Authentication encompasses a set of techniques that authorize mail servers to send emails using a domain name. It includes a number of essential techniques that secure the sending of emails by guaranteeing the sender’s identity and preventing falsification of the original email address. This is particularly important for building trust between senders and email service providers, which helps improve message deliverability and supports a higher open rate.
Why is authentication necessary?
Nowadays, it is unfortunately quite easy for anyone to create an email address and use it to send fraudulent or unwanted emails. This can harm the reputation of the legitimate sender whose identity is being impersonated and can also affect the deliverability of legitimate emails, which may be blocked or classified as spam by email providers.
Authentication is therefore a way to tell receiving mail services that the domain used in the email address is not being spoofed. It consequently plays a crucial role in improving the deliverability of email marketing campaigns.
It is important to specify that authentication does not guarantee that emails will reach the inbox. It helps improve the deliverability of your messages but does not replace other necessary optimizations, particularly regarding content and the hygiene of contact lists.
Authentication techniques:
More and more email providers, particularly Yahoo, AOL, Outlook.com and Gmail, are encouraging senders to authenticate their mailings in order to achieve better deliverability.
There are three main authentication techniques used in email marketing. You will find their descriptions below.
SPF (Sender Policy Framework)
SPF and Sender ID are IP address validation mechanisms that allow mail servers to check whether the sender is authorized to send emails for the domain specified in the email address.
DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail)
DKIM uses a digital signature to verify that the content of the email has not been altered during transit. This guarantees the authenticity of the email and its sender.
DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance)
DMARC is a security policy that allows the sender to specify how email providers should handle emails that fail SPF and DKIM authentication. DMARC also provides reports on attempts to deliver fraudulent emails.
In addition, some providers display a small icon in their email interface indicating that you are an authenticated sender. This improves trust and can influence the open rate.
Authentication with Sarbacane Campaigns
At Sarbacane, we attach great importance to authentication in order to ensure the good reputation of our users and improve the deliverability of their campaigns.
Sarbacane Campaigns by default uses its own sending domain names that are authenticated when you activate the “Enable authentication” option in your campaign settings (recommended). In this case, the SPF/SENDER ID, DKIM and DMARC signatures are already implemented on our own domain names assigned by default for your sendings.
Email marketing authentication is an essential process to guarantee your legitimacy as a sender and improve the deliverability of your emails. By using techniques such as SPF, DKIM and DMARC, you strengthen your reputation and gain the trust of email providers, which promotes a better open rate and conversion rate for your campaigns.