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Email Settings

Email settings are crucial for ensuring your email campaigns reach recipients' inboxes successfully. Proper configuration of authentication protocols, sender information, and deliverability settings helps avoid spam filters and maintain your sender reputation.

Overview​

Email settings encompass all the technical and policy configurations needed for successful email delivery. This includes domain authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), sender verification, deliverability optimization, and compliance requirements.

Why Email Settings Matter​

Proper email configuration is essential because:

  • Deliverability - Ensures emails reach inboxes instead of spam folders
  • Authentication - Proves you're authorized to send emails from your domain
  • Reputation - Maintains positive sender reputation with email providers
  • Compliance - Meets legal requirements for commercial email
  • Trust - Recipients trust properly authenticated emails

Core Requirements​

Before sending email campaigns, you must configure:

  1. Domain Authentication - SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records
  2. Sender Information - From name and email address
  3. Mailing Address - Required business address for compliance
  4. User Verification - Email verification for all platform users

Main Configuration Areas​

Sender Setup and Authentication​

Configure your domain and authentication settings:

DNS and Domain Configuration​

Set up DNS records for email authentication:

Email Subscription Preferences​

Manage how recipients control their email preferences:

Email Deliverability and Optimization​

Ensure your emails reach recipients successfully:

  • Email Deliverability - Complete guide including platform features, best practices, troubleshooting, authentication setup, and common delivery error codes

User Management and Verification​

For user access and email verification, see the My Team section under Administration.

Technical Requirements and Compliance​

Understand platform requirements, limitations, and legal compliance:

  • Email Settings Requirements - Complete setup requirements, CAN-SPAM compliance, custom domain requirements, and email size limitations

Getting Started Checklist​

1. Domain Setup​

  • Connect your business domain
  • Verify domain ownership
  • Configure DNS settings

2. Authentication Setup​

  • Add SPF record to DNS
  • Configure DKIM signing
  • Set up DMARC policy
  • Verify all records are valid

3. Sender Configuration​

  • Set sender name and email address
  • Configure business mailing address
  • Test email sending functionality

4. User Management​

  • Verify all user email addresses
  • Set up appropriate permissions
  • Configure user notification preferences

5. Deliverability Optimization​

  • Review deliverability best practices
  • Set up monitoring and alerts
  • Configure rate limiting if needed

Email Authentication Explained​

SPF (Sender Policy Framework)​

Specifies which servers are authorized to send emails from your domain. This prevents email spoofing by allowing recipients to verify that emails actually come from your authorized servers.

DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail)​

Adds a digital signature to your emails that proves they haven't been tampered with during transit. This helps establish authenticity and improves deliverability.

DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance)​

Tells receiving email servers what to do with emails that fail SPF or DKIM checks. It also provides reports on email authentication activity for your domain.

Common Issues and Solutions​

Authentication Problems​

  • Invalid SPF record - Check DNS configuration and syntax
  • DKIM signature failure - Verify DKIM keys are properly configured
  • DMARC policy violations - Review and adjust DMARC settings

Deliverability Issues​

  • High bounce rates - Clean email lists and verify addresses
  • Spam folder delivery - Review content and authentication
  • Rate limiting - Adjust sending frequency and volume

Configuration Errors​

  • Domain verification failure - Confirm DNS records are published
  • Sender authentication - Verify sender information matches domain
  • User access issues - Check email verification status

Frequently Asked Questions​

Can I send campaigns from multiple domains or under a different brand?

Yes — there are two approaches depending on what you're trying to do.

Option 1: Authorize an additional sender domain

If you want to send campaigns from a second domain (for example, a sub-brand or a different business unit), you can authenticate that domain in Marketing → Email Settings → Connect Domains. Each domain requires SPF, DKIM, and DMARC DNS records. DNS changes can take up to 72 hours to propagate, and verification won't complete until all records are published correctly.

Once verified, you can select the domain as your sender in Email Settings.

Option 2: Create a separate market

If you need fully separate branding — different logo, name, and sender identity — you can create a new market in Partner Center. Each market can have its own email settings and branding. When you create a campaign, selecting the right market ensures it sends with that market's branding.

note

Creating additional markets requires a Custom plan. Contact your Vendasta representative to discuss plan options.

Troubleshooting:

  • Gmail shows "via yourdomain.com" in the sender line — This appears when the sending domain doesn't match the from address domain. Ensure the domain you're sending from is the one authenticated in Email Settings.
  • Domain stuck in "Pending" — Check that all three DNS records (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) are published at your DNS provider and allow up to 72 hours for propagation.
Should I add the exact DMARC record provided by the platform?

No, the DMARC record provided is a recommendation, not a requirement. Any valid DMARC record will work, even if provided by another service. The key requirement is that the record must be valid for verification to succeed.

Does the platform have limits to email size?

Yes, the platform has a limit of 32,000 characters of HTML source code per email. If an email exceeds this limit, you'll receive an error message asking you to reduce the content length.

Do I need to register my domain on Google Postmaster Tools?

While not required, registering your domain with Google Postmaster Tools provides valuable insights into your email deliverability and reputation with Gmail users, which can help optimize your email performance.

Can I use a different domain for Marketing Email Settings vs. Partner Branding Email Settings?

No. Marketing Email Settings and Partner Branding Email Settings are tied — they share the same sending domain. You cannot configure a separate domain for campaign sends versus brand notifications (such as Daily Digests or Executive Reports). If you change the domain in one place, it affects both.

Why does the reply-to address always match my sender email?

The reply-to address is automatically set to match the market's sender email. This is intentional — it prevents white-label breaks on automated emails like Daily Digests and Executive Reports, which need to reply back to the configured sender identity rather than a different address.

If you need different reply-to addresses across audiences, the supported approach is to create separate markets, each with its own sender email. The platform natively supports up to two authenticated sending domains.

I'm getting an "Invalid DNS zone file" error when adding a CNAME record. How do I fix this?

This error typically means there is a conflicting A record at the same hostname where you're trying to add a CNAME. DNS does not allow a CNAME and an A record to coexist at the same name.

To fix this:

  1. Log in to your DNS provider (GoDaddy, Namecheap, etc.)
  2. Look for an existing A record at the same hostname as the CNAME you're trying to add
  3. Delete the A record, then add the CNAME

If you're unsure which record is conflicting, use a DNS lookup tool like MXToolbox to see all existing records for the hostname before making changes.

Best Practices​

Domain Management​

Automatic Domain Monitoring: To ensure your emails reach inboxes rather than spam folders, Vendasta automatically monitors and manages your email domain settings:

  • Every 2 weeks - Partner Center admins receive notifications when Email Settings use an unverified domain
  • After 8 weeks - Email Settings automatically roll back to send from Vendasta's grey-label domain (with notification)

Notifications are sent both as in-platform alerts and email messages to Partner Center administrators.

Best Practices:

  • Use a dedicated subdomain for email marketing (e.g., mail.yourbusiness.com)
  • Complete domain verification promptly to prevent automatic rollback
  • Keep DNS records up to date
  • Monitor domain reputation regularly
  • Respond to verification notifications quickly

Authentication Setup​

  • Implement all three authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)
  • Start with a permissive DMARC policy and gradually strengthen it
  • Regularly review authentication reports

Deliverability Optimization​

  • Maintain clean email lists
  • Monitor bounce rates and remove invalid addresses
  • Follow email marketing best practices
  • Test emails across different clients and devices

Security and Compliance​

  • Keep authentication records secure
  • Regularly audit user access and permissions
  • Stay informed about email regulations and requirements
  • Use category-based subscription preferences to give recipients granular control over email types

Need More Help?​

  • Campaign Creation - Learn to create effective campaigns with CRM field personalization using contact fields and company fields
  • Technical Support - Contact support for advanced DNS or authentication issues
  • Deliverability Consulting - Get expert help with complex deliverability challenges
  • Training Resources - Access additional training materials and best practices guides