A simple way to boost email deliverability is to check, define, and resolve any errors with your domain's Domain Name System (DNS) records. These records help email recipients identify the authenticity of an email and its origin.
📚 Tip
To learn more about what DNS records, like DKIM and SPF, are—and why they’re critical for email deliverability—check out this article.
Effective February 2024, Google and Yahoo have implemented stricter requirements for any businesses or entities that send commercial emails in an effort to reduce email spam. Both platforms have already begun blocking senders who have high spam complaints or missing domain records.
Defining your DKIM, SPF and DMARC records is done directly in your domain provider’s Domain Name System (DNS) settings, using information from your email provider. As the process varies by provider, you will need to reach out to your domain provider or visit their help center if you need guidance on setting up DKIM, SPF, or DMARC.
Define a DKIM record
Defining this record is done entirely outside of HoneyBook and directly in your domain provider's Domain Name System (DNS) settings. You will not need any information from, or enter any information into, your HoneyBook account.
Go to your email service provider's management console
If you aren't sure who your email provider is, use this resource
Enter your domain name (everything after the " @ ") > select MX Lookup
Your email provider will appear at the bottom of the page
In your email provider's settings, find your DKIM > toggle it on if it isn't already
You’ll need to copy a few things from your email provider and paste them into your domain provider
Open a new tab > go to your domain provider's management console
If you aren't sure who your domain provider is, use this resource
Enter your domain name (everything after the " @ ") > select Lookup > find the Registrar Information section
Your domain provider is listed as the Name
If you also find a Reseller Information section, you'll find your domain provider's name there instead
In your domain provider's management console, find the page where your update your domain's DNS TXT records
Create a DKIM record
While the exact process varies by provider, here are resources to configure a DKIM record for some of the most common domain providers:
Save your changes
While the process can look very different, the information you'll provide your domain provider can look very similar. Here's what you'll typically want to enter when defining a DKIM record:
Field name | Value to enter/select |
Type | TXT Do not select DKIM |
Name/Host | Your email provider's name |
Value/Data | What your email provider lists as their value. Must include:
|
TTL (time to live) | How often the domain provider will check for DKIM record changes, measured in seconds. Some domain providers recommend using the default TTL or setting it between 1800 and 3600 seconds. |
Define an SPF record
Defining this record is done entirely outside of HoneyBook and directly in your domain provider's Domain Name System (DNS) settings. You will not need any information from, or enter any information into, your HoneyBook account.
Go to your domain provider's management console
If you aren't sure who your domain provider is, use this resource
Enter your domain name (everything after the " @ ") > select Lookup > find the Registrar Information section
Your domain provider is listed as the Name
If you also find a Reseller Information section, you'll find your domain provider's name there instead.
In your domain provider's management console, find the page where your update your domain's DNS TXT records.
Create an SPF record
While the exact process varies by provider, here are resources to configure an SPF record for some of the most common domain providers:
Save your changes
While the process can look very different, the information you'll provide your domain provider can look very similar. Here's what you'll typically want to enter when defining a SPF record:
Field name | Value to enter/select |
Type | TXT Do not select SPF |
Name/Host | The host or name information from your domain provider. Here are the name/host values for some of the most common providers:
|
Value/Data | The TXT value
Here are TXT values for some of the most common providers:
|
TTL (time to live) | How often the domain provider will check for SPF record changes |
Define a DMARC record
Defining this record is done entirely outside of HoneyBook and directly in your domain provider's Domain Name System (DNS) settings. You will not need any information from, or enter any information into, your HoneyBook account.
Before you begin
A DMARC record is something you'll create—you can't find this record unless you've made one. If you know you don't have one, you'll want to create it before you begin. This is a TXT record with three elements: the " v ", " p ", and " rua " tags. If you need help with any of these, use this resource.
Here's an example: v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:[email protected]
Go to your domain provider's management console
If you aren't sure who your domain provider is, use this resource
Enter your domain name (everything after the " @ ") > select Lookup > find the Registrar Information section
Your domain provider is listed as the Name
If you also find a Reseller Information section, you'll find your domain provider's name there instead
In your domain provider's management console, find the page where your update your domain's DNS TXT records
Create a DMARC record
While the exact process varies by provider, here are resources to configure a DMARC record for some of the most common domain providers:
Save your changes
Next steps
Check your DKIM and SPF records using HoneyBook's domain tester
Start by verifying your email authentication through HoneyBook's DKIM and SPF domain tester. If the authentication fails, it’s important to follow the steps in the domain tester to update these records, as your emails are likely to go to spam otherwise. After verifying your DKIM and SPF, you can also check your DMARC settings to make sure it’s set properly as well.
Think about other ways to improve your email reputation
Take steps like keeping your engagement rate in mind, and making sure clients add you to their contacts lists, to boost your sender reputation. Learn more here.
Read up on the 2024 Google and Yahoo spam filter updates
Check out the blog for more on how you can ensure your business is prepared for the email spam filter updates.
Still have questions? Feel free to send us a message by clicking the Question Mark icon on any HoneyBook page. Our team is always happy to help!