How to Verify Your Domain in Mailchimp

Keep Your Emails Out of Spam

Email marketing remains one of the most effective tools for building relationships, generating leads, and driving sales.

But all your efforts can quickly go down the drain if your emails just end up in the spam folder.

”Domain Verification” is one of biggest factors that mail service providers use in spam filters to decide whether your emails reach your audience's inbox or their spam folder.

What is Domain Verification?

Domain verification is a security measure to establish clear domain ownership and make sure emails are sent from legitimate business owners. It can also limit who can edit a domain on various platforms.

Verified domains increase your emails chances of avoiding spam filters

• Increase Email Deliverability: Verified domains build trust with ISPs and reduce the likelihood of your emails being marked as spam.
• Boost Credibility: Recipients can see that the email is coming from a legitimate source.
• Reduce Bounce Rates: Verified domains help minimize bounces and rejections from email servers.

When you send emails through Mailchimp (or any email marketing platform), ISPs (Internet Service Providers) check the authenticity of the sender.

Step-by-Step Guide to Verifying Your Domain in Mailchimp

Domain verification proves that you own the domain you're sending emails from and validates that Mailchimp has permission to send emails on your behalf.

Here’s a simple guide on how to verify your domain in Mailchimp and ensure your emails don't get flagged as spam.

Step 1: Log Into Your Mailchimp Account

To start, sign in to your Mailchimp account and go to your dashboard. Make sure you have access to the domain's DNS settings, because you'll need to make changes to them later.

Step 2: Access Domain Settings

From your Mailchimp dashboard:

1. Go to your Account Settings by clicking on your profile name in the bottom left corner.
2. Under Settings, click on Verified Domains.
3. Here, you'll see the option to verify a new domain.

Step 3: Add Your Domain

In the Verify a Domain section, enter the email address you use for your domain (for example, yourname@yourdomain.com). Mailchimp will then send a verification email to it and confirm that you have access to the domain.

Step 4: Verify Your Domain

After entering your email, Mailchimp will send a verification email to the address you provided. Open it and click on the verification link to confirm your ownership.

Step 5: Set Up Domain Authentication (DKIM)

To further authenticate your domain and improve deliverability, you’ll need to set up DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) authentication. Here's how:

1. In Mailchimp, go to the Domains section under your Account Settings.

2. Click on the Authenticate button next to your verified domain.

3. Mailchimp will provide you with two CNAME records. These records need to be added to your domain’s DNS settings.

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4.Access your DNS settings: Log in to your domain hosting provider (e.g., GoDaddy, Bluehost, etc.), and find your DNS or name server settings.

5. Add CNAME records: Add the two CNAME records provided by Mailchimp to your DNS configuration. Ensure you enter the information exactly as shown to avoid issues.

6. Once you’ve added the CNAME records, return to Mailchimp and click Authenticate Domain.

Step 6: Wait for Authentication to Complete

It can take up to 48 hours for DNS changes to propagate, but it’s often much quicker.

Mailchimp DKIM not working? You can troubleshoot authentication errors using Mailchimp’s DKIM documentation.

Once the records are verified, your domain will be authenticated in Mailchimp and your email credibility is good to go!

Tips and Tricks to Keep Emails Out of Spam

• Maintain a Clean Email List: make sure your list only has engaged subscribers who have opted in to receive your emails. Regularly clean your list of unengaged contacts.
• Avoid Spammy Language: Words like "free," "guarantee," or "urgent" in your subject line or body are strong “pick me” signals that trigger spam filters.
• Use a Recognizable Sender Name: Send your emails from a familiar and trustworthy name, say, your company’s name or your own.
• Test Your Campaigns: Before clicking send for a large campaign, test your emails once or twice using tools like Mailchimp’s inbox preview or a third-party spam-checker to get a good guess of how likely they are to be flagged.

Here are some more tips to make your emails pass spam checks.

Try Mailchimp Automations with Your Verified Domain

Verifying your domain in Mailchimp is a simple but important step to make sure your emails reach your audience.

But cracking email marketing and improving your open rates is just a few steps away!

Now that you’ve verified your domain, you’ve opened the doors to super-easy workflow automations that you can do on Mailchimp.

Check out some killer Mailchimp integrations here!

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