Subdomains in Benchmark Email
At Benchmark Email, users are required to create a subdomain and complete the verification process before sending emails. Verifying a subdomain involves adding the NS record provided during the subdomain creation process. Failure to verify the subdomain will prevent users from sending emails.
TOPICS COVERED IN THIS ARTICLE
What is a subdomain?
A subdomain is a prefix of your main (root) domain that can be used to create separate domain functions.
The subdomain appears before your main domain, e.g., sub.yourcompany.com.
Subdomains are commonly found within blog sites, help centers, product websites, and email marketing. They are used to separate your website's domain functions. Subdomains are a great way to keep your domain's reputation healthy by separating marketing and transactional emails.
Subdomain examples:
blog.yourcompany.com → Company blog
support.yourcompany.com → Help center
email.yourcompany.com → Email marketing or tracking
app.yourcompany.com → Web app or customer portal
Benefits of using a subdomain
Protects the main domain reputation
Email marketing campaigns may experience higher bounce rates, unsubscribes, or even spam complaints. If you send from your main domain, such negative behavior could impact your entire domain’s reputation, affecting transactional emails that are responsible for receipt and login links.
Improves email deliverability
Creates trust with Gmail, Yahoo, and other ISPs. A dedicated subdomain helps establish a strong sending reputation, building trust with inbox providers. This increases the chances your emails landing in the inbox.
Create subdomains for different email marketing needs.
- Some examples include:
- Transactional emails, receipts.yourdomain.com
- Event emails, events.yourdomain.com
- Newsletter emails, news.yourdomain.com
- Rewards program emails, rewards.yourdomain.com
Disclaimer: A subdomain does not guarantee 100% inbox placement. A subdomain is one of the many things users can do to ensure best sending practices.
Provides Brand Organization
Subdomains allow you to create separate functions for your root domain. For example, you can create a subdomain for your blog site, e.g., blog.yourdomain.com. If you have an online store, you could use shop, store, and other options as your subdomain, e.g., shop.yourdomain.com. Shop and store subdomain names are among the most common in online storefronts. Additionally, you could use "email" as your subdomain for all email marketing. Depending on your marketing needs, other options include mail, updates, news, and info.
✅ SUMMARY
Using a subdomain dedicated to your email sending will protect your main domain's reputation, improve your email delivery, and create a sending reputation for your subdomain.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if the domain host allows adding subdomain records?
Some domain hosts do not support subdomain-level MX records. In this case, the MX record needed for SPF verification can’t be added, and the domain verification will fail. If you believe this applies to you, please contact our support team for help.
Where is the subdomain created?
The subdomain is created directly in your Benchmark Email account. Once you add it, we'll generate the DNS records you'll need for the next step.
How do I add this subdomain to my domain host?
After creating your subdomain in Benchmark, you'll receive a set of DNS records. Log in to your domain host (where your domain is registered) and add those records to your DNS settings. Once the records are saved and verified, your subdomain will be ready to send.
What types of DNS records does Benchark Email use to verify subdomains?
Depending on the domain host, Benchmark either uses a multi-record or a single NS record.
How does using a subdomain protect my main domain?
Email marketing campaigns may get higher bounce rates, unsubscribes, or even spam complaints. If you're sending from your main domain (yourdomain.com), all that negative behavior could impact your entire domain’s reputation, including your transactional emails.
Can I have multiple subdomains?
Yes, you can have multiple subdomains. However, the same subdomain should not be duplicated. Adding duplicate subdomains can result in delivery failure and trigger spam filters.