When you're setting up BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification), you'll quickly come across its specific syntax. BIMI works by publishing a special TXT record in your DNS, and this record is made up of several 'tags'. One of the most fundamental of these is the 'v' tag. In short, the 'v' tag in a BIMI record stands for 'version'.
It’s a simple but crucial piece of the puzzle. This tag explicitly declares that the DNS record is a BIMI record and specifies which version of the standard you are using. As of now, there is only one version, so the value is always the same.
The purpose of the 'v' tag
The primary purpose of the 'v' tag is to act as a declaration and version identifier. When a mail server finds a BIMI record in your DNS, the first thing it looks for is v=BIMI1. This tells the server two things: yes, this is a BIMI record, and it should be interpreted according to the rules of the "BIMI1" specification.
Every valid BIMI record must start with this tag. It’s not optional. Without it, your record will be considered invalid, and email clients will not be able to find or display your logo.
How the 'v' tag fits in a BIMI record
BIMI is a DNS TXT record structured as a string of tag-value pairs, each separated by a semicolon. The version tag always comes first. Here is a basic example of what a complete BIMI record looks like in DNS:
default._bimi.yourdomain.com IN TXT "v=BIMI1; l=https://yourbrand.com/logo.svg;"
Let's break down the components within the quotes:
- v=BIMI1: This is the mandatory version tag we've been discussing. It identifies the record as BIMI version 1.
- l=...: This is the location tag. It provides a URL pointing directly to your brand's logo, which must be in a specific SVG format.
While there is a third, optional 'a' tag for the location of your Verified Mark Certificate (VMC), the 'v' and 'l' tags are the essential building blocks of any BIMI record.
Why getting the 'v' tag right is important
Because BIMI is a machine-read standard, syntax is everything. An incorrectly configured 'v' tag will cause the entire record to fail. If the tag is missing, misspelled, or has the wrong value, mailbox providers performing a BIMI check will simply conclude that no valid record exists.
While it may seem like a simple mistake to avoid, configuration errors do happen. An analysis by URIports on the top one million domains found that a small but notable percentage of BIMI records failed due to an incorrect 'v' tag value. This highlights the importance of checking your syntax carefully.
In conclusion, the 'v' tag is the very first component of a BIMI record, acting as a declaration that the record conforms to version 1 of the BIMI standard. It’s a small but non-negotiable part of the setup, and getting it right is the first step toward displaying your logo in the inbox.
