Private Domain vs. Verified Domain in Salesforce Marketing Cloud?
Question:
What is the difference between a Private Domain and a Verified Domain in Salesforce Marketing Cloud (SFMC)? I understand that a Private Domain provides full DKIM, SPF, and DMARC authentication, which can improve email deliverability. However, some services like Constant Contact allow users to add these authentication records manually. Is a Private Domain strictly necessary in SFMC, or can I achieve similar results by manually configuring the authentication records?
Answer:
While it may seem possible to use a Verified Domain for sending emails, this is not recommended. In SFMC, authentication plays a critical role, and there are no shortcuts when it comes to properly setting up email authentication.
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A Private Domain in SFMC provides full authentication, including DKIM, SPF, and DMARC, ensuring that emails sent from your domain are properly authenticated. Salesforce generates and manages the necessary authentication keys and records, ensuring that your emails pass authentication checks reliably.
A Verified Domain only confirms domain ownership but does not provide the necessary authentication required for proper email deliverability. SFMC does not sign emails with DKIM for Verified Domains, meaning recipients cannot verify the DKIM signature against your DNS records. If DKIM authentication fails or is missing, your emails may be flagged as suspicious or fail delivery.
Technically, if you manage your own DNS for a Private Domain, you could manually add authentication records. However, you would still need Salesforce to provide the correct DKIM values to sign outgoing emails, which is not possible with a Verified Domain.
For full authentication and the best email deliverability, using a Private Domain is the recommended approach in SFMC.
Examples of a Private Domain Setup
When setting up a Private Domain in SFMC, you will configure DNS records to authenticate your email-sending domain properly. Here are some examples of the records required:
1. DKIM Record (DomainKeys Identified Mail)
SFMC provides a DKIM public key that must be added to your DNS. A typical DKIM record looks like this:
s1._domainkey.example.com TXT "v=DKIM1; k=rsa; p=MIGfMA0GCSqGSIb3DQEBAQUAA..."This allows receiving mail servers to verify that your emails are signed by SFMC and have not been altered in transit.
2. SPF Record (Sender Policy Framework)
SFMC requires an SPF record to authorize its servers to send emails on behalf of your domain. A common SPF record looks like this:
example.com TXT "v=spf1 include:_spf.salesforce.com ~all"This tells email providers that Salesforce servers are allowed to send emails using your domain.
3. DMARC Record (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance)
A DMARC record enforces SPF and DKIM policies and provides reporting on email authentication results. A standard DMARC record might look like this:
_dmarc.example.com TXT "v=DMARC1; p=reject; rua=mailto:dmarc-reports@example.com; ruf=mailto:dmarc-failure@example.com"This instructs email providers to reject unauthenticated emails and send reports to the provided addresses.
A Private Domain ensures full email authentication by allowing SFMC to sign emails using DKIM, authorize sending with SPF, and enforce policies with DMARC. A Verified Domain only confirms ownership but does not provide the necessary authentication for reliable email delivery.
For best results, use a Private Domain in SFMC and configure the required DKIM, SPF, and DMARC records in your DNS.
Examples of Verified Domains in SFMC
A Verified Domain is typically used to confirm ownership of an email-sending domain but does not provide full authentication. Here are some examples:
Example 1: Verified Domain Setup in SFMC
You verify your domain example.com in SFMC but do not set up full authentication:
- Add a TXT record to your DNS:
example.com TXT "SFMC-Verification-Code=123456789" 2.SFMC verifies the domain, but DKIM, SPF, and DMARC are not automatically configured.
Example 2: Sending Emails from a Verified Domain
You send an email from info@example.com through SFMC, but the email headers show:
Return-Path: bounce@salesforce.com
DKIM-Signature: none
SPF: softfail (mailfrom: salesforce.com does not match example.com)
DMARC: fail (No alignment with SPF or DKIM) Since there is no DKIM signature for example.com, the recipient’s email server may reject or flag the email as untrusted.
Why a Private Domain is Better
With a Private Domain, SFMC signs emails with DKIM, aligns SPF, and allows proper DMARC configuration.
An email sent from info@example.com under a Private Domain setup would have:
Return-Path: bounce@example.com
DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; d=example.com; s=sfmcdkim;
SPF: pass (mailfrom: example.com)
DMARC: pass This ensures better deliverability, prevents spoofing, and improves email security.
A Verified Domain only confirms ownership but does not provide full authentication. To ensure that your emails pass authentication checks and avoid deliverability issues, you should always use a Private Domain in SFMC.
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