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What is DKIM and how do I set it up for my domain in CleverReach?

What is DKIM?

DKIM is short for DomainKeys Identified Mail and helps to significantly improve the deliverability of emails by signing them with two digital keys.

The receiving server checks for every email whether it may be delivered or not. DKIM is based on asymmetric encryption, which ensures that an email really comes from the sender that is displayed and that the content has not been changed on the way.

  • The first key will be added to your DNS server and published (Public Key).
  • Only the sender knows the second key (Private Key).

The first public part of the key, will be placed as a TXT record in your domain of your provider's / host's DNS server, which serves as the sender address. The other private part of this key is used to generate an individual DKIM signature for each email. This signature is automatically added to the email header.

If a receiving server recognizes such a header, it searches for the public part of the key. In doing so, it queries the Domain Name System (DNS) for the TXT record.

If both keys match, the newsletter is delivered. The receiving server then knows that the email has not been modified and that it originates from the specified sender.

When adding your domain, we automatically create a DNS record for you as a TXT record, which you must make available to your domain provider. Please note that the public key must not be removed.

Setting up DKIM in CleverReach

You can add a new domain for using DKIM in your account: My Account - Settings - DKIM Domains. Please insert the domain without http:// or https://:

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You can optionally add the selector. The selector is used to identify the public DKIM key details of the domain.

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When successfully having entered the DKIM key in your account, you have to customize the DNS record for the domain in the next step or have this done by your (domain) provider:

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Click on i, to keep the DNS record as a TXT record for your domain:

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If you need help setting up your DNS record, please contact your (domain) provider. After the setup, click on Check. The system checks in the background if everything has been set up correctly.

If the verification is not yet possible, please wait another 24-48 hours and try again:

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When the verification has worked out, the DKIM domain is active and has been set up successfully.

You can also remove the domain if you no longer want to use the feature:

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Please note that you can no longer sign with this domain when removing the domain from your account.

Please note

  • If you need help adding a DNS record, please contact your (domain) provider.
  • The public key must not be removed, because then your mailings are classified as spam.
  • You can store up to 5 domains for DKIM in your account. If you want to deposit more, please contact our service team.
  • The feature is not available in the Lite plan.

Help & Support

If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact our service team. They’ll be there for you.