DLV
Step-by-Step Setup 15-20 minutes

Deliverability Tools Setup

Email & SMS Marketing Intermediate
Need more detail? Read the full guide for config deep-dives and best practices.

Deliverability Tools Setup

This guide walks you through configuring email deliverability from scratch in GoHighLevel. By the end, you will have a fully authenticated sending domain ready to deliver emails to the inbox instead of the spam folder.

Prerequisites

Before beginning deliverability setup, gather these requirements:

  • Access to your domain registrar or DNS provider (GoDaddy, Namecheap, Cloudflare, etc.)
  • Decision on which subdomain to use for email sending (for example, mail.yourbusiness.com)
  • DNS credentials or login access to add TXT, MX, and CNAME records
  • At least 30 minutes for DNS propagation (can take up to 48 hours in some cases)
  • List of contacts for initial warm-up phase (200 to 500 most engaged contacts recommended)

Choose Your Sending Domain

Select a dedicated subdomain for email sending. Using a subdomain separates your email reputation from your main website domain, protecting your root domain if deliverability issues arise.

Common subdomain patterns:

  • mail.yourbusiness.com
  • email.yourbusiness.com
  • send.yourbusiness.com

Avoid using your root domain (yourbusiness.com) directly. Subdomains provide isolation and flexibility.

Add Your Sending Domain

Navigate to Settings > Email Services > Sending Domain and click Add Domain. Enter your chosen subdomain in the domain field (for example, mail.yourbusiness.com).

Click Continue. The platform generates all required DNS records and displays them in a table. Keep this page open for reference while you configure your DNS provider.

The records include:

  • SPF record (TXT)
  • DKIM record (TXT)
  • MX record
  • CNAME record for tracking
  • DMARC record (TXT)

Do not close this page until you have added all records to your DNS provider.

Configure SPF Authentication

The SPF record tells receiving mail servers which IP addresses are authorized to send email from your domain.

Record details from the platform:

  • Type: TXT
  • Host: @ (or your subdomain if your DNS provider requires it)
  • Value: The full SPF string provided (starts with v=spf1)
  • TTL: 3600 (or your DNS provider’s default)

Add the SPF record:

  1. Log in to your DNS provider
  2. Navigate to DNS management for your domain
  3. Click Add Record or Add DNS Record
  4. Select TXT as the record type
  5. Enter @ in the Host or Name field (or your subdomain)
  6. Paste the SPF value exactly as shown in the platform
  7. Set TTL to 3600 seconds (1 hour)
  8. Click Save or Add Record

Common SPF issues:

  • Multiple SPF records for the same domain (only one SPF record is allowed)
  • Typos in the SPF string (copy-paste the value exactly)
  • Exceeding 10 DNS lookups (each include statement counts as a lookup)

Configure DKIM Authentication

The DKIM record adds a cryptographic signature to outgoing emails, proving they came from your domain and were not altered in transit.

Record details from the platform:

  • Type: TXT
  • Host: The DKIM selector provided (for example, s1._domainkey or ghlmail._domainkey)
  • Value: The full DKIM public key provided (starts with v=DKIM1)
  • TTL: 3600

Add the DKIM record:

  1. In your DNS provider, click Add Record
  2. Select TXT as the record type
  3. Enter the full DKIM selector in the Host field (including _domainkey)
  4. Paste the DKIM value exactly as shown
  5. Set TTL to 3600 seconds
  6. Click Save

Common DKIM issues:

  • Missing or incorrect selector in the host field
  • Extra spaces or line breaks in the DKIM value
  • DNS provider splitting long TXT records (concatenate them without spaces)

Configure MX Record

The MX record routes incoming email for your sending domain.

Record details from the platform:

  • Type: MX
  • Host: @ (or your subdomain)
  • Priority: The priority number provided (usually 10)
  • Value: The mail server address provided
  • TTL: 3600

Add the MX record:

  1. In your DNS provider, click Add Record
  2. Select MX as the record type
  3. Enter @ in the Host field
  4. Enter the priority number in the Priority field
  5. Enter the mail server address in the Value or Points To field
  6. Set TTL to 3600 seconds
  7. Click Save

Configure CNAME Record for Tracking

The CNAME record enables link tracking and open tracking while keeping URLs branded to your domain.

Record details from the platform:

  • Type: CNAME
  • Host: The tracking subdomain provided (for example, track or link)
  • Value: The CNAME destination provided
  • TTL: 3600

Add the CNAME record:

  1. In your DNS provider, click Add Record
  2. Select CNAME as the record type
  3. Enter the tracking subdomain in the Host field
  4. Enter the destination address in the Value field
  5. Set TTL to 3600 seconds
  6. Click Save

Configure DMARC Policy

DMARC ties SPF and DKIM together and tells receiving servers what to do when authentication fails.

Record details:

Add the DMARC record:

  1. In your DNS provider, click Add Record
  2. Select TXT as the record type
  3. Enter _dmarc in the Host field
  4. Enter the DMARC policy string in the Value field
  5. Replace the rua email address with your own reporting email
  6. Set TTL to 3600 seconds
  7. Click Save

Start with p=none for monitoring mode. After confirming authentication passes for 2 weeks, update to p=quarantine. After another 2 weeks of clean reports, escalate to p=reject for maximum protection.

Verify Domain Authentication

Return to the platform’s Settings > Email Services > Sending Domain page. Wait at least 15 minutes for DNS propagation (can take longer depending on your DNS provider).

Click Verify Domain. The platform checks each DNS record:

  • SPF: Green checkmark means verified
  • DKIM: Green checkmark means verified
  • MX: Green checkmark means verified
  • CNAME: Green checkmark means verified
  • DMARC: Green checkmark means verified

If any record shows a red X or yellow warning, click the error message to see details. Common issues:

  • DNS propagation not complete (wait longer and try again)
  • Record value contains typos (re-copy the value and update your DNS)
  • DNS provider formatting requirements (some providers require specific formatting for TXT records)

All records must show green before proceeding to the next step.

Enable Email Validation

Email validation checks whether recipient addresses are valid before sending, protecting your reputation from hard bounces.

Navigate to Sub-Account Settings > Business Profile. Scroll to the Email Validation section and enable Verify Email Address when the first email is sent to a new contact.

For ongoing list hygiene, navigate to Agency View > Sub-Accounts, click your sub-account name, and enable Re-validation every 90 days.

Validation costs $2.50 per 1,000 validations. This investment prevents reputation damage from sending to invalid addresses, which is far more expensive to recover from.

Set Up Google Postmaster Tools

Google Postmaster Tools provides reputation monitoring for Gmail delivery (the largest email provider).

  1. Visit postmaster.google.com and sign in with a Google account
  2. Click the + icon to add a domain
  3. Enter your sending domain (mail.yourbusiness.com)
  4. Click Next and copy the TXT verification record
  5. Add the TXT record to your DNS provider
  6. Return to Postmaster Tools and click Verify
  7. Wait 24 to 48 hours for data to populate

Monitor these metrics weekly:

  • Spam rate (keep under 0.1%)
  • Domain reputation (aim for High)
  • IP reputation (aim for High)
  • Authentication (ensure SPF and DKIM pass)

Plan Your Warm-Up Schedule

New sending domains have no reputation. Warm-up gradually builds trust with mailbox providers by increasing send volume over 4 weeks.

Week 1: Send to 50 to 100 of your most engaged contacts per day. Use small batch sizes and monitor open rates closely.

Week 2: Increase to 200 to 300 contacts per day. Continue sending to engaged contacts only.

Week 3: Scale to 500 to 1,000 contacts per day. Begin including moderately engaged contacts.

Week 4+: Gradually increase to your normal sending volume based on engagement metrics and reputation monitoring.

During warm-up:

  • Send only to opted-in contacts
  • Use double opt-in when possible for immediate positive engagement
  • Avoid cold emailing entirely
  • Monitor Google Postmaster Tools daily
  • Keep email content clean and professional
  • Include clear unsubscribe links in every message

Test Your Setup

After verification and before sending campaigns, test your complete configuration:

Send a test email to mail-tester.com:

  1. Visit mail-tester.com and copy the temporary email address provided
  2. Create a test contact in the platform with that email address
  3. Send a campaign or workflow email to the test contact
  4. Return to mail-tester.com and click Then check my score
  5. Review the detailed report (aim for 9/10 or higher)

Send test emails to yourself:

  • Send to a Gmail account and check inbox placement
  • Send to an Outlook account and check inbox placement
  • Send to a Yahoo account if available
  • Review email headers in each client to confirm SPF, DKIM, and DMARC pass

Check blacklist status:

  1. Visit mxtoolbox.com/blacklists.aspx
  2. Enter your sending domain
  3. Click Blacklist Check
  4. Verify your domain appears on zero blacklists

Test Your Setup Checklist

Verify these success indicators:

  • All DNS records show green verified status in the platform
  • SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records return valid results in MXToolbox lookups
  • Mail-tester.com score is 9/10 or higher
  • Test emails arrive in inbox (not spam) for Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo
  • Email headers show SPF pass, DKIM pass, and DMARC pass
  • Domain appears on zero blacklists
  • Google Postmaster Tools is configured and monitoring (data may take 24 to 48 hours)
  • Email validation is enabled at the sub-account level

Next Steps

Once your deliverability foundation is in place, maintain and optimize:

  • Begin your warm-up schedule by sending to small batches of engaged contacts
  • Monitor Google Postmaster Tools weekly for reputation metrics
  • Review bounce rates and spam complaint rates in campaign statistics
  • Gradually increase sending volume following the warm-up schedule
  • Set up DMARC reporting to monitor authentication failures
  • Clean your contact list regularly by removing unengaged contacts
  • Explore Email Campaigns to start sending with your verified domain
  • Learn about Email Templates to create branded, deliverable email designs
  • Review Drip Sequences to build automated nurture campaigns with proper pacing
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