Starting in February 2024, major inbox providers like Gmail and Yahoo require that bulk email senders use verified custom domains with authentication protocols: DKIM, SPF, and DMARC.

If you are using a custom domain email that has not yet been authenticated, your emails may be filtered as spam or blocked entirely. To maintain strong deliverability and sender reputation, manual domain authentication is required if you do not use Flodesk’s automatic setup option.

Need an easier option? You can also automatically autenticate your domain using our integration with Entri.

Before starting the manual setup:

• Access to your Flodesk account

• Access to your domain provider’s DNS management tool

• A custom domain email address (e.g., you@yourdomain.com)

• Log in to your Flodesk account

• Navigate to My Account > Domain setup

• Click Authenticate now on your domain card

• Select I’ll do it manually to begin the manual setup wizard

Flodesk will display all the authentication records you need to add to your DNS settings.

Depending on your account type, you’ll either see:

Option A: 5 DNS records

• 1 SPF record

• 3 DKIM records

• 1 DMARC record

Option B: 3 DNS records

• 1 SPF record

• 1 DKIM record

• 1 DMARC record

Each record has a Copy button for quick transfer to your DNS provider’s control panel. You need to add the DKIM and SPF records as CNAME records, and the DMARC record as a TXT record.

• Open a new browser tab

• Sign in to your domain provider’s dashboard (e.g., GoDaddy, Namecheap, Squarespace)

In your DNS manager:

• Add SPF and DKIM records as CNAME

• Add the DMARC record as a TXT

Paste each value exactly as provided in Flodesk.

• After entering the records in your domain provider’s settings, return to Flodesk

• Click Next, then Done

Flodesk will begin monitoring your DNS records.

• It may take up to 48 hours for your domain to be fully verified

• During this time, your domain status will show as Pending

• Partial verification (e.g., DKIM and DMARC verified, SPF pending) is normal

You do not need to re-enter or repeat the steps if records are still propagating.

Need help navigating your DNS dashboard?
Watch a platform-specific video:

Manually verifying your custom domain ensures your emails reach inboxes and meet provider requirements.

1. Go to My Account > Domain setup

2. Click Authenticate now

3. Select I’ll do it manually

4. Copy and paste the provided DKIM, SPF, and DMARC records into your DNS provider

5. Click Done in Flodesk

6. Wait up to 48 hours for full verification

Using a verified custom domain is crucial for protecting your sender reputation, enhancing email performance, and meeting evolving email authentication standards.