Before sending emails from Artlogic, you must now authenticate your email domain settings. This is a critical step to ensure that your emails are delivered successfully to recipients' inboxes.
Why is this necessary?
Emails sent through Artlogic are processed and delivered by Sendgrid, our third-party mailing provider. Major email services like Outlook and Gmail are sensitive to emails sent from mass mailing providers and may mark them as spam if the correct authentication settings are not in place.
By authenticating your email domain settings, you add an extra layer of verification, assuring these services that the emails originate from you. This measure is essential to comply with tightened sending policies enforced by major email inbox providers, such as Gmail and Yahoo Mail, especially after the recent industry changes in February 2024.
In simpler terms, authenticating your email domain ensures that your emails reach their intended recipients' inboxes, avoiding potential spam filters.
Overview
Your domain is the address of your website, and the custom address of your emails: for example, gallerydomainname.com, gallerydomainname.co.uk, gallerydomainname.fr. You (or your IT specialist) can first navigate to your DNS settings within your domain account. From there, you will need to create some additional set rules to make sure emails sent via Artlogic are authenticated.
Our tool will be able to help you check whether your email domain has been set up correctly, and direct you towards what additional rules you'll need to add, and criteria you'll need to pass.
You will be able to navigate to Artlogic database > Other > Email domain authentication and check your email domain settings in our specially designed tool. However you can get started with this process with the information set out below.
If you have trouble making the changes yourself, or are unsure, we recommend you contact your domain provider's help desk (where you purchased your @gallerydomainname.com email address from), as they will be best placed to help you make these changes safely and securely. We have a template email you can use below.
What needs to be done?
To authenticate your email domain settings, you'll need to follow these steps:
- Identify your domain provider
- Access DNS settings: Log in to your domain account and access the DNS settings of the domain from which your emails are sent.
- Complete domain authentication: Using our DNS checker tool, follow the guidelines to set up Canonical Name (CNAME) records and adjust or create a Sender Policy Framework (SPF).
- Additionally, set up a DMARC record (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance)
- Verify completion: Use the DNS checker tool in your Artlogic database to confirm the successful setup of your email authentication. Please note that it may take up to 24 hours to process fully.
What are the criteria for passing the authentication tool?
Ensure the following components are completed for successful authentication:
- Add domain authentication CNAME DNS records.
- Create an SPF rule that includes 'include:_spf.artlogic.net.'
- Optionally, create a DMARC record for enhanced email validation.
Using our database tool will provide guidance on each step. If you encounter difficulties or are unsure, we recommend contacting your IT specialist, DNS manager, or domain provider for assistance. Unfortunately, Artlogic Support cannot directly assist with the setup of CNAME, SPF, DKIM, or DMARC records.
I don't have an IT specialist
If you don't have an IT specialist, contact your domain host (e.g., GoDaddy, Google Domains) for guidance. Simply share the following email template with them:
Dear ___
I need to set up some additional authentication rules on my email domains, so that I can use Artlogic's mailing features. Please can you help me complete these tasks:
1. Add 'include:_spf.artlogic.net' into my SPF record rule
2. Set up the following CNAME records on my email domains:
send -> u12006358.wl109.sendgrid.net
dk._domainkey -> dk.domainkey.u12006358.wl109.sendgrid.net
dk2._domainkey -> dk2.domainkey.u12006358.wl109.sendgrid.net
link -> sendgrid.net
12006358 -> sendgrid.net
3. Set up and publish my DMARC policy.
Getting started
Firstly identify who your domain provider is, and login to your domain account with them. You will be able to go to Other > Email domain authentication to help find who hosts your domain using our DNS checker tool.
After logging into your domain account, you will need to access the DNS settings of the domain from which your emails are sent from e.g. gallerydomainname.com, to perform the below tasks. Each domain provider will have a different interface, so we have provided general guidance below, but the actual interface will differ and is not something we can directly advise on.
Authenticating your domain through CNAME records
Domain authentication helps ensure that the emails that you send through the mass mailing system in Artlogic appear as though they are coming directly from your email domain and are verified correctly as coming from you.
You should setup your CNAME records in the following way below. These will also be shown in our DNS checker tool.
send -> u12006358.wl109.sendgrid.net
dk._domainkey -> dk.domainkey.u12006358.wl109.sendgrid.net
dk2._domainkey -> dk2.domainkey.u12006358.wl109.sendgrid.net
link -> sendgrid.net
12006358 -> sendgrid.net
Common setup issue
When adding the CNAME records to your DNS settings, some domain hosts require that you add your domain (e.g. gallerydomainname.com/ gallerydomainname.co.uk/ gallerydomainname.fr) into each line. Inspect the other records that have already been added in your DNS settings - if they end with your domain then it is necessary to include your domain in the new CNAME records. Other hosts (like GoDaddy and Google) will add it for you. If it is required, you can set up your CNAME records in the following way, replacing “[domain]” with your organisation's domain e.g. gallerydomainname.com:
send.[domain] -> u12006358.wl109.sendgrid.net
dk._domainkey.[domain] -> dk.domainkey.u12006358.wl109.sendgrid.net
dk2._domainkey.[domain] -> dk2.domainkey.u12006358.wl109.sendgrid.net
link.[domain] -> sendgrid.net
12006358.[domain] -> sendgrid.net
Technical notes: The first three CNAME records validate the domain and setup DKIM, while the latter two make sure that tracked links in the email appear as if they are hosted on the domain the email is being sent from, increasing the legitimacy of the email in the eyes of the recipient servers.
Add or adjust an SPF rule
To pass authentication, your SPF rule must contain the phrase 'include:_spf.artlogic.net'
If you do not have an SPF record set up then we highly recommend that you ask your IT specialist or domain host to create an SPF file inside your DNS settings following the advice below.
If you already have SPF rules set up, then you should ensure that Artlogic's mailing systems are authorised under this policy to send mail from your domain.
Please read the following help notes on how to specifically adapt or setup your SPF records. It is crucial that SPF is set up correctly for your domain.
View this guide to setup your SPF settings.
Optional: DMARC Records
DMARC is an email validation system, which uses uses SPF and DKIM protocols to combat email spoofing. It verifies sender authenticity and protects your sender reputation. DMARC records are implemented in part by setting the correct TXT and CNAME records on your domain.
If you have no other DMARC records, you can start by creating a version of the simplest DMARC policy. See an example for Artlogic's domain in the DMARC rule shown below. The string rua=mailto:dmarc@artlogic.net means tells receiving email servers where to email reports. You may wish to set up an email address for this purpose.
If you are not sure what to include in your DMARC rule, you should ask your domain host to help you set this up for you. Your organisation may choose to enforce a stricter policy, which you can work with your domain host to apply.
Check whether your authentication has been successful
In the coming days, our new DNS checking tool will be available in your database, in Other > Email domain authentication. Users will be able to check the status of their email DNS changes for their whole account using this page. Once you have successfully set up your email authentication, it may take 24 hours to process fully, so you should hold off from sending any mailings until after that point.
Using the DNS checker tool in your Artlogic database:
- Go to your Artlogic database > Other > Email domain authentication
- Enter your domain into the tool to tell us where your company will be emailing from
- Below, you will see whether your DNS setup has successfully passed, or whether you will need to make further changes
- If you see a 'fail' or 'incomplete' result, you should contact your DNS provider for further assistance, or include the additional rules into your domain account
- If you see the 'pass' result, proceed to the next stage
- Once you have passed all three sections, your email authentication will be complete
Further reading
- SPF records
- Gmail: New mailbox protections
- Google: Email Sender Guidelines
- Sendgrid: Everything about DMARC