InformationBodyThis article explains the importance of a domain name and provides resources for obtaining one. As of February 2024, Google and Yahoo have increased their enforcement of domain authentication. To avoid issues with email delivery, it’s crucial to complete DKIM, DMARC, and SPF authentication for the domain you use to send emails. In This Article What Is a Domain? Purchasing a Domain Choosing a Domain Name and Extension Mailbox Providers Authenticating Your Domain With Emma Additional Resources What Is a Domain? With so much of our world happening online, your domain name is a key part of your brand’s identity. It helps create a good first impression for visitors, connects you with your audience, and essentially acts as an internet home for your organization. Essentially, a domain name is the name of a website, such as www.google.com. When it comes to email, the domain is the section of the email address that’s after the @ symbol. ✎NoteWhen using an email service provider (ESP), such as Emma, to send marketing emails, you cannot use a free email domain, such as @gmail.com, as your sender email address. You must use a domain that you own, as using a free email domain can lead to high bounce rates and other serious deliverability trouble. If you don’t currently own a domain, no need to panic! We’ve created a guide to help you get started with purchasing and authenticating your domain. By following these best practices, you’ll be protecting your sending reputation and setting yourself up for strong deliverability. Purchasing a Domain In order to get a domain, you will need to purchase one from a domain registrar. Domain registrars are companies that handle the process of registering a domain and assigning it an IP address. They also keep track of domain names that are already owned by other organizations, so that you know that you’re not trying to buy someone else’s domain. There are many different domain registrars, so it’s important to research your options before choosing one that’s right for you. Here are some factors that you may want to take into consideration when making your decision: Pricing: The cost of your domain for the first year may differ from the renewal price, so it’s important to know a domain registrars’ whole pricing structure.Registration period: You can choose to register your domain for different lengths of time, usually between one and ten years. Different domain registrars may offer different lengths and at different costs.Extensions: Determine whether the domain registrar that you’re considering offers the extension you need, as some may only offer .com or .org addresses.Domain transfers: If you decide to switch to a different registrar, can you take your domain with you? Are there any rules and restrictions around that?Support: Some domain registrars offer different levels of assistance, so it’s best to make sure that you’ll have access to help, just in case you need it.Expiration policies: If you forget to renew your domain before your registration expires, you may face late fees or even lose your domain. However, some registrars offer a grace period, so make sure you know a registrar’s expiration policies before you commit.Additional services: Some registrars may offer extra services that you might find useful. Popular Domain Registrars We’ve created a list of popular domain registrars to help you get started with your research. These registrars are listed in alphabetical order and are provided as a jumping off point for Emma users who want one. This list is not an endorsement of any particular domain registrar over another. Amazon Route 53BluehostCloudflareDomain.com by Network SolutionsDreamhostGoDaddyHostgatorHoverIONOSNamecheapNetwork SolutionsSitegroundSquarespaceWixWordPress Choosing a Domain Name and Extension Not all domains are created equal; bad actors use domains for malicious purposes, which affects the reputation of those domains and any domains related to them. As a result, it’s important to choose your domain name and extension with care. A good rule of thumb is to look for names ending in .com, .net, or .org, as well as a domain name that will be recognized by your recipients. The Messaging, Malware, and Mobile Anti-Abuse Working Group (M3AAWG) has some helpful guidance for choosing a domain name on page 3 of the linked article. Additionally, here are some other things to keep in mind while considering your options: Extension / Top-Level Domain The top-level domain (TLD), sometimes called the extension, is the part of the domain that comes after the “dot”. For example, .com, .org, and .edu are all TLDs. It’s best to choose an official TLD that’s acknowledged by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA). IANA has a handy list that you can look through, but when in doubt, we recommend choosing a .com, .net, or .org TLD. Reputation Spamhaus offers a tool that will measure the reputation of a TLD. The worse a TLD’s reputation, the higher the score, so in this case you want to look for a domain with a low score. For example, at the time of writing this article, the .com TLD’s score is 0.13, or 1.2% bad; so you’ll want to make sure that your TLD is in that range. Pricing Many bad actors will buy a large number of cheap domains all at once, so be wary of domains that are extremely inexpensive or have special introductory pricing. Protecting your domain's reputation and your email deliverability is worth spending a little extra money. Mailbox Providers In order to comply with federal law, the email address that you send from in Emma must always be connected to a real inbox where you can receive emails. Because of this, you will also need a mailbox provider to host your domain so that you can receive any emails sent to it. Your domain registrar may offer this as a service, so be sure to check with them. If they do not, you can work with a third party such as Google Workspace, Office 365, etc. Authenticating Your Domain With Emma Once you’ve purchased your domain and gotten everything set up with your domain registrar, you’re ready to set up email authentication in your Emma account. When it comes to email authentication, DKIM, DMARC, and SPF authentication are the most important. To prevent any deliverability trouble, it’s best to set up DKIM before DMARC. ☑TipNot sure where to go from here? Check out our email authentication overview to learn more about the different types of email authentication and which ones are most important. Additional Resources Allowlisting Emma's AddressesDeliverability HubDeliverability: Video LibraryDKIM and DeliverabilityDKIM Authentication SetupDKIM for Tiered AccountsDMARC Authentication SetupEmail Authentication: Frequently Asked QuestionsEmail Authentication: OverviewEmail Authentication: SecuritySPF Authentication SetupTitleDomain Names and RegistrarsURL Namedomain-names-and-registrars