Summary
The consensus from email marketers, experts, and documentation sources is that individual DKIM keys are significantly better for email deliverability than shared DKIM keys. Shared DKIM keys are likened to shared IPs, where the actions of one sender can negatively impact the reputation of all others sharing the key. Individual DKIM keys provide greater control over your sending reputation, help prevent spoofing and phishing, build trust with ISPs, increase the likelihood of being whitelisted, and ensure that messages are delivered to the intended recipients. Proper implementation of DKIM, combined with other authentication methods like SPF and DMARC, is crucial for maximizing deliverability and protecting against email-based attacks.
Key findings
- Reputation Control: Individual DKIM keys offer greater control over your sending reputation.
- Shared Risks: Shared DKIM keys can negatively impact deliverability due to the actions of other senders.
- Sender Authentication: DKIM verifies the sender's identity, proving emails aren't forged.
- ISPs Trust: DKIM builds trust with ISPs, improving inbox placement.
- Spoofing Prevention: DKIM prevents email spoofing and phishing attacks.
- Increased Deliverability: A valid DKIM signature increases chances of whitelisting and improves overall deliverability.
- Accurate Tracking: DKIM allows more accurate tracking of mailstreams, benefiting good senders.
Key considerations
- Implement Individual DKIM: Prioritize using individual DKIM keys to control your sending reputation.
- Consistent Use: Maintain consistent use of your DKIM key to build and maintain a positive sender reputation.
- Correct Implementation: Ensure correct DKIM implementation to maximize benefits.
- Combined Authentication: Combine DKIM with SPF and DMARC for enhanced security and deliverability.
- Reputation Monitoring: Monitor your sending reputation regularly to address deliverability issues proactively.
- Quality and Volume of Mail Flow: Deliverability depends on the quality/volume of mail flow, so maintain high standards for your email campaigns.
What email marketers say
12 marketer opinions
DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) is a crucial email authentication method that significantly impacts email deliverability. Using individual DKIM keys, as opposed to shared DKIM, provides better control over your sending reputation. Shared DKIM can lead to negative impacts on deliverability if other senders sharing the key engage in activities that harm the shared reputation, potentially leading to blacklisting. Implementing DKIM correctly helps in verifying the sender's identity, authenticating the sending domain, and preventing email spoofing and phishing attacks. This builds trust with ISPs and improves inbox placement, ensuring that legitimate emails reach their intended recipients.
Key opinions
- Reputation Control: Individual DKIM keys provide greater control over your sending reputation compared to shared DKIM.
- Shared Risk: Shared DKIM can negatively impact deliverability if other senders sharing the key are blacklisted or engage in harmful activities.
- Authentication: DKIM authenticates the sending domain, verifying the sender's identity and proving that the email is not forged.
- Trust Building: DKIM builds trust with ISPs by ensuring that email messages are authorized and haven't been altered.
- Spoofing Prevention: DKIM prevents email spoofing and phishing attacks by verifying the authenticity of the email sender.
- Deliverability Boost: Implementing DKIM correctly improves inbox placement and overall email deliverability.
Key considerations
- Reputation Management: Monitor your sending reputation closely when using shared DKIM to avoid being affected by other senders' activities.
- Key Isolation: Consider switching to individual DKIM keys to isolate your sending reputation and avoid potential negative impacts from shared keys.
- Correct Implementation: Ensure DKIM is implemented correctly to maximize its benefits and signal legitimacy to mail servers.
- Authentication Verification: Regularly verify that DKIM is properly authenticating your emails to maintain trust with ISPs and improve deliverability rates.
- Security Measures: Combine DKIM with other email authentication methods (SPF, DMARC) for a more robust security posture and enhanced deliverability.
Marketer view
Email marketer from GlockApps explains that DKIM improves email deliverability by authenticating the sending domain and ensuring the message hasn't been tampered with. This builds trust with ISPs, increasing the chances of emails landing in the inbox.
4 Jun 2023 - GlockApps
Marketer view
Email marketer from StackOverflow highlights that implementing DKIM correctly impacts the mail server's sender score and reputation. This positively affects deliverability by signalling to other mail servers that your emails are legitimate.
21 Jul 2024 - StackOverflow
What the experts say
4 expert opinions
The experts emphasize the importance of using individual DKIM keys to maintain a good sending reputation and improve email deliverability. Shared DKIM values are likened to shared IPs, where the reputation is spread across multiple users, potentially harming good senders. Using a dedicated DKIM key establishes a consistent reputation, authenticates the sender, and increases the likelihood of being whitelisted, ultimately improving deliverability.
Key opinions
- Shared DKIM Risks: Shared DKIM spreads reputation, potentially harming good senders due to the actions of bad senders.
- Individual DKIM Benefits: Using your own DKIM key is crucial for establishing and maintaining a positive sending reputation.
- Sender Authentication: DKIM helps demonstrate that a message genuinely came from the sender.
- Whitelisting: A valid DKIM signature increases the chances of being whitelisted and improves overall deliverability.
Key considerations
- Dedicated Key: Prioritize using your own DKIM key over shared keys to control your reputation effectively.
- Consistent Use: Maintain consistent use of your DKIM key to establish and maintain a positive sender reputation.
- DKIM Validation: Ensure that your DKIM signature is valid to maximize the benefits of sender authentication.
- Reputation Monitoring: Monitor your sending reputation to proactively address any issues affecting deliverability.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks explains that shared DKIM values are like shared IPs, where reputation is spread across all users, benefiting bad senders and harming good senders. The purpose of DKIM is to allow accurate mailstream tracking, benefiting good senders.
26 Sep 2024 - Email Geeks
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise responds that email senders can use DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM) to demonstrate to receivers that a message really came from them. Using your own DKIM key is an important part of sender authentication.
26 Jan 2022 - Word to the Wise
What the documentation says
4 technical articles
Documentation from various sources highlights that DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) is a crucial email authentication framework that enhances email deliverability and security. DKIM uses digital signatures to verify the authenticity of the sender, preventing spammers from forging email messages and ensuring that the message hasn't been modified in transit. By validating the integrity of the sender, DKIM improves the likelihood that emails will reach the intended recipient's inbox, as ISPs are more likely to deliver authenticated messages.
Key findings
- Spam Prevention: DKIM prevents spammers from sending messages that appear to come from your domain.
- Authenticity Verification: DKIM verifies the sender's authenticity, increasing the likelihood of messages reaching the inbox.
- Integrity Validation: DKIM validates that the message was sent by an authorized domain and hasn't been modified in transit.
- Security Standard: DKIM is a security standard that prevents email spoofing by verifying the authenticity of the email sender.
- Digital Signatures: DKIM adds digital signatures to email messages, enabling recipient mail servers to verify authenticity.
Key considerations
- Implementation: Ensure proper implementation of DKIM to fully leverage its authentication benefits.
- Security Posture: Combine DKIM with other email authentication methods (SPF, DMARC) for a more robust security posture.
- Domain Authorization: Regularly verify that your domain is properly authorized to send emails through DKIM.
- Phishing Protection: Utilize DKIM to protect both senders and recipients from spoofing and phishing attacks.
Technical article
Documentation from Auth0 answers that DKIM is a security standard which helps prevent email spoofing by verifying the authenticity of the email sender. It ensures messages are delivered to the intended recipient.
6 Sep 2024 - Auth0
Technical article
Documentation from Microsoft answers that DKIM adds a digital signature to email messages, allowing recipient mail servers to verify the message's authenticity. This improved authentication assists in protecting both senders and recipients from spoofing and phishing, improving delivery rates.
30 Apr 2022 - Microsoft
Are people using 4096-bit DKIM keys, and what is the recommended DKIM key length?
Can DKIM be set up on a subdomain, and which domain should be used for signing?
Can multiple users access Google Postmaster Tools for a single domain?
Do DKIM selectors affect email reputation?
Do I need multiple DKIM records if I use multiple ESPs like HubSpot, Sendgrid and ActiveCampaign?
How do I find the DKIM selector for my domain in Dmarcian or Hubspot?
