Domain Verification

Verify a sending domain to improve deliverability and avoid spam folders. Most verifications complete in 5–30 minutes after DNS changes propagate.

Why verify your domain?

When you send email from hello@mail.yourdomain.com, receiving email servers check your DNS records to confirm that you actually own that domain and that Quolle is authorised to send on your behalf. Without these records, your emails are more likely to land in spam or be rejected entirely.

There are three standards that together protect your domain:

SPF (Sender Policy Framework) — a DNS TXT record that lists the servers allowed to send email for your domain. Quolle adds AWS SES to this list.
DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) — cryptographically signs your email with a private key. Receiving servers verify the signature using the public key in your DNS. This proves the message wasn't tampered with in transit.
DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication) — tells receiving servers what to do if SPF or DKIM checks fail: none (monitor only), quarantine (send to spam), or reject (block entirely). Avianise sets a safe quarantine policy by default.

Step by step

Add your domain in the dashboard

Go to Domains → Add domain and enter your sending domain. Use a subdomain like mail.yourdomain.com rather than your apex domain — it keeps your email records separate from your website records.

Add the DNS records

You'll receive several records to publish. Here's what each looks like:

Type	Name	Value	Purpose
`TXT`	`_amazonses.mail.yourdomain.com`	verification token	Domain ownership proof for SES
`TXT`	`mail.yourdomain.com`	`v=spf1 include:amazonses.com ~all`	SPF — authorises SES to send
`TXT`	`_dmarc.mail.yourdomain.com`	`v=DMARC1; p=quarantine; …`	DMARC — authentication policy
`CNAME`	`token1._domainkey.mail.yourdomain.com`	`token1.dkim.amazonses.com`	DKIM key 1 of 3
`CNAME`	`token2._domainkey.mail.yourdomain.com`	`token2.dkim.amazonses.com`	DKIM key 2 of 3
`CNAME`	`token3._domainkey.mail.yourdomain.com`	`token3.dkim.amazonses.com`	DKIM key 3 of 3

Cloudflare users: one-click automatic setup

If your domain uses Cloudflare nameservers, a purple banner appears in the Add domain modal. Click Add via Cloudflare and authorise access — all DNS records are added automatically. No copy-pasting required.

After authorising, DNS changes are applied within seconds on Cloudflare. The domain typically verifies within a few minutes.

Wait for propagation

DNS changes typically propagate within 5–30 minutes, though it can take up to 48 hours in rare cases. Once your records are live, click Verify next to your domain in the dashboard.

Start sending

Once the status shows verified, you can send email from any address on that domain. Your from field must match the verified domain, e.g. hello@mail.yourdomain.com.

Common issues

My domain is stuck on pending

DNS propagation can take time. Use a tool like dnschecker.org to verify that your TXT and CNAME records are visible globally. Once they appear, click Verify again.

Make sure you added records for the exact hostnames shown in the dashboard — including any subdomain prefix like mail..

I get a 400 error when sending

Your from address must use a domain that is verified in your account. Check that the domain status is verified (not just pending). If you're sending from hello@mail.acme.com, the domain mail.acme.com must be verified — not just acme.com.

Emails going to spam

A few things to check:

All three DNS record types (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) are published and verified
Your from address matches the verified domain exactly
Your email content isn't triggering spam filters — avoid ALL CAPS subject lines, excessive links, or spam trigger words
You're not sending to addresses that have previously bounced or complained — check your suppression list
Your domain has a positive sending history — start with low volumes and ramp up

Do I have to use a subdomain?

You can verify an apex domain (e.g. yourdomain.com), but we recommend a subdomain like mail.yourdomain.com. This keeps your transactional email DNS records separate from your website and avoids conflicts with existing SPF records.