{"id":3875,"date":"2012-09-11T10:15:32","date_gmt":"2012-09-11T08:15:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.emailvendorselection.com\/?p=3875"},"modified":"2012-09-11T10:15:32","modified_gmt":"2012-09-11T08:15:32","slug":"knock-knock-whos-there-email-authentication-the-key-to-deliverability","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.emailvendorselection.com\/knock-knock-whos-there-email-authentication-the-key-to-deliverability\/","title":{"rendered":"Knock, knock. Who\u2019s there? Email Authentication; the key to deliverability"},"content":{"rendered":"

An average of 106 billion spam messages go out daily and a further 188 billion email messages are sent. Getting your email into the inbox, when ISPs like Hotmail and Gmail\u00a0are trying to keep junk out is becoming increasingly difficult.
\nWe can no longer just send<\/em> email, we need to focus on delivering<\/em> email.<\/strong> And this falls within your responsibility as well as the supplier of the Email marketing system you\u2019re using.<\/p>\n

<\/span>What can your ESP put in place to improve deliverability?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Email authentication is all about verifying that the domain used in the ‘from’ address is under the control of the sender.\u00a0 The large ISPs like AOL, Hotmail, Yahoo! and Gmail are using email authentication as an important layer in their spam fighting arsenal.<\/p>\n

Authentication <\/strong>
\nBy setting up a system as an authenticated sender, you can instantly bypass certain filters. This gives your campaigns a better chance of arriving in your customers\u2019 inbox. Improving deliverability<\/a>. Also, many ISPs like Yahoo! and Hotmail will flag your email as authenticated, which helps to build trust between you and your subscribers – ultimately increasing the chance of your emails being opened.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

<\/span>Ensuring your Email Service Provider gets authentication in place<\/span><\/h2>\n

ISPs use certain methods to authenticate a sender – SPF & DKIM. Without this additional scrutiny or the correct authentication methods in place your messages could be seen as phishing scams. This makes email authentication an important tool because it impacts directly on email deliverability.<\/p>\n

Some terms you need to know that directly impact your deliverability if not set up correctly:<\/p>\n

SPF \u2013 Sender Policy Framework: <\/strong>This is a way to say an IP or domain can send email on your behalf. It prevents ‘from’ address spoofing.<\/p>\n

DKIM \u2013 (DomainKeys Identified Mail):<\/strong> A means to digitally sign an email message and associate a domain name with it. This signature gives recipients and ISPs a reason to believe the email message\u00a0was created by a known sender and that it was not altered in transit.<\/p>\n

DMARC<\/strong> \u2013 (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance):<\/strong> A DMARC policy allows a sender to indicate that their emails are protected by SPF and\/or DKIM, and tells a receiver what to do if neither of these authentication methods pass – such as send to junk or reject the message.<\/p>\n

All three of the above records are controlled by adding DNS (Domain Name Server) records on your email sending servers. Work with your ESP<\/a> to ensure that these records are set up correctly.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Who needs to do what?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Sender:<\/p>\n