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Domain authentication

Authenticating your domain in Audience Republic: why it matters and how to do it

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Written by Support Team
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Overview

Starting from February 1st, 2024, Google has made it mandatory for senders sending over 5K emails per day to Gmail accounts to set up domain authentication. This is to strengthen defences against email spoofing and phishing. To comply with these new requirements, Audience Republic requires customers to set up CNAME and DMARC Records. These records will help ensure your emails are authenticated and will not be flagged as spam or phishing attempts by Gmail.

Domain Authentication is a mechanism that verifies the email from the point of its origin by validating the email sender. It improves your sender reputation and helps make sure your emails stay out of the spam filter. An email domain is the part of an email address that comes after the “@” symbol.

How to Add and Authenticate Your Domain

Step 1: Identify Where Your Nameservers Are Hosted
Determine whether your nameservers are managed by your domain registrar (e.g., GoDaddy, 123 Reg) or your website builder (e.g., Wix, Squarespace).

Step 2: Add Your Domain in Audience Republic Account Settings

  • Navigate to Account Settings and select the Domains tab.

  • Click New Domain.

  • Enter your sending domain (this must be the portion of your email address that comes after the "@" symbol).

    Note: You cannot authenticate a generic domain like gmail.com. Learn more here: Why Generic Domains Aren't Supported

Correct

Incorrect

  • Click Continue

  • Add the required records to your host’s DNS settings. DNS is typically managed by your domain registrar or website hosting provider. If someone else manages your website, they can usually assist with this step. For help updating your DNS, check out Edit DNS with Common Domain Providers for direct links to support articles from popular providers.

    Note: Most domain registrars automatically append your domain (e.g., .domain.com) to entries in the Host field, so you typically don’t need to include it manually. The image below shows how to correctly enter the hostnames—simply omit .domain.com when adding them.

Note: Your host names and "Points to" values are unique to your Audience Republic account. Be sure to copy the exact records provided in your account, rather than using the sample values shown in the screenshot above.

  • Once the records have been added to host's DNS section, tick the box 'Records have been added' and click Verify

  • Verification can take up to 48 hours

How to Delete a Domain

  • Go to account settings > Domains tab

  • Click : select Delete

Edit DNS with Common Domain Providers

Below are some guides for managing DNS records with popular domain providers. If your provider is not listed, log in to their website and search for help documents or contact customer support.

Note: That these steps must be completed before you send your first email otherwise it will put your email reputation at risk.

Why Generic Domains Aren't Supported

The below domains are considered "generic domains"

  • @yahoo.com

  • @msn.com

  • @hotmail.com

  • @outlook.com

  • @live.com

  • @gmail.com

Our platform does not allow emails to be sent from generic domains because most recipients will receive these emails in their Spam folder, which can harm your email deliverability and reputation. To improve deliverability and ensure your emails reach the inbox, please use an email address associated with your own custom domain.

What happens if you try to authenticate a Generic Domain?

  • A generic domain like "gmail.com" cannot be authenticated because it doesn’t support the DNS modifications required for verification.

  • When adding a domain to the platform, only the last part of the address is included. This means that a "gmail.com" sender address cannot be verified and therefore cannot be used on the platform to send emails

  • To successfully authenticate your domain and send emails, please create and use a custom domain.

Why you should use a Custom sender address

A custom sender address is a unique branded link to your website or to a platform where you host your content.

  1. It looks trustworthy & friendly: A custom sender address is less likely to cause hesitation from a more cautious user who, upon seeing an unknown URL in their inbox, may wonder if they’re being spammed

  2. You'll look professional: By using a custom domain that reflects your brand, you are promoting brand consistency and professionalism. It shows your fans that you care.

    Custom sender addresses are also easier to remember, which means they work well for customer retention as your fans are more likely to reopen the email you’ve sent them

  3. Increases email traffic metrics: When it comes to search algorithms, Google places branded sender addresses as higher than the generic (non-specific) competitors. Therefore, if you have a custom domain address, fans who look for your content or offers online will find you quicker, ultimately increasing your organic traffic too.

DNS Best Practices

  • The email sender addresses you add to your account must match an authenticated domain in your Audience Republic account in order to send emails.

  • ⚠️ Only one DMARC record should exist per sending domain.

  • DMARC records can include additional mechanisms, but must at a minimum specify:

    • the version (v=DMARC1)

    • and a policy (p=none, p=quarantine, or p=reject)

  • The simplest valid DMARC record is:
    ​v=DMARC1; p=none
    However, your organization may require a more stringent policy based on its email security standards.

Still need help?

Contact us at support@audiencerepublic.com

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