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How to set up DNS for sending email with Yada

Instructions to follow or send your tech team to enable email sending and branded link tracking with Yada Marketing

To ensure your emails reach your customers’ inboxes and maintain your brand’s reputation, you need to connect your domain to Yada. This process involves adding six DNS records to your domain provider’s settings.

Yada recommends a CNAME-based setup as the primary path. This uses SendGrid’s automated security records for domain authentication, DKIM, and return-path handling. In most cases, this is simpler and cleaner than manually adding MX and TXT records.

You should also set up branded link tracking, which makes tracked email links use your domain instead of a shared SendGrid tracking domain. This improves conversions by keeping link clicks on the same domain as the email send.

For example, instead of a tracked link going through a SendGrid domain, it can go through: click.yourdomain.com

Before you begin

You will need access to your DNS provider, such as GoDaddy, Namecheap, Cloudflare, Squarespace, Bluehost, or Google Domains.

If someone else manages your DNS, Yada includes a "Copy DNS instructions" button you can use to send the exact records to your technical team.

Step 1: Choose your sending domain

In Yada, go to your SendGrid / Email integration settings.
Choose the domain you want Yada to send from.
Yada will recommend using a dedicated marketing subdomain, such as: mail.yourdomain.com
This helps separate your marketing sender reputation from your main website/root domain.

Step 2: Add your sending domain in Yada

Click Add Sending Domain.

Yada will create the required records in SendGrid and show you the DNS records that need to be added.

For the recommended CNAME setup, you will see records for:

  • Return-path / bounce handling

  • DKIM #1

  • DKIM #2

  • Branded Click/Open tracking

  • Branded Tracking Ownership

Use the exact values shown in Yada.

Step 3: Add the DNS records

Log in to your DNS provider and open the DNS settings for your domain.

For each record shown in Yada:

1. Click Add record.
2. Choose the record type shown in Yada, usually CNAME.
3. Copy the Host/Name value from Yada.
4. Copy the Value/Target value from Yada.
5. Leave TTL as Auto or 3600.
6. Save the record.

If Yada shows a Root-Zone Host Label, use that value in most DNS providers.

For example, if your DNS zone is: yourdomain.com

and the full host is: s1._domainkey.mail.yourdomain.com

the host/name may need to be entered as: s1._domainkey.mail

not just: s1._domainkey

Step 5 (optional): Send instructions to your tech team

If someone else manages DNS, click "Copy instructions to send to your tech team"

This copies all required records, including:

  • Sending authentication records

  • Branded link tracking records

  • Recommended DMARC record, if shown

Send that copied message to your web or IT team.

Step 6: Verify in Yada

After the DNS records are added, return to Yada.

Click Verify for the sending domain.

Then click Verify branded link tracking.

DNS can verify within a few minutes, but some providers may take longer.

Important notes

If you use Cloudflare, keep SendGrid CNAME records set to DNS only. Do not proxy them.

If your DNS provider rejects a value with a trailing period, remove the final period and try again.

Need help?

If you run into issues, contact Yada support at team@yada.ai.