Custom Domains, DNS Providers, and Why my Emails are Going to Spam

Custom Domains, DNS Providers, and Why my Emails are Going to Spam

To begin, when all emails are sent to a recipient, the recipient's server tries to protect against spam and phishing. One way this is accomplished is through something called DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication Reporting & Conformance). Wanna get nerdy? Look up "What is DMARC?" DMARC is essentially a process to determine how safe a domain is.

To send emails out of ActionFlow, we use something called "SendGrid" (which is an email API provider.)

When you send emails from ActionFlow, they are initially sent from "sendgrid.net". When email servers see "sendgrid.net," they may send those emails to spam because they cannot confirm the safety of such a generic domain. They can't complete the DMARC process because the domain is too broad.

BUT we can enable our system to send out those emails from your domain. So when your customer gets the email, it looks like it is coming directly from the shop even though it came from ActionFlow.

We authenticate your domain with SendGrid,  which means we set up the DMARC process, so SendGrid can protect your domain's reputation and let receiving email servers know those emails are safe. 

What if I use Gmail, Yahoo, or don't have a Custom Email Domain?

However, when we try to verify a sender using using a gmail.com, yahoo.com, aol.com, or a similar address, the receiving email server has no way of knowing whether you are using SendGrid to send email for legitimate purposes or spoofing Gmail's domain.

Here are a couple articles that explain it better than me! 

Bottom line, it is not recommended to send emails from a domain you don't control because that is a common tactic used by spammers.

If you do not have have a custom email domain, and you would like to get started you will need to:
  1. Buy/Register a Domain Name
    1. Choose a Registrar: Select a domain registrar (e.g., GoDaddy, Namecheap, Google Domains).
      1. A domain registrar offers services that allow you to pick a domain name and register it to an IP address. Source
    2. Search & Buy a Domain: Search for your desired domain name (e.g., yourcompany.com) and complete the purchase (it's a lease, not a purchase, usually paid annually). 
  2. Choose a DNS Provider (e.g., Cloudflare, GoDaddy, Google Cloud, Winhost) or you may already have a DNS host that hosts your website.
    1. A DNS hosting provider hosts the domain name servers, which authoritatively respond for your domain. There are 3 kinds of DNS hosts - 
      1. Domain name registers that offer DNS hosting as an additional service
      2. Web hosting providers
      3. Dedicated DNS hosting companies (that’s all they do)
  3. Connect your Domain to your DNS Provider
    1. Find Your Name Servers: Log into your domain registrar account. Find your domain's settings and locate the "Name Servers" (NS records) provided by your chosen DNS provider (e.g., ns1.dns-provider.com, ns2.dns-provider.com).
    2. Update at Registrar: Go back to your registrar and change the default name servers to the ones from your DNS provider.
    3. Wait for Propagation: DNS changes can take hours to fully update across the internet (propagation). 
  4. Configure DNS Records
    1. Log into DNS Provider: Access the DNS management interface for your domain (this might be your registrar, web host, or Cloudflare).
    2. Add Records: Create records to point your domain:
      1. A Record: Points a domain (e.g., yourdomain.com) to an IP address (e.g., your web server's IP).
      2. CNAME Record: Points a domain/subdomain (e.g., www.yourdomain.com) to another domain name (e.g., a hosting service URL).
      3. TXT Record: Used for verification (like with Google Search Console) or email settings.