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Verifying DKIM and Return-Path
Verifying DKIM and Return-Path

Set up DKIM and Return-Path to send review requests from your business email

Updated this week

Enhance your brand identity by sending review request emails from your own business email instead of Judge.me's default email. Follow this guide to get everything set up in just a few steps.

Why do I need to verify DKIM and Return-Path?

By default, Judge.me sends review request emails from requests@judge.me. However, you can send these emails from your business email (e.g., company@business.com) for better branding and deliverability.

To do this, you need to verify DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) and Return-Path, which ensures your emails are trusted, land in inboxes, and avoid spam filters.

How to verify DKIM and Return-Path

Step 1: Get the records for DKIM and Return-Path from Judge.me

  1. Go to Collect Reviews > Email Settings.

  2. Click Add custom email and enter your business email address.

  3. Click Send confirmation email.

  4. A new box will display your DKIM and Return-Path records. You'll need to copy these records so keep your Judge.me settings open for the next step.

If you are using old settings

  1. Go to Settings > Review Request.

  2. Click Add custom email and enter your business email.

  3. Click on Send confirmation email.

  4. A new box will display your DKIM and Return-Path records. You'll need to copy these records so keep your Judge.me settings open for the next step.

Note: If you don't receive the confirmation email, please reach out to us at support@judge.me.

Step 2: Identify your DNS provider

If you already know your DNS provider, please move straight to Step 3. If you don’t know your DNS provider:

  1. Go to ICANN Lookup.

  2. Enter your domain name (e.g., myshopify.com) and click Lookup.

  3. Scroll to Registrar Information to find your DNS provider. If it says TUCOWS, your DNS provider is Shopify.

Step 3: Add the records to your DNS provider

Once you've identified your DNS provider, follow the steps below to add the DKIM and Return-Path records.

Note: If your DNS provider asks for Time to live (TTL), simply leave it as default.

Shopify

DKIM

  1. From your Shopify admin, go to Settings > Domains.

  2. Select the domain that you want to configure.

  3. Click Domain settings > Edit DNS settings.

  4. Click Add custom record.

    • Type: Select TXT record.

    • Name: Paste in the DKIM hostname from Step 1.

    • TXT value: Paste in the DKIM value from Step 1.

  5. Click Confirm.

Return-Path

  1. Click Add custom record again.

    • Type: Select CNAME record.

    • Name: Paste in the Return-Path hostname from Step 1.

    • Points to: Paste in the Return-Path value from Step 1.

  2. Click Confirm.

Bluehost

Return-Path

  1. From your Bluehost admin, go to Domains > My Domains.

  2. In the domain that you want to configure, click Manage > DNS.

  3. Scroll down to the CNAME section.

  4. Click Add record.

    • Host Record: Paste in the Return-Path hostname from Step 1.

    • Points To: Paste in the Return-Path value from Step 1.

  5. Click Save.

DKIM

  1. Scroll down to the TXT section.

  2. Click Add record.

    • Host Record: Paste in the DKIM hostname from Step 1.

    • TXT Value: Paste in the DKIM value from Step 1.

  3. Click Save.

GoDaddy

DKIM

  1. From your GoDaddy admin, go to Domain Portfolio.

  2. Click "..." > Edit DNS.

  3. Click Add New Record.

    • Type: select TXT record.

    • Name or Host: Paste in the DKIM hostname from Step 1.

    • TXT value: Paste in the DKIM value from Step 1.

  4. Click Save.

Return-Path

  1. Click Add New Record again.

    • Type: select CNAME record.

    • Name or Host: Paste in the Return-Path hostname from Step 1.

    • Value: Paste in the Return-Path value from Step 1.

  2. Click Save.

Squarespace Domains

DKIM

  1. Open your Squarespace domains dashboard.

  2. Click your domain name.

  3. Navigate to the DNS Settings section.

  4. Under Custom Records:

    • Enter the DKIM hostname from Step 1 in the Host field.

    • Select TXT as the Record Type.

    • Paste the DKIM value from Step 1 in the Value field.

  5. Click Save

Return-Path

  1. In the same DNS Settings section:

    • Enter the Return-Path hostname from Step 1 in the Host field.

    • Select CNAME as the Record Type.

    • Paste the Return-Path value from Step 1 in the Value field

  2. Click Save

Note: It may take 24-72 hours for DNS records to fully propagate after making these changes.

Cloudflare

DKIM

  1. From your Cloudflare admin, click DNS.

  2. Click Add record.

    • Type: select TXT record.

    • Name: Paste in the DKIM hostname from Step 1.

    • Content: Paste in the DKIM value from Step 1.

  3. Click Save.

Return-Path

  1. Click Add record again.

    • Type: select CNAME record.

    • Name: Paste in the Return-Path hostname from Step 1.

    • Content: Paste in the Return-Path value from Step 1.

  2. Click Save.

Note: the Return-Path should be set to DNS only.

Namecheap

DKIM

  1. From your Namecheap admin, go to Domain List.

  2. Click Manage next to your domain and go to the Advanced DNS tab.

  3. Click Add new record.

    • Type: select TXT record.

    • Host: Paste in the DKIM hostname from Step 1.

    • Value: Paste in the DKIM value from Step 1.

  4. Click Save all changes.

Return-Path

  1. Click Add new record again.

    • Type: select CNAME record.

    • Host: Paste in the Return-Path hostname from Step 1.

    • Value: Paste in the Return-Path value from Step 1.

  2. Click Save all changes.

DNSimple

DKIM

  1. From your DNSimple admin, go to the DNS record editor.

  2. From the Add a Record menu, select TXT record.

    • Name: Paste in the DKIM hostname from Step 1.

    • Content: Paste in the DKIM value from Step 1.

  3. Click Add record.

Return-Path

  1. From the Add a Record menu, select CNAME record this time.

    • Name: Paste in the Return-Path hostname from Step 1.

    • Content: Paste in the Return-Path value from Step 1.

  2. Click Add record.

SiteGround

DKIM

  1. From your SiteGround admin, go to Site Tools > Domain > DNS Zone Editor.

  2. From the Create New Record section, go to the TXT tab.

    • Name: Paste in the DKIM hostname from Step 1.

    • Value: Paste in the DKIM value from Step 1.

  3. Click Create.

Return-Path

  1. From the Create New Record section, go to the CNAME tab.

    • Name: Paste in the Return-Path hostname from Step 1.

    • Resolves to: Paste in the Return-Path value from Step 1.

  2. Click Create.

Linode

Return-Path

  1. From your Linode admin, go to Domains and click on the domain you want.

  2. Scroll down to CNAME record and click Add a CNAME Record.

    • Hostname: Paste in the Return-Path hostname from Step 1.

    • Alias to: Paste in the Return-Path value from Step 1.

  3. Click Save.

DKIM

  1. Scroll down to TXT record and click Add a TXT Record.

    • Hostname: Paste in the DKIM hostname from Step 1.

    • Value: Paste in the DKIM value from Step 1.

  2. Click Save.

DNS Made Easy

DKIM

  1. From your DNS Made Easy admin, go to the DNS dropdown and select Managed DNS.

  2. Select the domain you want.

  3. On the Records page, scroll down to TXT Records (SPF) and click on "+".

    • Name: Paste in the DKIM hostname from Step 1.

    • Value: Paste in the DKIM value from Step 1.

  4. Click Submit.

Return-Path

  1. On the Records page, scroll down to CNAME records and click on "+".

    • Name: Paste in the Return-Path hostname from Step 1.

    • Alias to: Paste in the Return-Path value from Step 1.

  2. Click Submit.

Dreamhost

DKIM

  1. From your Dreamhost admin, go to Manage Websites > DNS Settings.

  2. Click Add Record.

  3. Hover over the TXT Record section and click ADD.

    • Host: Paste in the DKIM hostname from Step 1.

    • TXT Value: Paste in the DKIM value from Step 1.

  4. Click Add Record.

Return-Path

  1. Click Add Record again.

  2. Hover over the CNAME Record section and click ADD.

    • Host: Paste in the Return-Path hostname from Step 1.

    • Points to: Paste in the Return-Path value from Step 1.

  3. Click Add Record.

DigitalOcean

DKIM

  1. From your DigitalOcean admin, go to Networking and click on the domain you want.

  2. In Create new record, go to the TXT tab.

    • Value: Paste in the DKIM value from Step 1.

    • Hostname: Paste in the DKIM hostname from Step 1.

  3. Click Create record.

Return-Path

  1. In Create new record, now go to the CNAME tab.

    • Hostname: Paste in the Return-Path hostname from Step 1.

    • Is an alias of: Paste in the Return-Path value from Step 1.

  2. Click Create record.

Hostgator

DKIM

  1. From your Hostgator admin, go to Domains > click Zone Editor.

  2. Go to the domain you want and click Manage.

  3. Click + Add Record.

    • Name: Paste in the DKIM hostname from Step 1.

    • Type: Select TXT.

    • Record: Paste in the DKIM value from Step 1.

  4. Click Add Record.

Return-Path

  1. Click + Add Record again.

    • Name: Paste in the Return-Path hostname from Step 1.

    • Type: Select CNAME.

    • Record: Paste in the Return-Path value from Step 1.

  2. Click Add Record.

Hover

DKIM

  1. From your Hover admin, go to the Domain's Overview page> DNS section.

  2. Click Add a record.

    • Type: Select TXT.

    • Host: Paste in the DKIM hostname from Step 1.

    • Value: Paste in the DKIM value from Step 1.

  3. Click Add Record.

Return-Path

  1. Click Add a record again.

    • Type: Select CNAME.

    • Host: Paste in the Return-Path hostname from Step 1.

    • Value: Paste in the Return-Path value from Step 1.

  2. Click Add Record.

Media Temple

DKIM

  1. From your Media Temple admin, select the domain you want.

  2. Under DNS & ZONE FILES, click Edit DNS Zone File.

  3. Click + Add row.

    • Name: Paste in the DKIM hostname from Step 1.

    • Type: Select TXT.

    • Date: Paste in the DKIM value from Step 1.

  4. Click Save changes.

Return-Path

  1. Click + Add row again.

    • Name: Paste in the Return-Path hostname from Step 1.

    • Type: Select CNAME.

    • Date: Paste in the Return-Path value from Step 1.

  2. Click Save changes.

Gandi

DKIM

  1. From your Gandi admin, under Domain, select your domain and click DNS Records.

  2. Click Add.

    • Type: Select TXT.

    • Name: Paste in the DKIM hostname from Step 1.

    • Text value: Paste in the DKIM value from Step 1.

  3. Click Create.

Return-Path

  1. Click Add again.

    • Type: Select CNAME.

    • Name: Paste in the Return-Path hostname from Step 1.

    • Text value: Paste in the Return-Path value from Step 1.

  2. Click Create.

Netregistry

DKIM

  1. From your Netregistry admin, select the domain you want.

  2. Go to Zone Manager and click Add a zone record.

    • Type: Select TXT.

    • Name: Paste in the DKIM hostname from Step 1 .

    • Content: Paste in the DKIM value from Step 1. Make sure to put it inside a speech mark “...”.

  3. Click Add Record.

Return-Path

  1. Click Add a zone record again.

    • Type: Select CNAME.

    • Name: Paste in the Return-Path hostname from Step 1.

    • Points to: Paste in the Return-Path value from Step 1.

  2. Click Add Record.

Step 4: Verify the records in Judge.me

It may take from a few minutes to 48 hours for the DNS records to propagate. If the records are correct, a checkmark will appear in your DKIM and Return Path settings in Judge.me.

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