This article covers the SPF and DKIM authentication processes for WhatCounts 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.

The CNAME record allows you to brand your email Campaigns in two ways:

Base URL: Tracked URLs contained in your email Campaigns will be branded to match your domain. Without this, the links will appear to be going to whatcounts.com, which could create confusion for your contacts

Bounce Domain: Setting up this CNAME will allow you to use a branded domain with your WhatCounts Bounce Address. This is important for authentication as well as so that replies received from your Campaign can be processed by WhatCounts.

To set up this record, create a subdomain on your domain with a CNAME to response.wc07.net For example:

Host Name: response.examplecompany.com

CNAME record points to: response.wc07.net

Note: You do not have to use 'response' as your subdomain. Choose whatever works best for your company.

After your CNAME record is created, request a DKIM record from WhatCounts. This record will be sent to you along with instructions for adding to your DNS. The DKIM is a digital ‘signature’ designed to prevent spoofing.

Example:

key1._domainkey.response.examplecompany.com IN TXT "k=rsa\;

p=MIGfMA0GCSqGSIb3DQEBAQUAA4GNADCBiQKBgQCwAN+zzA0xP4svMOHwjjJV0YKYCY5wOmOl7OXLIOgJYX9PW4ttdH1Oh8tpO60h2uigPAFrfu5JovcGvD7prdrbmTro3JTw24gMIwQE1PMN4cNpn3hEM0hgK17fCU4k3q6MJ5LRYQT5etcEl3ziivEU2/mfYGgSMhPY+ph8CJdcWQIDAQAB"

Please contact Support after your DNS setup is complete. We will confirm that it is set up correctly and do the necessary configuration in your account to allow for use of a branded Base URL and Bounce Host.

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

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

Once you establish that WhatCounts 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.