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Domain Verification

Before sending emails, you need to verify your sending domain. This ensures emails are delivered to your subscribers’ inboxes and not flagged as spam.

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Why Domain Verification Matters

When you send an email, receiving mail servers (Gmail, Outlook, etc.) check if the email is legitimate. Without proper verification, your emails may:

• Land in spam folders
• Be rejected entirely
• Damage your domain’s reputation

Domain verification proves:

1. You own the domain - Only someone with DNS access can add the required records
2. You authorize Sequenzy to send on your behalf - The records explicitly list Amazon SES as an authorized sender

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How Email Authentication Works

Email authentication uses multiple protocols working together. When a receiving server gets your email:

1. SPF Check - “Is this server allowed to send for this domain?” → Looks up TXT record on bounce subdomain
2. DKIM Check - “Was this email modified in transit?” → Verifies cryptographic signature using public key from CNAME records

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Required DNS Records

Sequenzy requires 5 DNS records to verify your domain:

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DKIM Records (3 CNAME records)

DKIM adds a digital signature to every email. AWS SES signs outgoing emails with a private key, and receiving servers verify using the public key published in these records.

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SPF Record (1 TXT record)

SPF authorizes which servers can send email for your domain. We use a bounce subdomain as the envelope sender for better deliverability tracking.

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MX Record (1 MX record)

Routes bounce notifications to AWS SES so failed deliveries are tracked and subscribers are marked as bounced.

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Optional: DMARC

DMARC is not required for domain verification, but we recommend setting it up for better deliverability and domain protection. DMARC tells receiving servers what to do when authentication fails and where to send reports.

Implementing DMARC

Learn how to set up DMARC for your domain with step-by-step instructions

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Verification Methods

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Option 1: Automatic Setup with Cloudflare

If your domain uses Cloudflare DNS, you can set up all records automatically with one click. Step 1: Create a Cloudflare API Token

1. Go to Cloudflare Dashboard → My Profile → API Tokens
2. Click Create Token
3. Use the Edit zone DNS template or create a custom token with:
   • Zone - Zone - Read (to find your zone)
   • Zone - DNS - Edit (to create records)
4. Set zone resources to All zones or select your specific domain
5. Click Create Token and copy it immediately

Step 2: Connect in Sequenzy

1. Go to Settings → Domains and click your domain
2. Click Connect Cloudflare
3. Paste your API token
4. Click Verify & Create Records

Sequenzy will validate your token, find the zone for your domain (including subdomains), and create all required DNS records automatically.

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Option 2: Manual DNS Setup

1. Go to Settings → Domains and click your domain
2. Copy each DNS record from the verification table
3. Add them in your DNS provider’s control panel
4. Return to Sequenzy—verification happens automatically

Common DNS Providers:

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Verification Process

Once you’ve added the DNS records, Sequenzy automatically monitors their status:

1. DNS Lookup - Checks if records exist and point to correct values
2. AWS SES Verification - Once DNS is correct, AWS SES verifies the DKIM signatures
3. Status Update - Domain status updates from “Pending” to “Verified”

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Verification Statuses

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Troubleshooting

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Records Not Detected

• Wait for propagation - DNS changes can take up to 48 hours
• Check for typos - Ensure record names and values match exactly
• Check proxy settings - For Cloudflare, DKIM records must have proxy disabled (DNS only)

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Verification Timeout

If verification fails after 72 hours:

1. Delete the domain in Sequenzy
2. Re-add it to get fresh DKIM tokens
3. Update your DNS records with the new tokens

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Cloudflare Token Errors

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Using Subdomains

We strongly recommend sending from a subdomain (e.g., mail.example.com) rather than your root domain. This protects your domain reputation and isolates any deliverability issues.

Why Use Subdomains?

Learn about reputation isolation, risk prevention, and best practices for subdomain email sending

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Best Practices

1. Use a subdomain - Protect your root domain’s reputation with mail.yourdomain.com
2. Consider setting up DMARC - While optional, DMARC protects against spoofing and helps monitor email authentication
3. Keep tokens secure - Never share your Cloudflare API token publicly

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