Are you the proud owner of a domain registered with GoDaddy? If so, it's crucial to publish a DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) record to your DNS settings. DMARC records are essential in preventing email phishing attacks and improving email deliverability. In this comprehensive guide, we'll walk you through the step-by-step process of publishing a DMARC record on GoDaddy's platform.
Understanding DMARC Records
What is a DMARC Record?
A DMARC record is a text file in your Domain Name System (DNS) settings that specifies domain-level email authentication and reporting policies. By publishing a DMARC record, you indicate which email messages from your domain are legitimate and which ones are fraudulent.
DMARC records are an essential tool in the fight against email phishing attacks. Phishing attacks are a type of email scam where fraudsters impersonate a legitimate business or organization to trick people into divulging sensitive information, such as passwords or credit card numbers.
Without a DMARC record, it can be challenging to determine which emails are legitimate and which ones are fraudulent. This can lead to confusion and mistrust among your audience, which can ultimately hurt your brand's reputation.
Why are DMARC Records Important?
DMARC records are vital in preventing email phishing attacks, which can compromise your domain's reputation and hurt your email deliverability. By preventing fraudulent emails from reaching your subscribers, you can build trust with your audience and protect your brand's integrity.
DMARC records also provide valuable reporting data that can help you identify and address email authentication issues. By analyzing DMARC reports, you can gain insights into how your emails are being authenticated and identify any potential vulnerabilities in your email authentication setup.
Components of a DMARC Record
A DMARC record consists of several components, including policies, sending sources, and reporting options. The following are the main components:
DMARC policy: Determines what happens to emails that fail authentication tests. For example, you can choose to reject or quarantine these messages.
SPF (Sender Policy Framework): Specifies which IP addresses are authorized to send emails on behalf of your domain. SPF helps prevent email spoofing, which is when someone sends an email that appears to be from your domain but is actually from a different source.
DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail): Uses a digital signature to verify that the email message originated from your domain. DKIM helps prevent email tampering, which is when someone alters the contents of an email after it has been sent.
By configuring these components correctly, you can ensure that your emails are properly authenticated and that your domain's reputation is protected. DMARC records are an essential tool for any organization that sends email, and they should be regularly reviewed and updated to ensure maximum effectiveness.
Setting Up Your Domain on GoDaddy
Registering a Domain with GoDaddy
If you haven't registered a domain with GoDaddy yet, you need to do so before publishing a DMARC record. GoDaddy is one of the most popular domain registrars on the internet, with over 18 million customers worldwide.
When you're ready to register your domain, head over to GoDaddy's website and search for your desired domain name. GoDaddy has a huge selection of domain extensions to choose from, including .com, .net, .org, and many more. Once you've found an available domain, follow the prompts to purchase it. GoDaddy's checkout process is quick and easy, so you'll have your domain up and running in no time.
Configuring DNS Settings
After purchasing your domain, log in to your GoDaddy account and go to your domain's settings. Under the "DNS" section, click on "Manage DNS." From here, you can add, delete, or modify DNS records for your domain.
DNS, or Domain Name System, is a critical part of the internet infrastructure that translates domain names into IP addresses. By configuring your DNS settings correctly, you can ensure that your website is accessible to visitors all around the world.
GoDaddy's DNS management interface is user-friendly and intuitive, so you don't need to be a technical expert to get started. You can add various types of DNS records, including A records, CNAME records, MX records, and more. Each record type serves a specific purpose, so make sure you understand what you're doing before making any changes.
Verifying Domain Ownership
Before you can publish a DMARC record, you need to verify that you are the owner of the domain. This is an important security measure that prevents unauthorized parties from sending emails on your behalf.
GoDaddy offers different verification methods, including email, HTML file, and DNS record. The email method involves sending an email to the administrative contact listed in your domain's WHOIS record. The HTML file method involves uploading a specific file to your website's root directory. The DNS record method involves adding a specific TXT record to your domain's DNS settings.
Choose the method that works best for you and follow the prompts to complete the verification process. Once you've verified your domain ownership, you can proceed with publishing your DMARC record.
Creating a DMARC Record
Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance (DMARC) is an email authentication protocol that helps protect your domain from email phishing and spoofing attacks. It works by allowing domain owners to specify which email servers are authorized to send emails on their behalf. In this article, we'll walk you through the steps of creating a DMARC record.
DMARC Record Syntax
The syntax of a DMARC record consists of a domain name and settings in a semicolon-separated format. Here's an example of the syntax: "\_dmarc.yourdomain.com. IN TXT "v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:your@email.com; ruf=mailto:your@email.com;"
The "v" tag specifies the version of the DMARC protocol. The "p" tag specifies the DMARC policy. The "rua" tag specifies the email address to receive aggregate reports, while the "ruf" tag specifies the email address to receive forensic reports.
It's important to note that the DMARC record should be added to your domain's DNS records. Once added, it will be automatically checked by email servers that receive emails from your domain.
Choosing a DMARC Policy
A DMARC policy determines what happens to emails that fail SPF and DKIM authentication tests. You can choose one of the following policies:
p=none: Do not take any action. p=quarantine: Mark the email as spam. p=reject: Block the email from reaching the recipient.
It's important to choose a DMARC policy that suits your organization's needs. For example, if you're just starting with DMARC, you may want to choose the "p=none" policy to monitor email authentication failures before taking any action.
Configuring Reporting Options
You can configure DMARC reports to receive feedback about email authentication failures. DMARC reports provide valuable insights into which IP addresses are sending emails on your domain's behalf and help you identify potential phishing attempts. You can configure the following reporting options:
rua (Aggregate Reports): The email address to receive aggregate reports.
ruf (Forensic Reports): The email address to receive forensic reports.
It's recommended to configure both aggregate and forensic reports to get a complete picture of your domain's email authentication status. Aggregate reports provide a summary of email authentication results, while forensic reports provide detailed information about individual email messages.
By configuring DMARC reporting options, you can gain valuable insights into your domain's email authentication status and take necessary actions to protect your domain from email phishing and spoofing attacks.
Adding the DMARC Record to GoDaddy
Accessing the DNS Management Interface
When it comes to protecting your brand's reputation from email phishing attacks, adding a DMARC record is a crucial step. Fortunately, GoDaddy makes it easy to manage your domain's DNS records, including the DMARC record. To get started, simply log in to your GoDaddy account and navigate to the "DNS" settings for your domain.
Once you're in the DNS management interface, you'll see a variety of DNS records that you can manage. In addition to the DMARC record, you can also manage your domain's A records, CNAME records, MX records, and more.
Creating a New TXT Record
Now that you're in the DNS management interface, it's time to create a new TXT record for your DMARC record. To do this, simply click on the "Add" button and select "TXT" from the dropdown menu.
Next, you'll need to enter the "TXT Name" and "TXT Value" fields. In the "TXT Name" field, enter "v=DMARC1". This tells email servers that this is a DMARC record. In the "TXT Value" field, paste the DMARC record syntax that you've generated.
Entering the DMARC Record Details
Now that you've created a new TXT record for your DMARC record, it's time to enter the details of your DMARC record. This includes the policy you want to enforce and the reporting options you want to use.
For example, you might choose to enforce a policy that tells email servers to reject any emails that fail the DMARC check. You might also choose to receive daily reports on DMARC activity for your domain.
Once you've entered the details of your DMARC record, click "Save" to publish the record to your domain's DNS settings. It may take up to 48 hours for the changes to propagate across the internet, so be patient!
Congratulations, you've successfully published a DMARC record on GoDaddy's platform! By taking this proactive step, you're keeping your subscribers safe and protecting your brand's reputation from email phishing attacks. Remember to regularly check your DMARC reports to ensure that your policy is being enforced correctly.
When you use a cold mailing tool like Emelia for your email prospecting campaigns, DMARC registration management is essential to preserve your reputation regardless of the host of your domain name.