Referins Email: How to Set Up a Dedicated Sending Domain

Email marketing is a great way to reach customers and increase sales. But if you're not careful, you could end up in trouble. A dedicated sending domain gives you control over what appears to be coming from your business. That means you can avoid spam filters and other issues that might make your messages get caught by unwanted mail servers. Don't let your email marketing efforts go unnoticed! In this article, we will start setting up a dedicated sending domain.

Note: Dedicated sending domains only apply to the users in the Referins Email System.

A dedicated sending domain allows you to send emails that appear to be coming from your brand, and this can help you maintain a better reputation with email services.

By default, all emails sent from our platform will show the name of our email-sending servers in the "sent on behalf of" or "sent via" email headers:

When you set up your custom mail server domain, you will see a different "mailed-by", "sent on behalf", or "sent via" field.

It would be best if you used a unique subdomain that is not used for any other purpose. A subdomain is a secondary part of your root domain. For example, if your dedicated sending domain is [email protected], your subdomain would be the “mg” portion.

If your sending domain is listed below, you are using the LC Email system default domains.

• mg.msgsndr.org
• mg.msgsndr.net
• replies001.msgsndr.com
• replies.msgsndr.com
• replies000.msgsndr.com
• ec1.msgsndr.org
• ec1.msgsndr.net

How to create a dedicated sending domain?

1- Navigate to Settings - >  Email settings - >  Email Services

2- Click the 'Dedicated domain' button.

3- Add your domain details

4- Add the domain details provided in the system to your DNS manager

5- Verify the Domain and Apply your new DNS records to your company’s DNS provider’s platform to activate the sending domain. Every domain host will have a slightly different method of doing this.

NOTE:

Customizable Email Services Control: Users can now enable or disable the email services activation button at the sub-account level. This flexibility allows for tailored management of non-standard accounts, enhancing the user's ability to maintain control over their email services
Simply, Navigate to the sub-account settings and select the option to enable or disable the email services button as required.

Here’s what the added domain looks like after this step:

Setting a Dedicated Sending Google and Yahoo Email Domain

Starting in 2024, Google and Yahoo have new requirements for their Email Domain:

• You must have a dedicated sending domain
• It is not recommended to use your root domain, we recommend using a subdomain

Root domain vs subdomain
Everything to the left of your root domain is your subdomain.

Example: website.com (root) vs communication.website.com (subdomain)

• Do not use: Do-Not-Reply.yourdomain.com, lc.yourdomain.com, mg.yourdomain.com, email.yourdomain.com, or mail.yourdomain.com. These generic subdomain prefixes will cause deliverability issues
• Examples of unique subdomains: communication.yourdomain.com, support.yourdomain.com, eric.yourdomain.com

After you’ve added the 5 required records, you’ll need to add a DMARC record. Follow the below steps:

• Inside the domain's DNS Records (we recommend managing them on CloudFlare) add a new record with the following information:

• Save and verify

Below is an example of what part to replace with your own sending domain email:

Note: If you are using GoDaddy, then, when making the TXT record, if you use a subdomain as your sending domain (which is recommended), you need to include the prefix of the subdomain on the Name of the record.

How to delete a domain?

• Navigate to Settings -> Email settings -> Domain services
• Click on the three dots and click the delete button.

How to set a dedicated domain as active/default?

• Check the checkbox to make as active/default

How to set up a dedicated sending domain for Targeted Email Categories?

• Navigate to Settings - Email Service 
• Click on SMTP Service - Dedicated Domain and IP 
• Click on Domain Configuration

How to set up a dedicated sending domain for Targeted Email Categories?

• Navigate to Settings - Email Service 
• Click on SMTP Service - Dedicated Domain and IP 
• Click on Domain Configuration

Note: Currently domains can be assigned to One-One Conversation and Workflow emails.

The default dedicated domain will be users for all other emails like Campaign, Bulk

How to set up a default header for a dedicated sending domain?

You can set up default "From address and Email" for dedicated domains under your account.

• Navigate to Settings - Email Service 
• Click on SMTP Service - Dedicated Domain and IP 
• Click on Set headers under a dedicated domain.

Note: Currently domains can be assigned to One-One Conversation and Workflow emails.

The default dedicated domain will be users for all other emails like Campaign, Bulk

How to set up a default header for a dedicated sending domain?

You can set up default "From address and Email" for dedicated domains under your account.

• Navigate to Settings - Email Service 
• Click on SMTP Service - Dedicated Domain and IP 
• Click on Set headers under a dedicated domain.

NOTE:

Unsubscribe Header Integration:

An unsubscribe option is now included in the email header, allowing recipients to easily opt-out of communications without marking the email as spam. This feature helps in maintaining a healthy domain reputation and reduces the likelihood of complaints. This setting is automatically integrated into email headers, requiring no additional action from the user.

Points to Remember

Domain Reputation and Warm-Up: There is a huge value in building a good email domain reputation. This can be achieved by gradually increasing the volume of emails sent from a new domain, which is known as the domain warm-up process. This helps prevent emails from being marked as spam by recipients' email servers.

Professional Email Address Requirement: From 2024, it will be essential to use a professional email address (such as those provided by Google Workspace or Microsoft 365) for sending bulk emails. Free email services like Gmail, Outlook, or Yahoo will not be suitable for such purposes due to the inability to alter necessary email settings.

DKIM, DMARC, and SPF Records: The importance of setting up DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail), DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance), and SPF (Sender Policy Framework) records for your domain is more than ever before. These are crucial for email authentication and help in preventing emails from being marked as spam.

Email Content and Sending Patterns: Start the practice of maintaining consistent sending patterns and ensuring high-quality email content. Sudden changes in email volume or poor content quality can trigger spam filters, affecting email deliverability and domain reputation.

Unsubscribe Links: There is a requirement to have a one-click unsubscribe link in emails. This is expected to become a standard practice, ensuring that recipients can easily opt out of email communications.

Verification of Domain: Verifying the domain used for sending emails is now necessary. This adds a layer of authenticity and trust to the domain, improving email deliverability.

Email Re-Verification Process: The period for email re-verification has been adjusted from 180 days to 90 days. This change ensures that email addresses are checked more frequently for validity, improving the accuracy of the mailing list and enhancing email deliverability. In the sub-account business profile, users can choose to enable or disable the email re-validation feature according to their needs. Email addresses are validated before sending, which minimizes the risk of bounce-backs and enhances the effectiveness of the campaign. Agencies have the option to charge for this validation service, adding a potential revenue stream. Before launching an email campaign, ensure that the email validation feature is activated to clean the mailing list for better deliverability.

Avoiding Cold Email Lists: Practice caution against using cold email lists or sending bulk emails to unengaged recipients. This practice can harm domain reputation and lead to emails being marked as spam.

Custom Reply-To Address: The system now permits the addition of a custom reply-to address in email settings. This ensures that responses from recipients are directed to a specified address, improving communication efficiency. Users can add a specific reply-to address in the email settings section, ensuring that all responses are directed appropriately.