Under the Domains module, you'd be able to perform functions related to your domain, including adding new domains, making a domain as default, authenticating your email domain, and authenticating your tracking domain.
Note that Email Domain and Tracking Domain are independent of each other. If you add a domain in Email Domain, it won't get added to Tracking Domain as well, and vice-versa.
Let's take a look at the various functions below.
Email Domain
You can add the domains with which you send emails under this tab. You must then authenticate these domains, as only then can you use them for sending emails. It is also mandatory that you authenticate these domains.
Adding a new Email Domain
Click on the Add Domain option at top-right corner to add a new domain.
Once the domain has been added, your next step would be to authenticate it.
You would see that the newly added domain will be in the unauthenticated state.
You can either choose to authenticate the domain immediately in the slide-in window that would appear as soon as the domain is added, or do it later by clicking on the Authenticate button beside the domain.
Authenticating the Domain
Before you authenticate the domain, you must understand the two components involved in the authentication of an email domain. They are the Sender Domain and Bounce Domain.
Sender Domain: As the name suggests, sender domain is the domain name used in the email address present in the From field of any email you receive. It helps the recipients in identifying where the mail came from. In the email address 'julius@zylker.com', the sender domain is 'zylker.com'.
Bounce Domain: Sending emails and suffering from bounces go hand-in-hand. It is vital that all the bounces that you face are routed to a particular domain so that you can have an easier time going through these bounces to rectify them. This is where having a bounce domain comes into picture. It not only tracks the undelivered or bounced emails but also helps in managing the sender reputation. If you have a bounce email address 'bounces@zylker.com', the bounce domain is 'zylker.com'.
To authenticate an email domain:
Go to the Domains module.
Click on the Email Domains tab.
Next to the domain name that you want to authenticate, click Authenticate.
In the slide-in window that appears, you will see the Sender Domain and Bounce Domain sections. Copy the DKIM value in the Sender Domain section and paste it in your domain's DNS. Once that is done, publish it.
In the Bounce Domain section, copy the CNAME record, paste it in your domain's DNS, and Publish it.
After that, come back to Zoho Campaigns Email API, edit the domain, and click on Verify.
You can contact your domain service provider for any assistance in adding the above records.
Tracking Domain
Tracking Domain is used for tracking the emails sent to your recipients. Setting up a tracking domain helps you to track the clicks and opens for the delivered emails. Tracking domain must also be authenticated.
Setting up a tracking domain has benefits including improved email delivery, avoiding spams and bounces, and guarding you against reputational issues. One of the biggest advantages of having your own tracking domain is the trackable links will have your own domain instead of our (Zoho Campaigns) domain. As the recipients recognize your brand name in these links, it will lead to an increase in trust and engagement. This, in turn, will preserve your domain's reputation.
Adding a new Tracking Domain
Click the Add Tracking Domain option at top-right c to add a new domain.
Once the domain has been added, your next step would be to authenticate it.
You would see that the newly added domain will be in 'unauthenticated' state.
You can either choose to authenticate the domain immediately in the slide-in window that would appear as soon as the domain is added, or do it later by clicking on the Authenticate button beside the domain.
To authenticate a tracking domain:
Go to the Domains module.
Click on the Tracking Domains tab.
Beside the domain name that you want to authenticate, click on Authenticate.
In the slide-in window that appears, you will see instructions for completing the authentication.
Copy the CNAME record, paste it in your domain's DNS, and Publish it.
After that, come back to this page and click on Verify.
You can contact your domain service provider for any assistance in adding the above record.
Making a Domain as Default
This function is applicable only to Tracking Domain.
Go to Domains.
Click on the Tracking Domain tab based on which domain you'd like to make as default.
Hover over a domain; at far right click on the 3-dot button.
Choose Make as Default from the menu that appears.
The default domain will have the DEFAULT label present at the far right.
Deleting a Domain
This function is common to both the Email Domain and Tracking Domain tabs. But, in cases where the same domain is present in both tabs, if you delete the domain from Email Domain, that same domain will not be deleted from Tracking Domain as well.
Go to Domains.
Click on the Email Domain or Tracking Domain tab based on which domain you'd like to delete.
Hover over a domain; at far right click on the 3-dot button.
Choose Delete from the menu that appears.
In the pop-up that appears, click on Delete. Note that once a domain is deleted, it cannot be retrieved.
Re-authenticating your Domain
If any changes take place or if there are any issues in your domain's DNS, you'd have to re-authenticate your domain in Zoho Campaigns Email API. This function is common to both the Email Domain and Tracking Domain tabs. But, in cases where the same domain is present in both tabs, re-authenticating the domain in Email Domain tab would not automatically re-authenticate it in the Tracking Domain tab.
To re-authenticate:
Go to Domains.
Click on the Email Domain or Tracking Domain tab based on which domain you'd like to re-authenticate.
You should see a Re-authenticate text below the domain name.
Click on it to open the slide-in window that you would've seen when you first authenticated this domain.
The steps to re-authenticate will be the same that you used for authenticating the domain.