Editing your DNS to Implement DKIM

Setting up DKIM means publishing one DNS record at your hosting provider - a CNAME that Act-On Support gives you during onboarding. Exactly where you click to publish that record depends on which provider hosts your DNS. This article walks through the five we see most often: Cloudflare, GoDaddy, Bluehost, HostGator, and Network Solutions.

Who does this: IT or whoever has DNS access at your hosting provider. Marketing provides the record values Act-On Support supplied

Time needed: 10 to 15 minutes to publish; allow up to 24 hours for DNS propagation before Act-On can activate DKIM

Why this matters: Until this record is live and Act-On has confirmed it, your DKIM is not active. That means recipient mailboxes can't validate your messages as genuine, and more of your sends land in spam. This is usually the single biggest lever in early deliverability.

In plain English: You're publishing a small public key at your domain. Recipient mail servers look it up to confirm the emails really came from you. Once the record is visible to the internet, Act-On flips a switch on its side and DKIM is live.

Tip: Check with your hosting provider's support team first. They'll often make these changes for you and they know their own interface best - their help articles always have the most up-to-date screenshots.

Quick Reference (Advanced Users) - Click to Expand

Jump to: Cloudflare | GoDaddy | Bluehost | HostGator | Network Solutions.

Record type is CNAME by default. If your provider doesn't accept underscores in CNAME names (Network Solutions is the usual culprit), ask Act-On Support to reissue as a TXT record.

Cloudflare

Cloudflare's own help has the clearest walkthrough: Create DNS Records. Use the CNAME name and value Act-On Support provided.

GoDaddy

GoDaddy's help article has the most up-to-date screenshots.

Log into GoDaddy.com.
Find your domain, open the Domain Edit Options, and select Edit DNS.
At the bottom of the Records section, click Add New Record.
Select the CNAME type and enter the values from Email From Setup.
- Replace {{AOAccountID}} with your actual Act-On account ID.
- Don't include your domain in the Host field - GoDaddy adds it automatically.
Click Save.

Once saved, DNS can take up to 24 hours to fully propagate. After that, Act-On can activate DKIM on your account.

Bluehost

Bluehost's help article has the most up-to-date screenshots.

Log into your Bluehost account.
Go to Domain Management and click DNS Zone Manager.
Select the domain you're setting DKIM up for, and enter:
- Host Record / Name: the DKIM record Act-On Support provided during technical setup.
- TTL: Time to Live in seconds. 3600 (one hour) is typical.
- Type: CNAME.
- Points To / Record: the value Act-On Support provided.
If Bluehost won't accept underscores in the name, use a TXT record instead. Contact Act-On Support to have your record reissued as TXT.
- Host Record / Name: the DKIM record Act-On Support provided.
- TTL: 3600 or your provider's default.
- Type: TXT.
- TXT Value / Record: the string of text and numbers Act-On Support provided.
At the top right, click Save All Records.

DNS can take up to 24 hours to propagate. After that, Act-On can activate DKIM on your account.

Note: The Host record is specific to your account ID, so your DKIM record will look similar to the examples with a different number at the front. Bluehost appends your domain automatically - you don't need to type it after ._domainkey.

HostGator

HostGator's help article has the most up-to-date screenshots.

Log into your HostGator account.
Go to Websites & Domains > DNS Settings.
Select the domain you'd like to set DKIM up for.
Fill in:
- Record type: CNAME.
- Host Record (Domain name): the DKIM record Act-On Support provided during technical setup.
- TTL: 3600 or your provider's default.
- Canonical name: the target Act-On Support provided.
Click Add Record.

If HostGator won't accept underscores in the name, use a TXT record. Act-On Support will provide a TXT record value for you.

Record type: TXT.
Host Record (Domain name): the DKIM record Act-On Support provided.
TTL: 3600 or your provider's default.
TXT Data: the string of text and numbers Act-On Support provided.

Click Add Record. DNS can take up to 24 hours to propagate.

Note: The Host key is specific to your account ID, so your DKIM record will look similar to the examples with a different number at the front. HostGator appends your domain automatically - you don't need to type it after ._domainkey.

Network Solutions

Common pitfall: Network Solutions does not allow underscores in CNAME-type records. Use a TXT record instead, and mention that you're using Network Solutions when you contact Act-On Support so we issue the right values from the start.

Network Solutions' help article (open the "Host Aliases (CNAME Records)" section) has the most up-to-date screenshots.

Log into your Network Solutions account.
Go to Domain Name > Advanced Tools, then click Manage next to Advanced DNS Records.
Find the domain you're setting up DKIM for and click the pencil icon on the right.
In the window that opens, enter:
- Refers to / Host: the host Act-On Support provided during technical setup, in the form 13048aoauth._domainkey.yourdomain.com. You don't need to include your domain in the Host field.
- TXT Value / Text: the TXT record value Act-On Support provided. It looks similar to this:
```
k=rsa;
p=MIGfMA0GCSqGSIb3DQEBAQUAA4GNADCBiQKBgQC2j1MGq5hvFNKYM6WK3EX9R97A2Ca65hR6rC4H9D1c30Wy2a94sLbz7D33KcAaSXeuRqyP
```
Click Save or Next at the bottom. A second window opens - make sure to click Save Changes there, or your new records won't be applied.
Once saved, DNS takes 4 to 24 hours to propagate. Once Act-On can see that the host is pointing to the correct TXT record, your Onboarding Manager can activate DKIM on your account.