DNS Setup
If you are here, you have probably received an email with DNS instructions. Congratulations, you're just about to start using ExpertSender platform. But first let's go through these instructions to understand what exactly is needed to get your campaigns up and running.
The DNS records that you will find in your DNS instructions may be:
- A – these records point to a domain or subdomain to an IP address,
- CNAME – they point a domain or subdomain to another domain or subdomain (hostname),
- MX – they inform which server to attempt to use to deliver email to when email delivery is requested to a domain,
- TXT – these records store additional text-based information and are used usually for SPF and domain ownership verification.
How to add a DNS record to your domain?
Editing DNS records is usually available only for domain owners. You or your IT team should access the administration panel at the domain registrar website and go to DNS settings. Please note that sometimes it may take 24 hours for the new DNS records to propagate throughout the Internet.
What if ExpertSender asks to edit existing DNS record?
Your domain may already have a TXT record for the purpose of SPF validation. In order to authorize ExpertSender to send emails on behalf of your domain, we may ask you to edit your domain's current TXT record. This is what it looks like in the instructions we send:
v=spf1 […] include:e.expertsender.com ~all
where […] represents your current TXT record. ExpertSender just needs to add everything that is after […] .
What is DMARC and do I need to add a TXT record for it?
DMARC is a standard that informs mailbox providers how they should proceed with emails that have failed one of the authentication methods – SPF or DKIM. If someone attempts to send email on behalf of your domain and fails the DKIM or SPF validation, your published rules will result in getting these messages rejected, quarantined or let through to the inbox. On top of that, you can specify email addresses that mailbox providers will use to send you daily reports on detected attempts of email delivery from unauthorized domians.
It's not obligatory to publish DMARC TXT record, but it greatly reduces the risk of getting your spoofed emails delivered to your subscribers.
DMARC TXT record may look like this:
v=DMARC1; p=reject; rua=mailto:dmarc@domain.com; ruf=mailto:dmarc@domain.com