Why This Matters
If you rely on email for sales, marketing, or customer communication, ensuring that your emails actually reach inboxes is crucial. Poor email deliverability means lost opportunities and damaged credibility. The good news? By correctly configuring your DNS settings, you can improve deliverability and protect your brand.
At Overloop AI, we help businesses optimize their email outreach. As part of your onboarding, we’ll work with you to set up four essential email authentication records. These settings don’t just improve Overloop’s performance—they enhance the deliverability and security of all emails sent from your domain.
🛠️ How to Check What’s Already Configured
Before diving in, you can quickly check which of the four key deliverability settings are already configured for your domain.
Here's how:
Go to Settings > Email Accounts in your Overloop AI workspace
Click on the orange Deliverability button next to your email address
Then click Check now in the top-right corner
You’ll see a full status overview of your SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and tracking domain
🟢 A green dot means it’s all good.
🟠 An orange one means it still needs to be configured.
If DNS setup isn't something you usually handle, you can use the “Send instructions to IT” button in the panel to forward clear instructions — just make sure to set up your tracking domain first.
Once you know what still needs configuring, you can use the steps below to get each part set up correctly.
The 4 Key DNS Settings for Better Email Deliverability
1. SPF (Sender Policy Framework)
SPF prevents spammers from sending emails on your behalf. It tells email servers which services (e.g., Gmail, Outlook) are authorized to send emails using your domain. Without SPF, your emails might be flagged as spam or even blocked entirely.
What to Do:
Ensure that SPF is correctly configured for your domain. We recommend following the official instructions for your email provider:
2. DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail)
DKIM adds a digital signature to your emails, proving that they haven’t been tampered with. This helps prevent phishing attacks and increases trust with email providers like Gmail and Outlook.
What to Do:
Make sure DKIM is correctly enabled on your domain. We recommend following the official instructions for your email provider:
3. DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance)
DMARC builds on SPF and DKIM by specifying how email providers should handle messages that fail authentication checks. It also allows you to monitor who is sending emails on behalf of your domain.
What to Do:
Implement a DMARC policy that aligns with your SPF and DKIM setup. We recommend following the official instructions for your email provider:
4. Tracking Domain (CNAME Record)
By default, when you include links in your emails, they are tracked through a third-party domain. Setting up a tracking domain (CNAME record) ensures that links in your emails appear as if they are coming directly from your own domain. This improves deliverability and builds trust. On top of that, the tracking domain allows us to track open rates and click rates.
What to Do:
You'll need to configure the tracking domain and add a CNAME record to your DNS settings. It only takes a minute:
Go to the deliverability settings in your Overloop AI Workspace
Configure the tracking domain
Add a CNAME record with the values provided
Final Thoughts
Properly configuring SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and your tracking domain doesn’t just help with Overloop AI - it benefits all email communication from your domain. It protects your brand, increases trust, and ensures your messages land where they should: in inboxes, not spam folders.
Need help? Our team is here to assist!