Introduction
This article guides you through the process of setting up Domain Authentication, which is required for SocialLadder to send emails using your domain.
Before SocialLadder can send emails on your behalf, your DNS must be configured to authorize this activity. This involves submitting DNS records that will be provided by your account manager.
Step 1: Prepare to Set Up Domain Authentication
1. Identify Your DNS Provider
Ensure you know who your provider is and that you have login credentials with permission to update DNS records.
2. Check for Access
If you don’t have access to the DNS or hosting provider, reach out to your internal IT team or the individual responsible for domain management in your company.
3. Submit Your Domain and Host
Provide your domain name and DNS host from the list below to your SocialLadder account representative. This step is necessary to initiate the authentication process.
List of DNS hosts
123 Reg
Alibaba Cloud
Amazon Route 53
Cloudflare
ClouDNS
CSC Corporate Domains
DNS Made Easy
DNSimple
DNSPod
Dyn
easyDNS
GoDaddy
Google Cloud
Jimdo
Namecheap
NS1
Rackspace Cloud
REG.RU
RU-CENTER
TransIP
Other Host (not listed)
Step 2: Receive and Apply DNS Records
After submitting your domain, allow 48–72 hours for SocialLadder to prepare the necessary DNS records.
Your account manager will send you the DNS entries required to authorize email sending.
Log in to your DNS or hosting provider's platform.
Check to make sure there are no other DNS records that could be a duplication. If you already have one of the submitted records, please let us know so we can generate new ones.
Enter the DNS records exactly as provided. These typically include:
CNAME or TXT entries specific to SocialLadder
SPF (Sender Policy Framework)
DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail)
Changes can take up to 24 hours to propagate, depending on your provider.
Step 3: Validation and Final Confirmation
1. Notify your account manager once the DNS records have been added.
2. SocialLadder will validate that the setup is correct and, upon successful validation, you will receive confirmation that your domain is authenticated.
Troubleshooting
If, after inserting the DNS records, SocialLadder gets a failure to validate the setup, it means that the domain wasn't authenticated properly, and we may run into deliverability issues when sending emails from your domain.
Please see the following common issue list to troubleshoot your installation:
DNS Records Not Propagating
Wait 24–48 hours or verify with your provider that the records are correctly formatted.
Auto appending
Some DNS hosts will automatically add your top-level domain to the end of DNS records you create, which can turn a CNAME for “email.domain.com” into “email.domain.com.domain.com”.
Be sure to follow the convention on existing records in your DNS panel when adding new ones, as sometimes you will only need to add what is to the left of the top-level domain.
For example, a CNAME for “email.” becomes “email.domain.com.”
DNS record duplication
Some DNS providers don’t automatically prevent you from duplicating a DNS file. For example, there might be an MX and TXT record where you are trying to set up a CNAME file. If your DNS files aren’t validating, check to make sure there are no other DNS records that could be a duplication.
My DNS doesn't accept underscores
SendGrid requires underscores for sender authentication, but some DNS providers do not support underscores in zone file entries.
If your provider does not allow you to use underscores in zone files, consider changing your DNS hosting provider.
Conclusion
By following these steps, you’ve submitted your domain, configured your DNS records, and authorized SocialLadder to send emails using your domain.
You now have access to the Email Center. Use it to submit and schedule email campaigns for your ambassadors. Learn more in our Email Center guide.