Verifying your sender domain

You verify your sender domain on the Email Settings page in Zalify Reach. Reach shows you a set of DNS records (SPF and DKIM), you add them at your domain registrar or DNS host, and Reach checks each record and shows a verification status next to it. Until your domain is verified, you cannot send email from your own domain.

Why verification is required

Mailbox providers like Gmail and Outlook check whether the sending server is actually authorized to send email for your domain. SPF and DKIM records are how you prove that:

• SPF lists the servers allowed to send email on behalf of your domain.
• DKIM adds a cryptographic signature to each email so receivers can confirm it wasn't forged or altered.

Without these records, your emails are far more likely to land in spam or be rejected outright. Verification is a one-time setup per domain, and it is the single biggest thing you can do for deliverability.

Step 1: Find your DNS records in Email Settings

1. Open Email Settings in Reach.
2. Go to the sender domain section and enter the domain you want to send from (for example, yourstore.com).
3. Reach generates the DNS records you need to add. Each record has a type (usually TXT or CNAME), a host/name, and a value. Keep this page open — you'll copy from it in the next step.

Step 2: Add the records at your DNS host

Your DNS host is wherever your domain's DNS is managed — usually your registrar, unless you've pointed your nameservers elsewhere (for example, at Cloudflare).

The generic process is the same everywhere:

1. Log in to your DNS host and open the DNS management page for your domain.
2. For each record Reach shows you, create a new record of the matching type.
3. Paste the host/name exactly as shown. Watch out: some DNS hosts automatically append your domain to the host field. If Reach shows zalify._domainkey.yourstore.com and your host appends the domain for you, enter only zalify._domainkey.
4. Paste the value exactly as shown, with no extra spaces or quotes.
5. Save. Leave TTL at the default.

Notes for common DNS hosts

• Cloudflare: Set the proxy status to DNS only (grey cloud) for every verification record. Proxied (orange cloud) records will fail verification.
• GoDaddy: GoDaddy appends your domain to the host field automatically — enter only the part before your domain name.
• Namecheap: Add the records under Advanced DNS. Namecheap also appends your domain to the host field.
• Google Domains-style hosts: Add each record under custom/resource records. These hosts usually accept the full host name as shown in Reach.

If your domain's email is managed by an IT team or an agency, send them a screenshot or copy of the records from Email Settings — they will know what to do with them.

Step 3: Wait for propagation, then check the status

DNS changes are not instant. Most records propagate within a few minutes to an hour, but it can take up to 24–48 hours depending on your DNS host. Reach re-checks your records periodically, and shows a status per record:

• Pending — Reach hasn't found the record yet. This is normal right after you add records; give it time to propagate.

• Verified — the record was found and matches. Once every record shows verified, your domain is ready to send.

• Failed / not found — Reach checked and the record is missing or doesn't match. See the troubleshooting section below.

Troubleshooting: record won't verify

If a record stays pending or failed for more than a few hours, check these in order — they cover almost every case:

1. Typo'd host name. Compare the host in your DNS panel against Email Settings character by character. A duplicated domain (zalify._domainkey.yourstore.com.yourstore.com) is the most common mistake — it happens when your DNS host auto-appends the domain and you pasted the full host anyway.
2. Proxied records (Cloudflare). Verification records must be DNS only. Click the orange cloud to turn it grey, then wait for a re-check.
3. Wrong DNS zone. If your nameservers point somewhere other than your registrar, records added at the registrar do nothing. Look up your domain's nameservers to find where DNS is actually served, and add the records there.
4. Extra quotes or whitespace in the value. Re-paste the value cleanly. Some DNS panels add surrounding quotes on their own — that's fine, but don't add your own.
5. An old conflicting record. Two SPF records on one domain will both fail. If your domain already has an SPF record, you may need to merge Reach's SPF into the existing record rather than adding a second one.

Still stuck after 48 hours? Contact support with your domain name and a screenshot of your DNS records — we can see exactly what's being returned for your domain.

What's next

• Sending from a brand-new domain? Read Deliverability best practices before your first big send — new domains need a warm-up period.
• Ready to send? See Sending your first broadcast.