SPF(supported)
DKIM(recommended)
This article covers the SPF and DKIM authentication processes for HostGator 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.
Configuring DKIM authentication for your HostGator emails
Step 1: Ensure DKIM & SPF are enabled
The first step is ensuring that DKIM and SPF work correctly on your cPanel.
Disable your plugin via cPanel (if you have one) - This method requires access to your cPanel. There are two ways to access your cPanel.
Option 1: Access your cPanel via direct link.
Option 2: Access your cPanel via your Customer Portal.
Log in to your Customer Portal.
Click the Hosting tab in the left-side menu.
If you have one hosting package in your account, proceed to step 3.
If your account has multiple hosting packages, choose the plan you want access to, then click Manage.
Scroll down to the Server Information section.
Under Quick Links, click the cPanel button.
Check the Email Deliverability Status.
If it says Valid, then the DKIM & SPF are Enabled.
If it says Problems Exist (DKIM and SPF) or Problems Exist (DKIM), click Repair. Select Generate Local DKIM Key, then Repair to save the changes.
Note: If you already use third-party DNS, the required DKIM record will be provided when the service is enabled.
When your DKIM & SPF are Enabled, your SPF and DKIM records will be displayed.
Click Manage to see the records, and please copy the SPF and DKIM records for Step
Step 2: Find and copy your DKIM signature
If you use HostGator name servers, your DKIM record will not be displayed in cPanel.
To get your DKIM record, you will need to be able to view your full email headers.
To do this, mail yourself using an external email address, such as Gmail, Yahoo, or a domain hosted on another server, then check the email headers. Alternatively, you may use a service such as ISnotSPAM.
Once you have the headers from an outbound email, look for this section:
DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; q=dns/txt; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=hgunlimited.com; s=default; h=Message-ID:Subject:To:From:Date: Content-Transfer-Encoding:Content-Type:MIME-Version; bh=JUmMmS1Lna1PPFKxOCvqS3v+fr8dj4qCwpvucGl1i2o=; b=TNH8rwqFBvZO2m9qcXLollRx82xvvo9RYsfIMl34/k6XMD3WiB6LGMSDCw715EAca6RadiTAq7LtOfAIYhiJ4DE0hPOMnvKGWweypTZLz8cw+x9Zx4I03is55TuxIS5+Vk4g0F5V+gv5Ddr5m8Gni80Yx22aL9qrYkZInBdkU3Z0lTavUgxdLdARscOcS4apQmuOnQfOqOPR8Nof1tg3YhiLs6cTQ/cR+6fT0gngw9+70owkSpY6mydOl1KLDpJBYWHNgyoBFQhx+QqalFZMIj+w2i+3yBdP+EE0nUhBS2J5rxpTett+cfV4Mkmoc88yI1zFYdyld4xBWeeZvgGBmw==;
You must copy the entire value after DKIM-Signature: to create your DKIM record.
Once you have the raw SPF and DKIM records, you may proceed to the next step.
Note: Copying the signature may add line breaks that must be removed. Paste the signature into a notepad program with Word wrap off and delete any line breaks until there is only one line.
Step 3: Add SPF and DKIM Records to your DNS Zone
Once you have the values for your SPF and DKIM records, you will need to create 2 TXT records at your third-party DNS provider:
Record Type: TXT
Name: example.com. (Please make sure to replace 'example.com" with your actual domain name and be sure to include the extra period (.) at the end)
TTL: 14400
Value: Enter the value for the raw SPF record you copied earlier.
Record Type: TXT
Name: default._domainkey.example.com. (Please make sure to replace 'example.com" with your actual domain name and be sure to include the extra period (.) at the end)
TTL: 14400
Value: Enter the value for the DKIM signature.
NOTE: If you manage you domain in Valimail, you will need to add the DKIM key/s on your domain's configuration page in the Valimail platform.
You can also find the instructions on how to set up DKIM and SPF for HostGator, here.
Add a HostGator DKIM key in Valimail
You can find more detailed information on how to add a DKIM key in Valimail, here:
Configuring SPF authentication for your HostGator emails
Once you establish that HostGator 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.