How to authenticate your domain in Adversus

Some email accounts can block emails from senders where the domain is not verified, including Google. This is why we always recommend that you authenticate/verify your domain in Adversus if you send emails from the system.
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Authenticating your domain is most important for deliverability, but if you are sending emails from a specific email address, make sure to verify those addresses as well.

Ensure you verify the root domain (e.g., example.com) rather than a subdomain with the 'www' prefix, as Adversus requires the root domain for proper email authentication. Verifying the wrong domain can result in email rejections and delivery issues.

If you are a business that sends commercial emails or other types of mass mailings, you should use one or more forms of email authentication, as it increases the deliverability rate that your email approval standards are configured correctly.

There are different standards you can use to authenticate your domain –

All this is done via DNS setup, which must be configured both with your domain provider and in Adversus settings.

DKIM, SPF, and DMARC are all standards that enable different aspects of email authentication.

In short, DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) and SPF (Sender Policy Framework) are the simplest ways to authenticate your domain.

If you are sending high-volume bulk emails, it is recommended that you use DMARC to ensure as many emails as possible reach their intended recipients.

Among other things, Google has emphasized that it requires a DMARC configuration if you send more than 5000 emails per day to Gmail accounts. You can read more about Google's requirements here: https://support.google.com/mail/answer/81126?hl=en

Please note that DMARC should be set up exclusively on your domain, and the configuration process is independent of Adversus.

When you need to allow emails from your domain, you need to do it on the domain itself. This part does not take place in Adversus, so you must follow the guidelines that apply to your web host, for example. Here, it is recommended that you reach out to your provider if you need help with the setup.

Your domain's DNS administrator, such as your IT team or hosting provider, is responsible for adding DNS records. If you handle your domain's DNS, ensure you follow the exact instructions provided.

If you encounter issues during DNS setup or verification, double-check the DNS records entered for accuracy, ensure they are added at the root domain level, and check the propagation status using online tools. Common issues include failing to verify the root domain or incorrect record formatting, both of which should be corrected at the DNS provider level.

To allow emails from Adversus on the domain, do the following in Adversus:

1. Go to Settings and select Account.

2. Select Domain from the menu.

3. Select Verify your domain and enter your domain. Click Next.

4. You will now be prompted to enter values for your DNS setup. You can easily copy the DNS records using the clipboard function to the right, then paste them into your domain. The DNS records provided typically include entries for SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication. Ensure the values are copied and entered exactly as provided.

5. When you're done, confirm that you have installed DNS on your domain and click Verify. If you need your IT manager to handle the technical setup for your domain, click Send to a co-worker instead. This way, you can email your IT department directly with the required information. Adversus will check the DNS setup, and upon success, your domain will be marked as verified.

6. When you're finished configuring DKIM/SPF, you are now ready to set up DMARC if necessary (follow the steps 3-5): How to implement DMARC

For additional troubleshooting and step-by-step guidance on resolving common domain verification issues, use online DNS propagation checkers or consult resources such as the Adversus Help Center.

If you use Marketing Campaigns in Adversus

If you send newsletters or similar from Adversus using the Marketing Campaigns module, you must also ensure that you have verified the domain you are sending emails from when setting up your marketing campaigns.

1. Go to Messages and select Marketing Campaigns

2. Click Settings and follow the same procedure as described above.

How to check if your records are correct

After setting up, you can use mxtoolbox.com to check the current DMARC and SPF records. You simply need to enter a domain name and click on “MX Lookup”. Links in the results will guide you to other relevant information. And you'll have a chronological history of your results.

Check your spam score

You can also check your spam score with the newsletter spam test by mail-tester.com .

Once you're ready to send your message (having created your email template and attached it to your campaign), open a new tab in your browser and type https://www.mail-tester.com/ and see where you're supposed to send your test email to in order to receive your spam score.

Once the test email is sent, click on the blue button to check your score.

This will return a score between 0 and 10 and highlight areas that might affect your deliverability, such as broken links, whether your domain has been blacklisted, and recommendations from the popular filter SpamAssassin.

This is a quick step to increase the likelihood that your emails will be delivered. However, even if your emails receive a high score on mail-tester.com, there's no guarantee they will not end up in a spam folder. If you continue to have email deliverability problems, please contact us with any questions.

To identify ongoing email deliverability issues, monitor the email sending logs in Adversus. These logs can help pinpoint specific problems related to domain configuration or other delivery errors.