Report the domain to Google Postmaster and avoid the Spam folder

Are you sending emails from your domain, and some of them end up in the Spam folder of Gmail users? You are not the only one and it is not by luck. Today, Gmail checks to see if you have registered your domain and if you follow their rules for senders. If you are, the email goes to the Inbox. If you haven't, they look at you sideways, even if the email was completely [...]

In this text, we show you how to register your domain on Google Postmaster Tools. We also show you how to fix the three things that Gmail loves the most. These are SPF, DKIM and DMARC. You do everything yourself, through cPanel. You don't need anyone. Let's go in order.

What exactly is Postmaster Tools and why do you need it?

Google Postmaster Tools is a free tool from Google. In the simplest terms, it's a dashboard where Gmail shows you how it looks at emails from your domain. Are they properly signed? Is someone reporting you as spam? Are your emails getting checked?.

Registering a domain on Postmaster alone will not magically get your emails into your Inbox. But it opens your eyes. You see where the problem is if the emails end up in spam, so you know what to fix. And when you sort out what it shows you, the chances of ending up in the Inbox increase significantly.

One note right at the beginning, so there are no surprises. Postmaster only shows you data for Gmail. Not valid for Outlook, Yahoo and others. And the data does not appear immediately. Google requires that you have a certain amount of emails to Gmail addresses in order to even start showing you statistics. If you send a few emails a day, your board will be empty for a while. That's normal.

Step 1. Open Postmaster and add your domain

First, log in to the Google account from which you want to track the domain. Maybe your business Gmail, maybe personal. It is important that you know the password and that you will access it.

Then open this page:

https://postmaster.google.com/v2/sender_compliance

Click the button to add a domain (sign + or "Add domain"). Enter your domain. And the one from which the mail actually goes. Most often it is your main domain, for example yourdomain.rs. Don't knock. www in front. Don't knock. http. .Just a clean domain.

Step 2. Google gives you a TXT record to confirm

As soon as you add a domain, Google will ask you to prove that the domain is really yours. It will give you one TXT record. It's a long string of letters and numbers that usually starts with google-site-verification=.

Don't close that window. You will now paste that record into your cPanel. The easiest thing is to copy it (Ctrl+C) and leave the page open in one tab, and open cPanel in another.

Step 3. Add TXT record to cPanel

Now comes the part that scares people the most, but it's actually easy. Follow this:

1. Log in to your cPanel. You received the link and access data from us when you opened the hosting.
2. Find a section Domains and open Zone Editor.
3. Find your domain in the list and click Manage next to him.
4. Click on the button Add Record and choose a type TXT.
5. In the field Name enter your domain (for example yourdomain.rs. with a dot at the end, cPanel usually adds it itself).
6. In the field Record (or "TXT Data") paste the record that Google gave you.
7. Click Save Record. And that's it.

Go back to Postmaster and click Verify. If it doesn't go away right away, don't panic. DNS changes are known to "spread" across the Internet from a few minutes to a few hours. Wait a while and try again.

And now the most important thing. SPF, DKIM and DMARC

Postmaster is your board. But the three things below are the engine that actually pushes the email into the Inbox. Those are three DNS records and Gmail sees them as the first check. It asks: who are you and is this server allowed to send email on your behalf. If you don't have this right, no Postmaster will help you.

They go in order, from the easiest to the one that needs a little attention.

SPF, who is allowed to send on your behalf

SPF is a list of servers that you have given permission to send email from your domain. When an email arrives, Gmail checks to see if that server is on the list. If so, good thing. If not, doubt it.

Good news. If you use our hosting for sending e-mails, SPF is usually already set by itself when we create your account. You can check in the Zone Editor if you have a TXT record that starts with v=spf1. If you have one, great. Just make sure our mail server is turned on.

If you send emails through another service, for example a newsletter tool, that service must also be in the SPF record. Don't guess here. Let us know and together we will arrange it to be correct. The wrong SPF is worse than no SPF.

DKIM, digital signature on every email

DKIM is like a stamp on an envelope. Every email you send gets an invisible signature. Gmail checks that signature and sees that the email has not been modified along the way and that it really comes from your domain.

On our hosting, DKIM is also usually already included. You can check like this:

1. In cPanel, open Email Deliverability (in the Email section).
2. You see columns next to your domain DKIM, SPF and DMARC.
3. If you see a green sign next to something, everything is fine.
4. If you see Repair (fix), click on it and cPanel will offer to fix it itself. In most cases, one click is enough.

If your DNS for the domain leads somewhere else, so it is not with us, then the Repair button will not be able to fix it. It will give you a record that you have to manually add to where your DNS is. If you get stuck, let us know.

DMARC, the rule of what to do if someone spoofs your domain

DMARC is an instruction you give to Gmail. You tell him: if an email arrives that impersonates my domain and doesn't pass SPF and DKIM verification, here's what to do with it. This is a must today if you want to be serious about Inbox. Especially if you send a large number of emails.

The easiest way is via the Email Deliverability screen from the previous step. If it says Repair next to DMARC, click it and fix it. If you want manually, you add one TXT record in the Zone Editor:

• Name: _dmarc.yourdomain.rs.
• Type: TXT
• Record: v=DMARC1; p=quarantine; rua=mailto:postmaster@tvojadomen.rs

That p=quarantine means: if a suspicious email doesn't pass the check, throw it in spam, not in your inbox. It's good and safe to begin with. Later, when you are sure that you have everything sorted out, you can tighten up on p=reject. This means that you should not receive such an email at all. But there is no hurry. Let it stand first quarantine for a week or two, to see that the real emails are getting through.

A few tips to avoid ending up in spam

Technique is one thing. But Gmail also watches how you behave. Here are a few things that really make a difference.

• Don't buy email lists. Send only to those who have actually applied to you. Other people's and purchased lists are the fastest way to spam.
• Put an option to log out. If you send newsletters or notifications, make sure there is a clear unsubscribe link in each email. It's better to be unsubscribed than to click "report spam".
• Watch how many people report you as spam. Gmail measures that. If too many recipients click "spam", you fail everyone, even those who are happy to receive you. Stay below that limit by only sending relevant stuff.
• Don't send thousands of emails at once from a new domain. If you are just starting out, start slowly and increase. Sending a large amount suddenly from a new domain Gmail reads as suspicious.
• Clear the list. Bounce addresses are thrown out. A bunch of dead addresses spoils your reputation.

In short, what to do?

1. Open Postmaster Tools and add your domain.
2. Take the TXT record that Google gives you and paste it into cPanel, Zone Editor.
3. Click Verify in Postmaster. Wait a bit if it doesn't go away right away.
4. Check SPF, DKIM and DMARC in cPanel, Email Deliverability. Where it says Repair, click.
5. Send clean and fair. To relevant people, with the option to unsubscribe.

And that's all. None of this is difficult, it just needs to be done in order. If you get stuck somewhere or are not sure if you have set something up correctly, feel free to contact us. We're here to help get those emails where they need to go.