LianaMailer: DKIM and SPF setup

Before you start

Liana's instructions are written in Finnish first, with English versions of most articles. This guide gives the English menu names and, in quotes, the Finnish ones.

Two things decide whether LianaMailer mail passes as example.com: the DNS records for the sending domain, and the address of your subscription page. You need access to the DNS settings of example.com, or someone who has it. Liana's support finishes part of the setup, so plan to email tuki@lianatech.com (in English, support@lianatech.com). Liana's pages do not name a LianaMailer role or plan for the setup.

Turn on DKIM

LianaMailer suggests DKIM, SPF and DMARC records for each domain you send from.

1. Open Settings → Domain Settings ("Asetukset → Domain-asetukset"). The list shows every domain you have used in a sender address.
2. Check whether example.com is marked Verified ("Vahvistettu") with a green check mark. If it is, go on to Use your own bounce domain.
3. Click the row of example.com. Click Show suggested DNS values ("Näytä ehdotetut DNS-arvot") and copy the SPF, DMARC and DKIM rows that are not yet verified. The IT support article calls the button Copy Proposed DNS Values ("Kopioi ehdotetut DNS-arvot").
4. Ask whoever manages the DNS of example.com to add those records, and to tell tuki@lianatech.com when they are in place. Liana's support then finishes the setup.

Liana's pages do not give the record names or the DKIM selector. Copy them from LianaMailer.

About the DMARC row. If example.com already has a DMARC record, it sends reports to your reporting address. A domain may have only one. Do not add LianaMailer's suggested DMARC record. Keep yours.

Sign with your own domain

Liana says the DKIM and SPF records tell the receiving server that LianaMailer's server may use your address at example.com as the sender. Add the DKIM record as in Turn on DKIM.

LianaMailer also checks that the sender address and the subscription page use the same domain. If they differ, it shows the warning "DKIM issue - Sender email address domain differs from the subscription site domain" ("DKIM-ongelma") and blocks the send. Set up the subscription page as below.

Use your own bounce domain

In LianaMailer, the subscription and unsubscribe page decides the envelope sender, the bounce address. Liana's example: with the default page address on mailpv.net, the envelope sender is mailpv.net, and SPF does not align with example.com. With a page on a subdomain such as newsletter.example.com, the envelope sender is newsletter.example.com, and the links in your newsletters use it too. The English version of the article names maillm.net instead of mailpv.net.

1. Open Settings → Sites ("Asetukset → Sivustot") and check the subscription page address.
2. If the address is on example.com and opens in a browser, this part is done. Other addresses such as mailpv.net or mail-eur.net beside it are fine.
3. If the only addresses are like mailpv.net or mail-eur.net, contact tuki@lianatech.com. Liana's support gives you a record to add to the DNS of example.com.
4. In the page's settings, check that the Envelope sender option is selected.
5. When you send a newsletter, open its Settings tab ("Asetukset") and check that the sender address uses the same domain as the subscription page.

SPF

Liana says its support checks whether you need an SPF record when you ask, and gives you the right record if you do. The suggested DNS values in Domain Settings ("Domain-asetukset") also have an SPF row. Keep example.com to one SPF record.

Check it worked

1. In Settings → Domain Settings ("Asetukset → Domain-asetukset"), every record for example.com shows a green check mark. Click Verify again ("Vahvista uudelleen") to check at once. Liana says DNS changes can take up to 24 hours.
2. In Settings → Sites ("Asetukset → Sivustot"), the subscription page address is on example.com and opens in a browser.
3. Most mailbox providers send one report a day. Reports from the next 24 to 48 hours show whether DKIM and SPF align for LianaMailer.

Liana's pages: Ohjeita IT-tuelle (in English), Tietoa DMARC-muutoksesta ja viestien läpimenon varmistaminen (in English) and DKIM-ongelma.