Prerequisites
Users with the following permissions can access Email/Domain settings:
Marketing
Marketing + Analyst
Operator
Owner
Email Requirements
Domain verification is a critical step in enabling authenticated email communications via AIQ. This guide will walk you through each step, from setup to confirmation, ensuring your domain is authenticated correctly.
Note: AIQ uses SendGrid for email.
✅ Handled Automatically by AIQ
SPF Setup
AIQ (via SendGrid) manages SPF TXT records for your account using SendGrid's Automated Security.
You'll only need to add the CNAME record(s) provided in your Domain Authentication section to your DNS.
To verify the SPF TXT record SendGrid manages, you can use the
digcommand on the first CNAME listed under Sender Verification.
DKIM Setup
DKIM records are automatically configured through SendGrid once your domain is authenticated.
⚙️ Actions You May Need to Complete
Authenticate Your Domain: If you haven't already authenticated your domain, follow the steps below.
Create a DMARC Record: Add a DMARC record within your domain hosting provider (e.g., GoDaddy, Cloudflare, Google Domains, etc.).
Create a PTR Record: PTR records should also be created within your domain hosting provider.
1. Required Domain Settings
Before sending your first email campaign, you'll need to authenticate your domain and configure your sender settings.
Domain Authentication: Authenticating your domain verifies that you own the domain you're sending from.
To authorize AIQ to send emails on your behalf, you'll add specific DNS records (provided in AIQ) to your DNS provider — such as GoDaddy, Rackspace, or Cloudflare.
DMARC Policy: Set up a DMARC record for your sending domain.
Tools like Valimail and similar services can help you generate DMARC records and guide you toward full enforcement.
If you’re already creating the required DNS records for compliance, enabling DMARC enforcement is a simple next step — and it’s essential for protecting your domain from misuse.
Note: Inbox features such as BIMI require DMARC to be set at an enforcement level.
PTR Records: Ensure your sending domain or IP has valid forward and reverse DNS (PTR) records. These records help verify the legitimacy of your mail server and improve deliverability.
2. Authenticating Your Domain
Navigate to Settings > Company Account > Email / Domain
Click (+) to Add Domain
Fill in the domain that you want to send from (e.g. aiq.com)
Do NOT include www or http://www in this field. Your domain needs to match the domain of your FROM address on the emails you are sending out. For example, if I am sending an email from [email protected], I would set my domain authentication domain to be aiq.com.
Add advanced settings as needed.
If you're using a domain that's already been set up with AIQ on a different account, you'll need to enter your 3 letters or numbers into "Custom DKIM". For example, you could use "org", or "001".
Click Save.
Continue to DNS. The page will load with 3 CNAMES.
Add all of the CNAME records on this screen to your DNS host. This process varies depending on your DNS host.
For GoDaddy instructions — click here
For NameCheap instructions — click here
For Rackspace instructions — click here
For Cloudflare instructions — click here
For Wix instructions — click here
Once you add the CNAME records to your DNS host, return to this page and click Refresh.
NOTE: It can take up to 48 hours for the records to be verified after you upload them into your DNS host, so you will likely have to return later to verify.
Tip: If you click Refresh and only some of your CNAME records verify (but not all), this usually means that you need to wait a bit longer. It's also possible that you entered one of your records incorrectly.
If Cloudflare is your DNS provider, there are specific considerations to keep in mind:
Go to the Cloudflare DNS management page.
Set the Proxy status of each AIQ CNAME record to Off (DNS-only). This ensures proper functionality of the records for your AIQ domain setup.
3. Sender Settings
Sender Name: Input your brand/company name.
From email: Input the email address you want your email campaigns to be sent from. Usually, this is some sort of shared email address (e.g. [email protected], [email protected]).
The domain in the sender's From header must be aligned with either the SPF domain or the DKIM domain, meaning the email needs to exist so that if someone replies to it, it goes to an inbox.
Input your Address, city, state, zip, and country. This information is required on the footer of all email campaigns.
Click Save sender.
How to Keep Spam Rates Low
Keep spam rates reported in Google Postmaster Tools below 0.1%.
Maintaining low levels of spam complaints is vital to increase the likelihood of your emails reaching the inbox.
If you haven't done so yet, consider setting up Google Postmaster to monitor your complaint rates.
Validation Tools
Key Terminology
BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification): A standard that lets brands display their verified logo in supported email clients, helping recipients easily identify authenticated emails.
CNAME (Canonical Name Record): A type of DNS record that maps an alias (e.g., subdomain.yourdomain.com) to the true or canonical domain name. Commonly used when verifying or authenticating domains.
DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail): An email authentication method that confirms whether a message was authorized by the domain owner, protecting against spoofing.
DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance): An authentication protocol built on SPF and DKIM. It helps domain owners protect against fraudulent emails and provides reporting on authentication results.
DNS (Domain Name System): The naming system for domains on the internet. Your DNS provider (e.g., GoDaddy, Cloudflare, Rackspace) hosts the records that control where your emails and links point.
PTR (Pointer Record): A type of DNS record used for reverse lookups, mapping an IP address back to a domain name. It's often used for verifying mail server legitimacy and reducing spam.
SPF (Sender Policy Framework): An authentication method that helps prevent sender address forgery by verifying that an email was sent from an authorized mail server.
Additional Resources
AIQ uses SendGrid, and they ensure that all emails sent through them are formatted according to the Internet Message Format standard (RFC 5322).
Troubleshooting
Why is my domain showing DNS or email authentication errors, and how can it affect my emails?
DNS or email authentication errors typically occur when required records—such as SPF, DKIM, or DMARC—are missing, incorrectly configured, or not fully propagated. These issues can prevent successful domain verification and significantly impact email performance, leading to lower deliverability rates or emails being flagged as spam.
Several common causes can lead to these errors. Missing DNS records may indicate that the records were not properly published with your DNS provider. Incorrect email authentication records—such as misconfigured SPF, DKIM, or DMARC—can result in an “invalid” status. Formatting mistakes are also a frequent issue, especially in the Host/Name field. Some DNS providers automatically append your domain name, so manually including it can create duplication errors (for example, entering s1._domainkey.example.com may result in s1._domainkey.example.com.example.com, which is invalid).
To resolve these issues, start by confirming that all required DNS records are visible and active using a DNS lookup tool or by contacting your hosting provider. If needed, restart the domain setup process in your email platform and carefully re-enter all authentication records, ensuring accuracy. Double-check formatting in the Host/Name fields to avoid duplication. Finally, allow time for DNS propagation—updates can take several hours (and sometimes up to 24–48 hours) to fully take effect globally—before verifying that the issue has been resolved.
Need Help?
If you need assistance, reach out to AIQ Support anytime via chat widget within your AIQ Dashboard.