BIMI stands for Brand Indicators for Message Identification. It is an email authentication and identification standard that aims to enhance email security and provide a visual indicator of brand authenticity to email recipients. BIMI allows companies to display their official logos or brand icons next to their emails in the recipient’s inbox, providing a visual trust signal.
Instead of the generic logo that is displayed by default by your mailbox provider, BIMI record helps brands provide a more professional look and feel to their emails. This can be useful if a brand wishes to keep the same main brand and/or use different logos for different contexts.
How to Create a BIMI Record?
Step 1: Sign up with PowerDMARC for free
Start implementing BIMI by signing up on our portal without spending a dime!
Step 2: Convert your logo image to SVG
On the portal menu go to PowerToolbox > BIMI SVG converter to make your logo compliant with BIMI record standards.
Step 3: Create your BIMI record
Go to PowerToolbox > BIMI record generator to create your BIMI record.
Step 4: Upload your logo
Upload the link to your BIMI-compliant brand logo, VMC (optional but recommended) and click on “generate record”.
Note: If you have not created your BIMI selector name, the name will be kept as “default”, in which case the value for your “host” field will be “default._bimi.domain.com”.
Step 5: Add BIMI record to DNS
Access your DNS provider’s management console to publish your BIMI record in the advanced DNS editor.
How to Publish a BIMI Record?
To publish your BIMI DNS record:
- Create a TXT Record in DNS: To publish the BIMI record, you need to create a TXT record in your DNS zone file. The TXT record should be named _bimi.yourdomain.com. Replace yourdomain.com with your actual domain name.
- Publish the DNS TXT Record: Access your DNS management interface provided by your domain registrar or DNS service provider. Locate the DNS zone for your domain and create a new TXT record with the name _bimi.yourdomain.com and the value mentioned in step 4. Save the changes to publish the record.
- Monitor BIMI Adoption: BIMI adoption by mailbox providers is an ongoing process. Keep an eye on updates and announcements from mailbox providers to ensure your BIMI record is being utilized correctly.
How to Verify Your BIMI Record?
After publishing the BIMI TXT record, you should verify if it’s correctly propagated in the DNS. You can use our BIMI record checker to verify the existence and content of your TXT record.
Note: Creating, publishing, and verifying your BIMI record doesn’t ensure that your logo will be displayed. It largely depends on your email service provider as currently many ESPs have not fully extended support for BIMI and are still in their testing stages.
BIMI Record Examples
BIMI record without VMC:
BIMI record with VMC:
Note: If you have not created your BIMI selector name, the name will be kept as “default”, in which case the value for your “host” field will be “default._bimi.domain.com”.
Key Requirements for Creating a BIMI Record
Domain owners should note that they need to meet certain key requirements before configuring BIMI for their domains. They are as follows:
- For BIMI to function, DMARC enforcement is a mandatory requirement. Make sure that you configure a DMARC analyzer for your domain and shift to a policy of p=reject/quarantine
- The next step is to have your BIMI complaint brand logo in place. The correct SVG file format is SVG Tiny 1.2
- The display of your BIMI logo is ultimately in the hands of your mailbox provider, so make sure BIMI is supported by your participating mailbox providers
Why is it important to publish a BIMI DNS Record?
Publishing a BIMI DNS record is crucial because it enhances email security and establishes brand credibility.
- BIMI promotes email authenticity by leveraging the DMARC protocol. This integration helps combat email spoofing, phishing, and other fraudulent activities.
- Publishing BIMI records enhances brand recognition and trustworthiness.
- By embracing BIMI organizations can elevate their email communications by increasing deliverability rates.
I Have Published My BIMI Record, What Next?
Simply publishing your BIMI record is not enough to rest assured. You still need to ensure that your BIMI record is valid.
Gaining visibility on your sending sources when you are on p=reject for DMARC is crucial to maintaining a consistent flow of information and a steady email deliverability rate. DMARC reports parsed and displayed on a human-readable dashboard save you time while organizing your domain’s data efficiently.
Configuring a DMARC report analyzer helps you manage and monitor your domains and hosted services with ease, allowing you to modify your record configurations in real time with the click of a button.
