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Troubleshoot DKIM and Return-Path settings
Troubleshoot DKIM and Return-Path settings

Trouble verifying DNS settings? Here is some general info and tips on adding DNS records for common hosts and DNS providers.

Christl de Wet avatar
Written by Christl de Wet
Updated over a week ago

To send emails from your custom email address, you'll need to make some minor Domain Name System (DNS) changes with your domain service provider that authorise SendBoard to send emails on your behalf.

For an overview of how custom addresses work in SendBoard, you’ll first want to read ‘Custom email addresses’.

Return-Path Record

DKIM records are added to your DNS as a TXT record and Return-Path records are added as CNAME records. Sometimes DNS providers will automatically add your domain to the Retun-Path hostname value so that it ends up as pm.mtasv.net.example.com. If you’re seeing this, try adding a . (dot) to the end of the value to avoid this happening.

i.e. pm.mtasv.net. instead of pm.mtasv.net

Troubleshooting with specific hosts and DNS providers

We have listed some troubleshooting tips on adding DNS records for some common hosts and DNS providers:

Crazy Domains

DNS records cannot be managed through the domain settings but you can manage the DNS inside the Linux Control Panel. You will need to add the DKIM records inside the Linux Hosting cPanel as set out in the steps below:

  1. Sign in using the account manager credentials on the website. (Skip if you are already logged in)

  2. On the account manager click on the "Cloud" icon saying "Web Hosting".

  3. Click on the website that you wanted to update (Skip if you only have 1 hosting).

  4. Click on the orange box that is saying "Control Panel".

  5. You will land on the "Hosting Manager" page.

  6. Find "Domains" and click the "Zone Editor".

Cloudflare

If you are having trouble with DNS configuration for Cloudflare, try updating the particular CNAME record to be set to DNS only instead of the default "proxied" that Cloudflare adds automatically.

Visit Cloudflare's help article for more detail: Manage DNS records

DigitalOcean

Instructions to create and manage DNS records for DigitalOcean are covered in details here. An important note from DigitalOcean is that changes to records will not take effect until you have updated your nameservers with your domain registrar and those changes have successfully propagated - this can take up to 48 hours.

Utilise a Diagnostic tool

A Network and Diagnostic lookup tool is very useful to test your DKIM record and Return-path and identify where the issue might be. We would recommend a tool like MXToolbox

Usually your DNS is managed by your hosting provider and is where you will add these records. However, this is not always the case. For some DNS providers (DNSimple for example) you will need to add your DKIM and Return-Path records there instead of with your hosting provider.

Check the DKIM

Copy the domain name and the domainkey over to MXToolbox and select DKIM Lookup from the drop down.

Check the return path

Copy the domain name over to MXToolbox and select CNAME Lookup from the drop down.

Google Postmaster Tools

Google Postmaster tools is a great resource for monitoring email and obtaining insights into your sending domain. Users can access detailed information such as Gmail delivery errors, spam reports, feedback loops, and other relevant data through various dashboards. This tool helps to keep tabs on your email domain reputation, track performance of your email communications at scale and identify any potential issues. Visit the Get started with Postmaster Tools help article for more detail.

Example domain reputation dashboard in Google Postmaster Tools

If you run into trouble or have any questions, feel free to reach out to us at hello@sendboard.com

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