This article covers the SPF and DKIM authentication processes for Benchmark and how they are managed in Valimail. While only one of the two authentication methods is required for an email to pass DMARC, our recommendation is to configure both whenever possible.

1. Click on your account name and select Account Settings.

2. Then, select Domain Authentication. Here you will see the domains available to authenticate.

3. If your domain is available to authenticate, click on the Start option.

4. Confirm your choice by clicking Start Authentication. After confirming, we will begin generating your records. These can typically take up to 30 minutes to generate. Exit this page by clicking on the X on the top right of the page.

Back on the Domain authentication page, you’ll see the authentication status of the records. If your records are ready to be added to your DNS, the DNS Record column will read View instead of Start.

5. Click on the View option to see your CNAME records.

6. In another browser window, go to your domain’s DNS settings. Copy and paste each CNAME record separately in your DNS settings.

Important: If you manage DKIM in Valimail for your domain, you will need to add the CNAME DKIM key on your domain's Configuration page in Valimail and add the hostname CNAME record in your DNS.

7. Once you are done, go back to Benchmark and click on the Check Configuration option.

8. You will see a success message and green checkmarks next to each record if you added them correctly. Record configuration can sometimes take up to 24 hours, depending on your domain hosting service.

Additionally, the domain’s status will change to In Progress; no further action is needed from you. The authentication period can take up to 24 hours. You should not send any emails from your domain during this time as the domain is not yet authenticated.

When your domain is ready to send emails, the status will change to Authenticated.

Note: If you did not add your records correctly, you would see an error message and an X next to the records that need updating.

If you receive an error message, review the records you added to your DNS settings. If the error is not visible to you, delete both of the records previously added and add them again.

You can also find the instructions on how to set up DKIM and SPF for Benchmark, here.

You can find more detailed information on how to add a DKIM key in Valimail, here:

Once you establish that Benchmark is an authorized sender for your domain, you will need to add the service in your Enabled Senders.

You will find more detailed information on how to add a service for your domain in Valimail, here:

Note: We encourage you to use the comment section for any useful information about your sending service, such as the name of the service owner, change request ticket numbers, etc.