We know that getting your DNS settings configured can sound confusing, but we’ve created a step by step guide that hopefully makes the process much less daunting.

First we’ll go over adding the DKIM key. DKIM is a way of authenticating your email to ensure it hasn’t been altered in transit (and is indeed coming from you). 

DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail)

1. Make sure you are signed in as an administrator for Google (admin.google.com)
2. Click “Apps” on the left hand side→Google Workspace→Gmail→Authenticate email (Make sure you have the domain selected that you’d like to set-up DKIM for)
3. Click “Generate New Record” and select “2048”. “2048” is more secure, but some domain providers don’t accept it. Only choose “1024” if “2048” is not accepted by your domain provider. 
4. For the next step, you will need to login to your domain provider. (This may look slightly different for your domain provider, but the steps will be the same). I used “Namecheap” for this walkthrough. Select “Domain List” and choose the domain you’re configuring. Under your DNS settings (Advanced DNS settings), add a “TXT” record for your DKIM.
5. Next, copy the “DNS host name (TXT Record Name)” above the generated DKIM on Google Admin and you will paste that into the “Host” field for your domain provider’s TXT record.
6. Then copy the generated DKIM on Google Admin and paste that into the “Value” field of your domain provider’s TXT record.
7. Make sure to save your changes and go back to your Google Admin on the same email authentication page and click “Start Authentication”. You may need to wait up to 48 hours for your DNS settings to update. 

Here is a Google Help page with graphics if you would prefer: DKIM Setup Help Page

The Next step will be setting up your Sender Policy Framework. This is a collection of IP addresses that are authorized to send mail on your behalf. This helps the receiving mail server know that it is indeed you sending the email.

SPF (Sender Policy Framework)

1. For this step, you will head back to your domain provider’s Advanced DNS settings, and you will add another TXT record
2. Under the “Host” field, you will input an “@”
3. For the “value” field, you will copy and paste this value starting with v and ending with all: v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all
4. Make sure to save your changes and that’s it for setting up your SPF!

Here is a Google Help page with the value above for your reference: SPF Setup Help Page

You have successfully set-up SPF and DKIM for Google Workspace. Congratulations!

Having these authentication measures in place used to be just a recommendation, but in today’s email infrastructure, it’s imperative to have these configured correctly. Modern spam filters often don’t let emails through at all if one or more of these mechanisms are not set-up. (Be aware that you may need to wait up to 72 hours for your DNS settings to update.)

If you’re unsure if you set these up correctly, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We would be happy to help! You can book a meeting with us HERE