What is DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) and why is it Important?

Google and Yahoo recently introduced fresh guidelines for bulk senders on how to protect against spoofing and phishing and prevent emails from being marked as spam. It's essential to note that these modifications affect users across all email service providers, not just those using Referrizer, and are set to take effect in February 2024.

While these adjustments necessitate some additional steps on your part, implementing these measures can greatly enhance your email deliverability by bolstering your credibility as an authenticated email sender.

All senders will need to have the right authentication for their email domain, in this case, that would be DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM).

What is DKIM?

DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) is an email authentication method designed to combat email forgery, specifically the practice of email spoofing, which is often used in phishing and email spam attacks.

DKIM is a standard email authentication technique that enhances the security of outgoing emails by adding a digital signature to them. When receiving email servers encounter messages signed with DKIM, they can verify that these messages originated from the genuine sender and were not sent by someone impersonating them.

Benefits for Your Business:

Implementing DKIM offers several advantages for your business:

- Reduced Spam Folder Placement: Enabling DKIM significantly reduces the chances of your email messages being marked as spam, ensuring that your communications reach the intended recipients' inboxes.

- Branded Email Signature: Emails sent on behalf of your business through services like Referrizer will no longer display "sent via Sendgrid" (Referrizer's email provider) in the sender information. Instead, each email will feature your business's unique DKIM signature, reinforcing your brand's authenticity.

Problem We Are Solving:

By implementing DKIM, you address the following issues:

- Third-Party Email Restrictions: If your domain has a security policy in place that restricts sending emails from third-party services, DKIM allows you to send emails from your own domain while ensuring that DKIM authentication is enabled in your DMARC policy.

Steps to Implement DKIM:

Implementing DKIM involves few steps to ensure proper authentication:

- Key Generation: Referrizer will generate a DKIM keys, typically consisting of four records, which will then be shared with you.

- Complete Setup: To complete the DKIM authentication setup, follow the detailed instructions provided in the "Setup Email Domain Authentication" article.

Implementing DKIM enhances the security and credibility of your email communications, reducing the risk of being marked as spam and increasing trust among your recipients.

For more information on DKIM and its implementation, you can refer to the resources provided here or watch the short video created by Google Workspace.

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Employee Instructions for Referrizer
How to set up Email Domain Authentication (DKIM)