SPF/DNS/DMARC Records

SPF (Sender Policy Framework) and DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) are email authentication protocols that help to verify the authenticity of emails sent from a domain. When you add your own custom domain, you must complete this step, otherwise, your review requests will not be successfully delivered.

Follow this guide to learn how to retrieve the DNS records from Stamped, add them to the Domain Registrar in your Domain Control Panel, and validate the records.

Key Notes

• Custom DNS records are required only when you set up your own email address as the From Email address instead of the default email address, i.e., reviews@stamped.io

In This Guide

• Retrieving your DNS records
• Adding the records
  • Adding the records to GoDaddy
• Validating the records
• DMARC

Retrieving your DNS records

Follow these steps to retrieve your DNS records:

• Start in your Stamped Dashboard 
• Go to Settings > General > Deliverability
• Click Get DNS Records for yourstore.com button
  • The records may already be present.  If that's the case, this step is skipped automatically
• You will see a list of records to add to your Domain Registrar - below is an example:
  
  

Adding the Records

Once you've collected the records, it's time to add them to your Email Service Provider (ESP). For the following domain hosts, please click for instructions on how to add the DNS records:

• GoDaddy
• NameCheap
• Google Domains
• Shopify
• BlueHost
• CloudFlare
• 1&1 IONOS
• Network Solutions
• Hostgator
• Domains.com

Most domain registrars automatically add the domain extension to CNAME records - as such you will need to be sure to remove ".yourdomain.com" from the end of each host/name while creating them.

Domain registrars like BigCommerce require you to add the domain extension.

Some registrars may not allow underscore in the Name/Host fields. In that case, you can either contact the domain registrar to create the records on the back end or reach us to update the recommended Name/Host for you.

Cloudflare users take note–the proxy needs to be disabled in the newly added records:

Add your records to GoDaddy 

Follow the instructions in this guide from GoDaddy.

1. Select your domain name in the list to access the Domain Settings page.
2. Go Additional Settings and select Manage DNS.
   
3. Under Records, find the add button to insert new records.
   1. Add the records according to the values given in the deliverability settings in your Stamped account: https://go.stamped.io/v3/#/settings/spfdkim. Here's an example of how the records should be added, with the domain name excluded under the "name" field.

4. 
   Note: Your account's value will differ from the screenshot below

Validating The Records

After the CNAME records are added, click on Validate Records back in the Deliverability settings in Stamped's dashboard. When the records are successfully verified, you'll see green checkmarks beside each record:

Note: It can take up to 72 hours for the DNS records to be propagated before validation can be completed.

DMARC Configuration 

Email security is a crucial aspect of protecting your online presence. DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) is a powerful tool that helps prevent email spoofing and phishing attacks. Follow this process of setting up DMARC policy in Stamped, ensuring your emails are authenticated and secure. As of February 1, 2024 Google will require all merchants update this record. Learn more about the DMARC process here.

Step 1: Obtain the DMARC Host Value from Stamped

• Log in to your Stamped account.
• Navigate to "Settings" and then select "Deliverability."
• Look for the DMARC host value and policy provided by Stamped. This value is essential for configuring your DMARC record.

Step 2: Understand the Components of DMARC

DMARC records consist of tags that specify how your email domain should handle unauthenticated emails. The essential tags are:

• v: Indicates the DMARC protocol version.
• p: Defines the policy for unauthenticated emails (none, quarantine, or reject).
• rua: Specifies the email address to receive aggregate reports.
• ruf: Specifies the email address to receive forensic reports.

Step 3: Enter DMARC Tag and Domain Information

Since Stamped provides the DMARC host value only, you need to enter the tags and your domain information manually.

Follow these instructions from Google:

1. Have the text file or line that represents your policy record ready.
2. Sign in to the management console for your domain host.
3. Locate the page where you update DNS records.
4. Add a DNS TXT record, or modify an existing record, by entering your record in the TXT record for  _dmarc:
   • TXT record name: In the first field, under the DNS Host name, enter: _dmarc.solarmora.comImportant: Some domain hosts automatically add the domain name after _dmarc. After you add the TXT record, you can verify the DMARC TXT record name to make sure it's formatted correctly.
   • TXT record value: In the second field, enter the text for your DMARC record, for example:v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc-reports@solarmora.com The field names might be different for your provider. DNS TXT record field names can vary slightly from provider to provider. The domain used here is an example domain. Replace solarmora.com with your own domain.
     
     
5. Save your changes.

Step 4: Verifying your Records

It's expected that you won't see a green checkmark next to the DMARC record in the Stamped dashboard. We recommend using a free online DMARC validator like https://dmarcian.com/dmarc-inspector/ - simply enter your store URL and click Inspect the Domain to see if your record has been set up successfully. 

Failed record example:

Successful record example: