.
• The necessary permissions to create and modify DNS records.
• A basic familiarity with DNS record types such as SPF, DKIM, DMARC, CNAME, TXT, and MX.

Step 1: Add Your Domain

To begin the setup process, you need to first add your domain to the CRM.

1. Navigate to Settings > Email Services > Dedicated Domain & IP.
2. In the Dedicated Domains section, click the + Add Domain button located in the top-right corner.
3. In the dialog box that appears, enter the domain or subdomain you wish to authenticate. For optimal deliverability, using a subdomain (like mail.yourdomain.com) is recommended.
4. Click Add & Verify to proceed.

Step 2: Verify Your Domain

Verification confirms your ownership of the domain and sets up the necessary security protocols.

Initiate Verification

After adding your domain, locate it in the list and click the three-dot menu icon next to it. From the menu, select Verify domain.

Configure DNS Records

Once you click Verify Domain, the system will display a list of required DNS records (SPF, DKIM, DMARC, CNAME, and MX) along with their status. You can copy the required values directly from this screen.

You have two primary methods for configuring these records:

Option 1: Automatic Configuration (Recommended)

If your DNS provider is supported for integration, this is the fastest method.

• After adding your domain, click Continue.
• The CRM will attempt to detect your DNS provider.
• If detected, you will be prompted to log into your DNS provider's account to authorize the automatic configuration of the records.
• Once the process is complete, your domain status will update to Verified.

Note: If your DNS provider is not supported for automatic configuration, you will need to set up the records manually.

Option 2: Manual Configuration

If automatic configuration is not available, you must add the records manually in your DNS provider's control panel. Follow these general guidelines for each record:

• Type: Use the specified record type (TXT, CNAME, MX).
• Name/Host: For your root domain (e.g., yourdomain.com), use "@". For a subdomain (e.g., mail.yourdomain.com), enter only the subdomain part (e.g., "mail").
• Value: Copy and paste the value exactly as provided by the CRM.
• TTL: Set the Time to Live to 300 seconds (5 minutes) if possible.

After Verification

Once all DNS records are correctly configured and verified, the following will occur:

• An SSL certificate for your domain will be automatically issued, a process that usually takes 1-10 minutes.
• The domain's status in the CRM will change to Verified / Active.
• You should send a test email to confirm that SPF and DKIM authentication passes in the email headers.
• It is good practice to monitor your DMARC reports to track email deliverability over time.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

If domain verification fails, check the following:

• Ensure every character in the DNS record values matches exactly what was provided.
• Confirm you have selected the correct record type (TXT, CNAME, MX) for each entry.
• Double-check the Name/Host field for accuracy, ensuring you haven't added extra symbols or omitted the subdomain.
• Verify that the TTL (Time to Live) setting is not too high; a value of 300 seconds is recommended.