Skip to main content
Setting up your domain correctly is essential for email deliverability. This guide walks you through adding and verifying your domain with AhaSend to ensure your emails reach the inbox, not the spam folder.
Domain verification is required before you can send any emails through AhaSend. Unverified domains cannot send emails and will result in API errors.

​
Why Domain Setup Matters

Email receivers use multiple authentication methods to verify that emails are legitimate. When you properly configure your domain with AhaSend, you’re telling receiving servers that:
  1. You own the domain and have the rights to send emails from it
  2. You’ve authorized AhaSend to send emails on behalf of your domain
  3. Your emails are authentic and not spoofed or malicious
Without proper domain setup, your emails will either be rejected outright or land in spam folders, significantly impacting your delivery rates.
Subdomain recommendation: Use a subdomain like email.yourcompany.com instead of your main domain for transactional emails. This isolates your transactional email reputation from marketing campaigns.

​
Prerequisites

Before setting up your domain, make sure you have:
  • Access to your DNS provider (usually your hosting provider or domain registrar)
  • An AhaSend account with verified email address
  • The domain or subdomain you want to use for sending emails
Managed DNS vs manual DNS: New domains in AhaSend use managed DNS (DNS v3) by default. Managed DNS shows two DKIM CNAME records so AhaSend can rotate DKIM keys safely over time. Some older or explicitly manual domains may still use the legacy single-DKIM-TXT setup instead. Your domain details page is always the source of truth for the exact records you need to publish.

Add Your Domain

Start by adding your domain to your AhaSend account:
  1. Log in to your AhaSend Dashboard
  2. Navigate to Domains in the sidebar
  3. Click “Add Domain”
  4. Enter your domain name (e.g., email.yourcompany.com)
  5. Click “Create Domain”
You’ll be redirected to the domain details page where you can see all required DNS records.
API Alternative: You can also add domains programmatically using our Domains API.

Configure DNS Records

Add the DNS records shown on your domain details page. The exact hostnames and values can vary by account, domain mode, and reseller configuration.
Required for sending: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC must be valid before the domain can send mail.Optional or feature-specific: Return-path, tracking, subscription management, media, and MX records improve deliverability or enable product features, but they are not all required for basic sending.
Custom subdomains: AhaSend can use custom subdomains for return-path, tracking, subscription management, and media. Always copy the exact hostnames from your domain page instead of assuming the defaults.
Sender Policy Framework (SPF) authorizes AhaSend to send emails on your domain’s behalf.Record Type: TXT Purpose: Prevents email spoofing by specifying authorized sending servers
Name: @ (or your subdomain)
Type: TXT
Value: v=spf1 include:spf.ahasend.com ~all
If you already have an SPF record, do not create a duplicate. Instead, add include:spf.ahasend.com to your existing SPF record before the final mechanism (~all or -all).
AhaSend can validate SPF through the return-path setup in some cases, but you should still publish the SPF record shown in your dashboard. It is the most portable and least surprising setup.
DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) cryptographically signs your emails to verify authenticity.Record Type: Usually CNAME for managed DNS, sometimes TXT for manual DNS Purpose: Prevents email tampering, confirms sender identity, and enables safe DKIM rotation on managed domainsManaged DNS (DNS v3):
Name: managed._domainkey.(your domain or subdomain)
Type: CNAME
Value: [AhaSend alias shown in dashboard]

Name: managed2._domainkey.(your domain or subdomain)
Type: CNAME
Value: [AhaSend alias shown in dashboard]
Managed DNS domains show two DKIM selectors: one active selector used for signing now, and one standby selector used for future rotation. Your domain can verify with the active selector alone, but publishing both DKIM CNAMEs up front is recommended so future DKIM rotation does not require another DNS change.
Manual DNS:
Name: [selector]._domainkey.(your domain or subdomain)
Type: TXT
Value: [unique DKIM public key]
If you are working with a legacy or explicitly manual domain, your dashboard will show a single DKIM TXT record instead of the managed CNAME-based setup.
Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) provides policy guidance for email authentication failures.Record Type: TXT Purpose: Protects your domain from email spoofing and phishing attacks
Name: _dmarc
Type: TXT
Value: v=DMARC1; p=quarantine; sp=none; adkim=r; aspf=r;
This DMARC policy tells receiving servers to quarantine emails that fail authentication and send reports to AhaSend for monitoring.
Tracking Domain ensures tracking URLs in your emails come from your domain instead of AhaSend’s.Record Type: CNAME Purpose: Improves deliverability and maintains brand consistency for tracked links
Name: [tracking subdomain].(your domain or subdomain)
Type: CNAME
Value: [value shown in dashboard]
Email tracking is disabled by default and must be explicitly enabled in your account settings, even if you configure the tracking domain.
Subscription management domain hosts unsubscribe and subscription management links on your own domain.Record Type: CNAME Purpose: Keeps subscription management links branded on your domain
Name: [subscription subdomain].(your domain or subdomain)
Type: CNAME
Value: [value shown in dashboard]
This record is optional, but recommended if you want subscription management URLs to use your own domain instead of an AhaSend hostname.
Media domain serves hosted media assets from your own domain.Record Type: CNAME Purpose: Keeps hosted assets and media URLs branded on your domain
Name: [media subdomain].(your domain or subdomain)
Type: CNAME
Value: [value shown in dashboard]
This record is optional and mainly useful if you use AhaSend-hosted assets or want a consistent branded media hostname.

Wait for DNS Propagation

DNS changes can take time to propagate across the internet:
  • Typical time: 5-30 minutes
  • Maximum time: Up to 48 hours
  • Check status: Use online DNS checkers to verify your records are live
Pro tip: Use tools like DNS Checker or What’s My DNS to verify your records have propagated globally.

Verify Your Domain

Once your DNS records are live, verify your domain in AhaSend:
  1. Return to your domain details page in the dashboard
  2. Click “Check DNS” to run verification
  3. Wait for confirmation - this usually takes just a few seconds
  4. Look for the green checkmarks next to each record type
Success! When SPF, DKIM, and DMARC show as valid, your domain is ready to send emails.
On managed DNS domains, you may see a second DKIM selector that is marked as standby or not currently required. That is expected. Publishing it anyway is recommended so DKIM rotation can happen without a future DNS update.
If verification fails, double-check that:
  • All DNS records are added exactly as shown
  • DNS changes have had time to propagate
  • You don’t have conflicting DNS records
  • You didn’t create a second SPF TXT record
  • You published the DKIM record type shown by AhaSend (CNAME for managed DNS, TXT for manual DNS)

​
DNS Provider Guides

Need help adding DNS records? Here are guides for popular providers:

Cloudflare

Manage DNS records in Cloudflare dashboard

GoDaddy

Add TXT and CNAME records in GoDaddy

Namecheap

Configure email authentication records

Route 53

AWS Route 53 record management

Google Domains

Add DNS records in Google Domains

Other Providers

Contact support for help with your DNS provider

​
Manage Domains with API

For programmatic domain management, use our comprehensive Domains API:

Create Domain

Add new domains programmatically

List Domains

Retrieve all your configured domains

Get Domain Details

Check domain verification status

Delete Domain

Remove domains from your account
API v2 also supports updating domain DNS settings such as tracking, return-path, subscription, media, and DKIM rotation interval, as well as requesting a DNS check for an existing domain.

​
Troubleshooting

Common causes and solutions:
  • Wait longer: DNS propagation can take up to 48 hours
  • Check record values: Ensure exact copy-paste from dashboard (no extra spaces)
  • Verify record type: SPF and DMARC use TXT; DKIM can be CNAME or TXT depending on your domain mode
  • Remove duplicates: Don’t create multiple SPF records
  • Check with DNS tools: Use online DNS checkers to verify records are live
If you already have an SPF record:
  1. Don’t create a duplicate - domains can only have one SPF record
  2. Modify your existing record by adding include:spf.ahasend.com
  3. Place it before the final mechanism (~all or -all)
Example:
OLD: v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all
NEW: v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com include:spf.ahasend.com ~all
Managed DNS domains use two DKIM selectors.
  • Active selector: Used for signing mail right now and required for verification
  • Standby selector: Reserved for the next DKIM rotation
Publishing both DKIM CNAMEs from the start is recommended. It lets AhaSend rotate keys later without requiring another DNS change on your side.
Understanding the difference:
  • Root domain: yourcompany.com (affects all subdomains)
  • Subdomain: email.yourcompany.com (isolated setup)
For subdomains: Add all DNS records to the specific subdomain, not the root domain.Records like return-path, tracking, subscription management, and media are usually additional subdomains under the domain you add to AhaSend.
We’re here to help:
  • Check our status page for any ongoing DNS issues
  • Contact support at support@ahasend.com
  • Include your domain name and specific error messages
  • Attach screenshots of your DNS configuration if helpful
Our engineering team typically responds within a few hours!

​
What’s Next?

Once your domain is verified, you’re ready to start sending emails:

Send Your First Email

Follow our quickstart guide to send emails via API or SMTP

Create SMTP Credentials

Generate credentials for your applications

Create API Keys

Track email delivery and engagement events

Enable Tracking

Monitor opens and clicks on your emails
Domain setup complete? Your domain is now ready to send emails through AhaSend. Test it out with our quickstart guide to send your first email!