DKIM
DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) is an email authentication method that adds a digital signature to your emails. This proves that the email was actually sent from your domain and not forged.
What is DKIM?
DKIM is an email authentication standard that makes it possible to verify that an email has not been altered in transit and that it actually originates from the domain it claims to come from. It works via a digital signature that is added to the email header.
How DKIM works
- When your mail server sends an email, it generates a digital signature based on the content of the email and a private key.
- The signature is added to the email header as a DKIM field.
- The receiving mail server (e.g. Gmail, Outlook) looks up your public key in your domain's DNS.
- The mail server verifies the signature against the public key. If they match, the email is authentic.
DKIM, SPF and DMARC - the email trinity
DKIM is one part of a triple security system for email:
- SPF (Sender Policy Framework): Specifies which servers are allowed to send email from your domain. Checks the sender's IP address.
- DKIM: Verifies that the content of the email has not been modified and that it originates from your domain. Uses cryptographic signature.
- DMARC: Ties SPF and DKIM together and tells the recipient's mail server what to do with emails that fail the check (reject, quarantine or allow).
All three should be set up for optimal delivery rate and protection against spoofing.
Why is DKIM important for eCommerce?
- Better deliverability: Email providers (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo) look favorably on emails with valid DKIM. Without DKIM, your order confirmations and newsletters are more likely to end up in spam.
- Spoofing protection: DKIM prevents others from sending emails that look like they come from your domain.
- Trustworthiness: Customers who receive emails from an authenticated domain can trust that they are genuine.
- Requirements from email providers: Gmail and Yahoo will require bulk senders to have SPF, DKIM and DMARC set up correctly from 2024.
DKIM in Shoporama
Shoporama supports DKIM via the integration with Heysender (email sending service). You can set up DKIM for your own domain so that all transactional emails (order confirmations, shipping notifications) and newsletters are sent with a valid DKIM signature. The setup requires you to add a DKIM DNS record to your domain.
We know online marketing in Shoporama
We've been working with online marketing ourselves for decades. As the only shop system in the country, we have spoken multiple times at conferences such as Marketingcamp, SEOday, Shopcamp, Digital Marketing, E-commerce Manager, Ecommerce Day, Web Analytics Wednesday and many more.