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Sender Email and Domain Verification
Published: April 30, 2025
Before sending emails using Maildroppa, you'll need to verify your sender email.
We also recommend setting up DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) and SPF (Sender Policy Framework). These simple DNS settings protect your email reputation and improve deliverability.
How to Verify Your Sender Email and Set Up DKIM and SPF
This might seem daunting, but it's actually straightforward (depending on your DNS provider).
A. DKIM Setup
Follow these simple steps:
1. Complete the wizard to enable “Email Sender” settings.
2. After completing the wizard, navigate to Settings > Email Sender.
3. Click “Set Up Sending Signed Emails” to start domain verification.
Your Sender Domain is the domain shown in the “From” line of emails you send via Maildroppa. Until verification, messages come from noreply@mail.mydroppa.com.
4. Add our DKIM TXT record to your DNS:
Simply copy the DKIM public key we generate and paste it into your DNS as a TXT record. Guides for popular DNS providers are linked below (no need to generate anything—just copy-and-paste).
IMPORTANT: Keep this DKIM record in place as long as you send via Maildroppa; removing it will cause emails to fail.
- Amazon Route 53
- Cloudflare
- DNSimple
- DreamHost
- DynDNS
- GoDaddy
- HostGator
- Hover
- Name.com
- Namecheap
- Network Solutions
- United Domains
- ZoneEdit
It usually only takes a few seconds to verify your DNS details, but it may take longer in some cases. After we've completed our process, the DKIM verified icon will show up.
5. Congratulations! Your Sender Email and Domain have been verified.
B. Set Up Your SPF Record
Add one more DNS setting to help your emails reliably reach the inbox.
1. Log back in to your DNS provider.
2. Create a new TXT record exactly like this:
v=spf1 include:spf.maildroppa.com ~all
Save it, and you're done. SPF usually activates within a few minutes.
DKIM, SPF, and DMARC Explained Simply
DKIM – Your Secret Email Stamp
DKIM adds an invisible “stamp” to every email you send. Before your message leaves Maildroppa, it is secretly signed with a private key stored safely on our servers. Only you (the domain owner) control this key.
Email servers verify this stamp with a matching public key you publish in your DNS. Because the public key matches your secret stamp, providers can be 100% sure of two things:
- The email genuinely came from you (or someone you authorized).
- The email hasn’t been changed along the way.
This proof builds trust and helps more emails reach the inbox.
But DKIM alone isn’t enough. Owning a new domain (like coffee-heaven.com) is like showing a fresh photo-ID: mailbox providers now know who you are, but they don’t yet know your track record. Initially, they'll treat your emails with caution. Over time, they watch how people react to your messages—opens, clicks, spam complaints, bounces—and roll this data into a hidden score called sender reputation.
Send useful, wanted emails, and your reputation rises, bringing future campaigns smoothly into inboxes. Send unwanted emails, and your reputation falls—making it easier for filters to spot and block you.
In short, DKIM gives you an identity card; your behavior decides whether mailbox providers trust you or not.
SPF – Your Approved Sender List
SPF works like a guest list at a club entrance. You publish one short TXT record that lists which servers are allowed to send emails for your domain. When an email arrives, the receiving server checks this list. If the sending server isn’t listed, the message looks suspicious and may not get delivered.
SPF is a handy safety net. Even if a DKIM signature breaks (for example, when an email is forwarded), SPF still proves the email originated from a trusted server.
DMARC – Email Security Rules
DMARC sets clear rules for mailbox providers when DKIM or SPF checks fail:
- Monitor: Just watch and report, but still deliver.
- Quarantine: Send suspicious emails to the spam folder.
- Reject: Block suspicious emails completely.
Maildroppa fully manages DMARC for you. We enforce a strict reject policy and monitor DMARC reports, so you don’t have to. DMARC checks both DKIM and SPF—if at least one passes and matches your domain, the email is delivered; if both fail, the email is rejected.
Sender Reputation – Your Email Scorecard
Because DKIM proves your identity and SPF confirms you’re using approved servers, mailbox providers can accurately track how people respond to your emails. Every open, click, spam complaint, or bounce feeds into your sender reputation.
- Good reputation: Emails land in the inbox.
- Poor reputation: Emails slide into spam.
Maildroppa helps protect and build your sender reputation by enforcing strong email standards and blocking spammy behavior.
With DKIM and SPF set up—and DMARC fully managed by Maildroppa—your emails have the best chance of landing exactly where they belong: directly in the inbox.