Sender setup

Setting up your sending domain

This is the part most people get stuck on, so it is written out in full. You do not need to understand DNS. You are copying a few short lines from your email provider into a settings page, once. If somebody else looks after your website, there is a button below that sends them what they need.

Share this with the person who manages my website or email

They do not need your Lead Recovery Desk login. Send them this plain-English DNS guide, then send the exact record values from your own email provider separately.

What you are actually doing, in plain words

Your emails go out from your own address, through your own email provider, so the people you contact recognise you. Receiving providers decide what to accept, and one of the things they look for is proof that the provider sending your mail is allowed to send for your domain. Without that proof, your messages are much more likely to be filtered. These records prove who may send for your domain; they do not guarantee inbox placement, because that is still the receiving provider's decision.

That proof is a few lines of text added to your domain's settings. They are not passwords and they give nobody access to anything. They are closer to a name plate on a door.

Check existing records before making changes. Do not change website records, mail-routing records (MX) or name servers for this setup. If SPF or DMARC already exists, ask your email provider or domain manager to update it safely; adding a second copy can break email authentication.

Step 1 — Find who looks after your domain

This is where people get stuck, and it usually is not the part you would expect. The domain might be registered somewhere you have not logged into for years, or by the person who built your website.

Have a look for whichever of these is true:

You bought the domain yourself, so it is with GoDaddy, 123-reg, Namecheap, IONOS, Cloudflare or similar. Search your email for the renewal receipt, that is usually the fastest way to remember which.
Your website is on Wix, Squarespace or Shopify and you bought the domain through them. The settings are inside that account.
Somebody built your website for you. Then they very likely hold it, and the quickest route is to send them the records below rather than hunt for a login.

If none of those ring a bell, do not guess. Use the button in step 4 and send it to whoever looks after your website. It is a routine change for them.

Step 2 — Open your DNS settings

Once you are logged in, you are looking for a page called DNS, DNS settings, DNS records, Advanced DNS or Name servers. Where it lives depends on who you are with:

If you get to a page listing rows with words like A, CNAME, MX and TXT down one side, you are in the right place.

Step 3 — Add your records

Your records come from your own email provider, the one whose SMTP details you entered on Sending setup. We do not issue them, because the mail goes out through your provider, not through us. Follow your provider’s instructions for each record. Add a record only if it is needed and does not conflict with an existing one. Keep one SPF record for each sending domain and one DMARC record at its _dmarc name. Ask your domain manager to combine authorised senders into the existing SPF record; do not replace it blindly.

Three things to check before saving.

Adding the record to the wrong domain, when more than one is listed in the same account. Check the domain name at the top of the page.
Typing the name in full when the panel only wants the first part. If the panel already shows your domain next to the box, you only enter the bit before it.
Adding a space or a line break when pasting a long value. Copy it straight from your provider's page rather than retyping it, and check there is no stray space at the end.

Step 4 — If somebody else manages it

Send them everything in one go. This opens an email draft listing SPF, DKIM and DMARC with a space for each value. Paste your provider’s instructions before sending it. Your domain manager should check which records already exist and which changes are needed.

It is normal for this to take a few days if you have to wait on somebody. You can review a confirmed paid list while you wait. Unconfirmed previews expire after 48 hours, and waiting for setup does not pause your purchased billing period.

Step 5 — Check it worked

Once the records are saved, go back to Sending setup and choose Check it works. The readiness list reports whether LRD found SPF and DMARC records or could not complete the lookup. This is not a full test of every email authentication setting: ask your provider to verify DKIM and that the records authorise your actual sender. Could not complete is never counted as a pass, so if you see it, it is worth checking again rather than assuming you are done. If records are not visible yet, check the values and your DNS provider’s stated update time before retrying.

Back to sender setup

If it still will not verify

The change is still updating. Follow your DNS provider’s stated update time, then check again.
The record was added to the wrong domain. Check the domain name at the top of your DNS page.
The name got doubled up. If you see something ending in your domain twice over, the panel added your domain for you and it only needed the first part.
The value got cut short. Compare the saved value with your provider’s instructions. Ask your domain manager to correct it if it is incomplete; do not delete other working records.

Still stuck? Email info@leadrecoverydesk.com with your provider name and the error shown. Do not send passwords. Support can help identify the next check; your email provider or domain manager may need to make the change.