Email Domain Authentication and How to Fix Delivery Issues

Have you tried to send out a newsletter yet this year through MailChimp or another email service provider (ESP)? If so, you’ve undoubtedly discovered that domain authentication, which was a recommended but not required step in 2023 and prior, is now necessary. In fact, no ESP will allow you to send an email campaign or newsletter without first authenticating your domain. 

Not only are you unable to send newsletters or email campaigns through an ESP using a free email address from Gmail, Yahoo, or other freemail services, but recipients using these email providers will not receive your emails, as both Gmail and Yahoo route all unauthenticated emails to spam.

Domain authentication is a fairly straightforward process. Your ESP will provide specific instructions based on your domain provider to add CNAMEs and _DMARC records provided by your mail service. Authentication normally takes place within 48 hours, but can take longer, and there can be complications. 

For example, one of my clients uses a different domain for email than she does for her website, but didn’t remember where she obtained the email domain or how to access it; another client obtained his domain through GoDaddy, but for security reasons had the DNS pointed to a third party for security reasons so we had to work with the third party to add the records, which required submitting a support ticket and providing the necessary information from the ESP.

Authentication is not difficult, but it can be time consuming. If you have a large audience or a regularly scheduled newsletter that sends and you haven’t addressed the need to authenticate your domain or your client’s domains, it’s an absolute necessity.

Why is domain authentication important? Domain authentication tells the server receiving your email that you are who you say you are. Domain authentication ensures email deliverability. Mechanisms like Sender Policy Framework (SPF), DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM), and Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance (DMARC), help prevent email spoofing and phishing. Email providers use these authentication methods to verify that an email is genuine, reducing the risk of emails being marked as spam or rejected.

In addition to ensuring that your emails get through, domain authentication is beneficial for:  

Building Trust and Reputation: Implementing domain authentication builds trust with email recipients. When your emails are authenticated, it indicates to email providers that you are taking measures to ensure the legitimacy of your messages. This can positively impact your sender reputation, making it more likely that your emails will be delivered to the inbox rather than the spam folder.

Improving Security: Authentication mechanisms like DKIM provide a level of security by adding a digital signature to your emails. This signature helps verify that the email content has not been altered during transit and that it originates from an authorized sender.

Meeting Compliance: Some email regulations and standards, such as the CAN-SPAM Act in the United States and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in Europe, emphasize the importance of sender authentication. Compliance with these regulations may be required for legal reasons and to avoid penalties.

Reducing Email Abuse: Domain authentication helps prevent malicious actors from sending emails that appear to be from your domain. This reduces the likelihood of your domain being used for phishing attacks, protecting both your brand and your recipients.

Phishing and spoofing attacks are getting more sophisticated, making comprehensive domain authentication practices a crucial step in overall site security. By meeting these basic industry standards, it creates a safer online environment for everyone. We live in a world where digital trust is a cornerstone of success, and domain authentication is pivotal in fostering a secure and reliable online experience for everyone.