Authenticate your domain

Authenticate your domain

At Zoho Marketing Automation, we strongly urge you to authenticate your domain by implementing SPF and DKIM.
 
SPF
Sender Policy Framework is an authentication technique that helps receiving email servers identify legitimate email senders and prevent spam entering the inbox of email recipients. Learn more SPF.

DKIM
DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) is an email authentication mechanism that uses the "Public key cryptography" technique to ensure that the email message was not modified during transit. Learn more about DKIM.
 
To successfully authenticate your sender domain, you need to set up your SPF and DKIM TXT records. Authenticating your sender domain is a simple process that involves four easy steps.
  1. Add your sender domain.
  2. Copy the SPF and DKIM TXT records from your Zoho Marketing Automation account.
  3. Add the SPF and DKIM TXT records to the DNS server.
  4. Authenticate your domain in your Zoho Marketing Automation account after adding the SPF and DKIM TXT records to the DNS server.
Let's dive deep and learn more about setting up SPF and DKIM TXT records.

 Add your sender domain   

  1. Log in to your Zoho Marketing Automation account.
  2. Click Settings next to the notification icon.



  3. Under Marketing Channels, click Email.



  4. Select the Senders and Authentication tab and click Add Sender.



  5. Enter the email address patricia.b@zylker.com.
  6. Add multiple sender addresses separated by a comma, semicolon, space or enter each address on a new line.



  7. Click Save.
  8. Zoho Marketing Automation identifies the sender address as patricia.b@zylker.com and its domain as zylker.com as shown below.



  9. To verify your email addresses, log in to your email client and open the verification email sent by Zoho Marketing Automation.
  10. Click the Verify your email address button in the email to complete the verification process.
  11. Once verified, you will find your sender address (Example: patricia.b@zylker.com) listed under the Senders and Authentication tab.

Copy SPF and DKIM record values from Zoho Marketing Automation

Only the organization's admin has the privilege to access domain authentication settings. You can contact your organization's admin and ask them to help you authenticate your sender domain.
  1. Click Settings next to the notification icon.



  2. Under Marketing Channels, click Email.



  3. Select the Senders and Authentication tab and click Setup next to your domain.



  4. On the Setup SPF/DKIM page, click the Copy icon next to the SPF and DKIM text records.


After copying the SPF and DKIM record values, add them to the DNS server. After adding the SPF and DKIM TXT records to the DNS server, verify your domain in your Zoho Marketing Automation account.

How to set up a custom return-path address    

  • Login to your Zoho Marketing Automation account.
  • Click Settings (Gear-shaped icon) at the top right corner of the screen.


  • Under the Marketing Channels section, click Email.



  • Click Senders and Authentication tab at top.
  • Click Setup against the domain for which you need to set up a custom return-path.



  • In the slide-in window that appears, type your host name (sub-domain name) – which you've used in your domain's DNS – in the Specify the Host Name field.
  • Next, copy the CNAME record and paste it in your domain's DNS. Publish the CNAME record in your domain's DNS.
  • After the record is published, come back to this page in your Zoho Marketing Automation account and click Authenticate.



  • Now, your domain will move from Incomplete to Authenticated status.

Notes

Note:

  • The CNAME will be unique for each Zoho Marketing Automation organization.
  • You can set up the custom return-path only after you've authenticated your domain by publishing the SPF and DKIM records in your domain's DNS. Learn more about authenticating your domain here.
  • It isn't possible to set up the custom return-path first and authenticate your domain after that.
  • If there are any issues with the CNAME record or if it gets deleted at your domain's DNS, the domain will move back to Incomplete status and the custom return-path should be set up again.