What to do if your domain authentication fails?
Table of Contents
SiteGround Email Marketing sends marketing campaign emails through your domain. You must authenticate your domain with the service to ensure the emails it sends will be recognized as authentic and legitimate.
However, in rare cases, a specific misconfiguration may prevent domain authentication.
Why does your domain authentication fail?
SiteGround Email Marketing authenticates your domain with DNS records. Your DNS zone must contain a CNAME record that validates our servers as legitimate senders on behalf of your domain.
If you are using SiteGround nameservers, Email Marketing will authenticate the domain automatically since we handle the entire process.
However, if you manage your domain’s DNS zone externally, you must manually add the necessary CNAME record. When the DNS checker in SiteGround Email Marketing can’t detect the record, it will warn you with the message “Domain Authentication Failed.”
The most common reason for the error is that the CNAME record is not added in the correct format or is missing altogether.
Below, you’ll find the proper steps to fix the problem.
How to fix the “Domain Authentication Failed” error
Only a few issues can cause failed domain authentication. Below are the steps to resolve them.
Add the CNAME record to your domain’s DNS zone
If you haven’t added the required CNAME record to your DNS zone, the SiteGround Email Marketing won’t detect it, and the domain authentication will fail.
Copy the CNAME name and value from the “Domain Authentication Failed” notification in Email Marketing > Sender Details > Domain & Address and add them to your DNS zone. After you’ve created the DNS record, press the “Reauthenticate” button to restart the process. SiteGround Email Marketing will eventually detect the record and authenticate your domain.
Fix a misspelled CNAME record
You may have added the CNAME record to your DNS zone, but it might be misspelled or in the wrong format. Make sure the record has the correct name and value. Then, press the “Reauthenticate” button in Email Marketing > Sender Details > Domain & Address.
Set the name as mailmarketing._domainkey to save it in the proper format.
Look up the CNAME record in a DNS checker
After you confirm the record is saved, use a DNS checker such as DNSWatch to confirm it is live. In Hostname, enter the full name of the CNAME mailmarketing._domainkey.yourdomain.com. Hit Resolve to see the results.
If the CNAME record is saved properly, it will respond to your search with the correct name and value. Otherwise, the result of your query will be “No such host. “
Contact our support team
If you are uncertain how to proceed with the domain authentication or if you’ve followed all the steps but the authentication fails, contact our support team. On the Help Center page, choose Contact Us > Email > Email Marketing.
You will reach our support specialists, who will inspect your configuration and provide instructions to fix the problem.