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DKIM 2024: Email Providers Make Email Authentication Mandatory

Joana Rüdebusch
SEO Managerin & Content Creator
Email providers require DKIM

In 2024, email providers require newsletter senders to set up DKIM authentication. We’ll show you what this means for your emails.

More Security for Email Providers

By making DKIM authentication a requirement, email providers such as Gmail, t-online, Yahoo or web.de want to increase the security and trustworthiness of incoming emails for recipients.

Since February 2024, Gmail require senders who send out 5,000 or more messages per day to Gmail accounts to authenticate outgoing emails with DKIM. Other mailbox providers are already requiring DKIM or plan to make email authentication mandatory for frequent senders.

The goal of DKIM authentication is to protect recipients from unwanted emails, to increase the quality of emails and to reduce spam. At the same time, as a sender, you will achieve a higher email deliverability and sender reputation by implementing DKIM. A win-win situation for everyone involved.

What is DKIM?

Think of DKIM as a letter seal that confirms the authenticity and integrity of a message and prevents it from being altered in transit from sender to recipient.

What Do CleverReach Customers Have to Do?

Due to mailbox provider obligations, CleverReach and other newsletter tools also require a DKIM key in order to send newsletters. Our customers have the option to set up DKIM in their account to authenticate themselves as a secure sender.

You haven’t set up DKIM yet? Don’t worry, it’s easy! For detailed step-by-step instructions on how to set up DKIM, please visit our Help Center.

All important steps in a nutshell:

  1. Log into your CleverReach account
  2. Settings > DKIM
  3. Automatically generate DKIM key (add domain to your account)
  4. Customize DNS record (with your external domain registrar or DNS host).
  5. DKIM activation
  6. Send out test emails

Set up DKIM

Don’t Have Your Own Sending Domain and Can’t Set Up DKIM?

We make it possible to send out emails without your own DKIM entry: CleverReach rewrites your sender address. This means that you can temporarily use our DKIM key.

However, for better deliverability, we recommend that you create your own sending domain with a DKIM key.

“For me, making DKIM authentication a requirement is the only right thing to do, because it will not only reduce the amount of spam, but it will also build trust among recipients through verified emails.”

Jan-Philipp Benecke, Deliverability Expert at CleverReach

Send Out Secure Newsletters: What to Consider Besides DKIM

In addition to DKIM authentication, some email providers have additional guidelines for secure sending. We at CleverReach support these guidelines as well:

  • Only send out emails to people who have explicitly consented to receive your emails. Always use Double-Opt-in.
  • Make it easy to unsubscribe from your emails.
    Good to know: All CleverReach email templates already contain a clearly visible unsubscribe link. Unsubscribed recipients are automatically switched to inactive in your recipient list.
  • To improve email authentication, you should set up SPF and DMARC in addition to DKIM.

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