Setup and Deliverability

A custom subdomain provides brand authority and improves user confidence. To establish a custom subdomain for your account, follow these steps:

1. Choose your subdomain and verify its availability
   Choose your desired subdomain and check with your network administrator that it is not already in use. Popular subdomains are: comms.mydomain.com.au, e.mydomain.com.au, news.mydomain.com.au, events.mydomain.com.au, etc.
2. Set up and point your custom subdomain
   Once you have confirmed that the subdomain is available, request that your network administrator set it up and point it to Swift Digital using one of the following methods:
   Method one (preferred): CNAME Record
   Point to: suite.swiftdigital.com.au
   Method two: A Record
   (For use only when the above CNAME method is not possibe)
   Point to: 75.2.75.220
3. Notify Swift Digital of your new custom subdomain
   Inform your Swift Digital contact when your custom subdomain has been set up and pointed.
4. Account custom subdomain assignment
   Your Swift Digital contact will verify the configuration of your custom subdomain and update your account accordingly.

Notes for existing customers:

• If you have been utilising a Swift Digital subdomain (Eg. e-newsletter.com.au or i-events.info) your previous URLs will automatically be forwarded to your new custom subdomain.
• If you are changing from one custom subdomain to another, you are responsible for ensuring that your old subdomain URL redirects to your new subdomain. If no redirect is created, then URLs using your old subdomain will no longer function.

SSL certificates ensure that all data transmitted between your Swift account subdomain and your users is secure and encrypted. This makes it virtually impossible for third-parties to decipher any data they may intercept. Having an SSL certificate is often a mandatory requirement for government, financial, and business organisations.

Swift Digital supplies your account subdomain with an SSL certificate and takes care of certificate renewals.

Domain Keys Identified Mail (DKIM) is a method of authenticating email with a digital signature. With DKIM, we add a unique signature to your email which is also stored in your Domain Name Server (DNS). When Email Service Providers (ESP’s) like Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail, etc. receive email, they will often verify that the signature in the email, matches the signature in your DNS. If it’s a match, the ESP knows that you have given us permission to send mail on your behalf, and is less likely to consider the mail as spam.

To set up DKIM, follow these steps:

1. Request Domain Key(s)
   Send an email to your Swift Digital contact, requesting a domain key for each domain that you will be sending mail from. The domain is the portion of an email address that comes after the @ symbol.
2. Swift Digital will supply your Domain Key(s)
   We will supply you with your requested Domain Key(s) which will then need to be forwarded to your network administrator. We supply keys with 4096-bit encryption.
3. Install the Domain Key(s)
   Send a request to your network administrator asking that they create new TXT records in your DNS for your Domain Key(s). Some DNS TXT fields only allow characters of up to 255 characters which is often not enough for 4096-bit encrypted keys. In this case, it is recommended that you ‘split’ the key across TXT records. Mailhardener has more information and provides a great resource for splitting your DKIM record. If splitting the key(s) is not an option, we can supply shorter but weaker keys.
   Here is an example of what a DNS TXT record might look like:The TTL is up to your determination, generally two hours (7200s) is reasonable for DKIM keys.
4. Notify Swift Digital of successful DKIM configuration
   Let us know once your DKIM configuration is successful and we will verify that your account recognises the setup and sends mail with the DKIM data included.

Note: You may use more than one domain/subdomain when sending mail from your account. This is the portion of an email that comes after the @ symbol. For example, if you will be sending mail from news@mycompany.com.au and communications@comms.mycompany.com.au then two Domain Keys will need to be installed. One for “mycompany.com.au” the other for “comms.mycompany.com.au”.

Sender Policy Framework (SPF) is a method of validating email service provides. Your network administrator can create an SPF record designating Swift Digital as an authorised provider, allowed to send mail from your domain or subdomain (Eg. email addresses ending in @mycompany.com.au).  This is done by adding a TXT records to your Domain Name System (DNS).

For the domain name(s) that you will be using to send emails, ask your IT team to add the following TXT record to your DNS SPF settings.

You need to add to your current SPF settings as:

As with DKIM, you will need one such record for all the sending domains that you use with Swift Digital. The address will be the same for each.

Note: You may use more than one domain/subdomain when sending mail from your account. This is the portion of an email that comes after the @ symbol. For example, if you will be sending mail from news@mycompany.com.au and communications@comms.mycompany.com.au then two SPF records will need to be installed. One for “mycompany.com.au” the other for “comms.mycompany.com.au”.

Note: Installation of a Custom Return Path involves an implementation fee. If you are not sure whether it was covered in your setup costs, please check with your Swift Digital contact.

In much the same way that an envelope delivers physical mail, email is also delivered inside a ‘digital envelope’ called a “header”. The header contains information about the sender/origin and recipient/destination.

For example:
From: jane@mycompany.com.au
To: harry@somecompany.com.au
Replies: marketing@mycompany.com.au
Returns: bounces@mycompany.com.au

The “To” address is the recipient, and the “From” address is the sender. The “Replies” address is frequently the same as the “From” address but need not be. And, as you can probably guess, the “Returns” (or return path) is where undeliverable emails are returned (these are also called ‘bounces’).

Some mail servers check an email’s header information to verify that the return path of an email uses the same domain as the from address. Swift Digital (like most email services) uses its own return path domain to receive returned emails and provide you with statistics on bounces. However, this means that the from address domain will be your own, whereas the return path domain will be Swift Digital’s.

Your account’s default return path will take the form of: emailid@bouncer.swiftdigital.com.au

It is possible to create a custom return path to ensure it uses the same domain that you send mail from. This can potentially lower the likelihood that your email will be marked as spam.

The configuration of a custom return path includes a mail redirect so that we can still receive bounces and provide you with accurate statistics.

To set up a custom return path, follow these instructions:

1. Create a Custom Return Path for your Sending Domain(s)
   Create a Custom Return Path subdomain for each Sending Domain that you use. For example, if your sending domain is @mail.mycompany.com.au you may wish to use bounce.mail.mycompany.com.au. Set the MX record of your Custom Return Path to point to:
   bouncer.swiftdigital.com.au
2. Notify Swift Digital of your configured Custom Return Path
   Let us know once the Custom Return Path has been created and pointed to us.
3. Custom Return Path assignment
   We will update your account to reflect your new Custom Return Path.

DMARC is a policy that can be implemented when a DKIM signature fails validation. Your network administrator can create a DMARC record to specify how DKIM failed mail should be handled, the options are: take no action, quarantine the message, or reject the message.

This provides you with complete control over how to handle mail sent by unauthorised parties who are using your domain and purporting to be you.

Once DKIM has been created, you can discuss with your network administrator whether DMARC should be implemented as well. No further action should be required from Swift Digital.