> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.allgoodhq.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Set up an email domain

> Verify a subdomain you own so allGood can send marketing email under your brand and receive replies to it.

An email domain connects the marketing email allGood sends to a subdomain you actually own, instead of a generic allGood address. Setting one up means proving to mail providers that you own that subdomain, using a handful of DNS records your IT team or domain registrar adds. It's also what lets replies to your marketing emails come back into allGood, instead of disappearing.

Without a verified domain, marketing email either can't send at all, or is far more likely to land in spam. A receiving mail server has no way to confirm allGood is authorized to send on your behalf. Verifying your domain is a one-time setup step per subdomain.

## Prerequisites

* Access to the **Email Domains** settings page
* A dedicated subdomain you can add DNS records to — never your root domain
* Access to your domain's DNS settings, or someone on your team who has it

## What this domain will be used for

When you add a domain, you tell allGood what it's for. **Replies and marketing sends** is the usual choice, and the only one confirmed today — it covers both sending your marketing email and receiving replies to it. This option needs three CNAME records to authenticate the domain.

## Add your domain and its DNS records

<Steps>
  <Step id="open-email-domains" title="Open Email Domains">
    Open **Email Domains** in your account settings.
  </Step>

  <Step id="add-a-domain" title="Add a domain">
    Click **+ Add Domain**. In the **Add an email domain** dialog, leave **What is this domain for?** set to **Replies and marketing sends**.
  </Step>

  <Step id="enter-your-subdomain" title="Enter your reply subdomain">
    Under **Reply subdomain**, enter a dedicated subdomain you own — for example, `reply.yourcompany.com`. Never enter your root domain here. Click **Set up domain** once you're done.
  </Step>

  <Step id="add-the-dns-records" title="Add the DNS records">
    Click the domain's **View DNS details** icon to open **DNS Record Details**. Add each row as a CNAME record with your DNS provider, copying the **Host** and **Value** exactly with the **Copy** button next to each.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  If your DNS is hosted on Cloudflare, set each of these three records to **DNS only** (the gray cloud icon), not **Proxied**. A proxied record points to Cloudflare's own address instead of the value shown here, so it will never validate.
</Note>

Your domain now shows **Pending DNS** while allGood checks for the records. DNS changes can take up to 48 hours to propagate, so this stage can take a while even after the records are added correctly.

## Track your domain's progress

Each domain moves through three stages. Its card shows the current stage as both a status badge and a numbered checklist:

1. **DNS Validated** — allGood looks for your three CNAME records (one mail record, two DKIM records). Each one shows **Not detected yet** until it's found.
2. **Ready for MX record Updates** — inbound routing is configured automatically once your DNS validates. There's nothing for you to do at this stage.
3. **Fully Live** — the status badge changes to **Fully Live**, and a **Domain is fully configured and ready for use** confirmation appears on the domain's card.

Click **Verify All** on the Email Domains page to recheck every domain's DNS status right away, rather than waiting for the next automatic check.

If you're still seeing **Not detected yet** a day or two after adding the records, see the [Email FAQ](/mk/settings/email/faq), or contact allGood support.

## Related articles

* [Web Edge domain vs. email domain](/mk/settings/email/domains-vs-web-edge)
* [Email FAQ](/mk/settings/email/faq)
* [Authenticate your sending domain: SPF, DKIM, DMARC, BIMI, and VMC](/mk/settings/email/authentication)