Verifying Your Domain Authentication Status

Check Your Domain Authentication Status

Authenticating your sending domain is crucial for ensuring your emails reach recipients' inboxes and avoid spam folders. You can check your authentication status using a basic method within your Email app or an advanced method using external tools.

Warning: If your domain is not authenticated or if you are using a generic email (like @gmail.com or @yahoo.com) to send bulk email, your messages are highly likely to be marked as spam or undelivered.


Basic: Check Authentication Status in Marketing 360

You can quickly see the status of your domain verification in the Sending Domains settings of your Email app.

  1. Click Settings at the top of your Email dashboard.

  2. Select Sending Domains on the left-hand sidebar.

  3. This page shows the setup status of your DKIM, DMARC, and SPF records.

  4. If your domain is not yet authenticated, you will see a warning message.

  5. If you have not yet set up a sending domain, click Add domain. More information on setting up a sending domain.


Advanced: Check Record Setup Statuses with MXtoolbox

MXtoolbox is a free tool that allows you to check important domain settings like your domain host and the status of your authentication records.

1. Find Where Your Domain is Hosted

Knowing your hosting provider is necessary for making changes to your records.

  1. Visit MXtoolbox's DNS lookup tool at https://mxtoolbox.com/DNSLookup.aspx.

  2. Enter your domain name and click DNS Lookup.
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  3. Scroll down to the section that says, "Your DNS hosting provider is:". This is where your domain is registered.
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Note: If the results don't show your hosting provider, your domain likely uses Custom Nameservers, meaning your records are managed somewhere other than your domain registrar. Please contact support if you need help finding this information.


2. Check DKIM Record Setup

DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) is used to verify that an email was sent by the owner of that domain.

  2. Enter your domain name in the Domain Name field.

  3. In the Selector field, enter cm.

  4. Click DKIM Lookup.

The results will show your DKIM status. If it's not configured, you will need to follow these steps to add a DKIM Record to your domain registrar.

3. Verify DMARC Record Setup

DMARC provides instructions on how recipient email servers should handle unauthenticated emails from your domain.

  1. Visit the MXtoolbox website.

  2. Click DMARC at the top of the page to open the DMARC Lookup tool.
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  3. Enter your domain name and click DMARC Lookup.


The results display your DMARC policy. If you find you don't have a DMARC record, you can follow these steps to add the DMARC code in your domain registrar.

4. Validate SPF Record Setup

SPF (Sender Policy Framework) is critical for protecting your domain against spoofing and phishing attacks.

  1. On the MXtoolbox website, under the SuperTool tab, click the arrow next to the search bar.

  2. Select SPF Record Lookup from the drop-down menu.
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  3. Enter your domain name and click SPF Record Lookup.

The results will confirm the status of your SPF record. If you find you don't have an SPF record, you can follow these steps to add an SPF Record in your domain registrar.