Introduction

Emails are an essential communication tool, but to be truly effective, they must successfully reach their destination — something that can be compromised by technical errors, spam filters or incorrect settings related to the content of the emails or newsletters.

In this article:

• we explain what DNS is and how to configure it to improve the deliverability of your communications
• we offer tips on how to structure email content to prevent it from being marked as spam, even if DNS is correctly configured.

What is DNS?

Click the boxes below to expand them and read the explanations:

How to configure DNS records

DNS configuration can only be done for custom domains that you or your company own. Free email services (like Gmail, Yahoo, or Hotmail, etc) cannot be authenticated, as DNS is managed by the provider.

I DON'T have IT support

If you don’t have an IT technician, follow these steps and contact your domain host (e.g. GoDaddy, Aruba, etc) for support.

Step 1: Go to Email Settings

Open the Email settings by clicking the  icon at the bottom left.

Step 2: Click "Set up DNS records now" 

In the domain section, click Set up DNS records now inside the yellow alert note.

Step 3: Download the DNS records

Click Download DNS to get a .csv file containing the records to add to your domain. You can download it multiple times if needed.

Step 4: Contact your domain provider

Send the following email to your provider’s support team (not the Artshell support team):

Dear [support name], 

I need to add some DNS records to my email domain [your domain]
to use the mailing features of the Artshell software.

Below are the records to be added:
[Paste the records here]

Could you assist me with this task?
Thank you,
[Your name]

You can paste the DNS records directly into the email body.

Wait for confirmation from the domain provider that the records have been added, then proceed with verification.

Step 5: Check if the configuration was successful

Once you’ve received confirmation, return to the Email settings section and click Check status.

Possible outcomes:

• Configuration completed: All settings are correct
• Configuration in progress: DNS records were added but haven’t propagated yet (this may take up to 72 hours)
• Configuration failed: Verify that you copied the records correctly and check for conflicts with pre-existing DNS entries

I have IT support

If you have a developer or IT technician managing your website, they can follow these steps:

Step 1: Download the DNS records

Go to Email settings by clicking the  icon in the bottom left corner. In the domain section, click Download DNS to get the .csv file with the records to be added.

Step 2: Access the domain control panel

This is typically provided by the domain registrar (e.g. Register.it, Aruba, GoDaddy). You'll need a username and password to log in.

Step 3: Locate the DNS section

In the control panel, look for a section called "DNS", "DNS Management", or similar.
There should be an option to add new DNS records.

You’ll be asked to provide:

• • Record Type (e.g., TXT, MX, CNAME)
  • Hostname
  • Value
  • TTL (Time to Live)

Step 4: Add the DNS records

Copy the records from the .csv file and insert them into the correct fields.
Make sure to:

• avoid extra spaces before or after each record.
• check that all special characters are correct.

Step 5: Save changes

After entering all records, save your changes. It may take a few minutes to 72 hours for new records to propagate.

Step 6: Check if the configuration was successful

Return to the Email settings section and click Check status.

Possible outcomes:

• Configuration completed: All settings are correct
• Configuration in progress: DNS records were added but haven’t propagated yet (this may take up to 72 hours)
• Configuration failed: Verify that you copied the records correctly and check for conflicts with pre-existing DNS entries

Tips to keep your emails and newsletters from going to “Spam”

What does it mean when an email ends up in Spam?

A spam email is an email that email reading and receiving programs (email clients) proactively judge as unwanted or unsolicited by their users. For this reason, the email, considered as spam, will automatically end up in the "Spam" folder, also called "Junk Mail", or directly in the recipient's "Trash", without being read. Email receiving and reading programs can consider an email as spam for various reasons, from content issues to the sender's reputation.

Why is it useful to know what Spam is?

Ending up in a contact's spam box greatly prejudices your chances of communicating with that contact, as getting out of spam is indeed very difficult.

What to do to prevent the emails you send from ending up in your customers' Spam: 

Below are some general guidelines on how to build your contact database, design your campaigns and newsletters, and structure your content to minimize the risk. In particular:

• How to manage your address book.
• What to avoid including in the email subject line.
• Checking your email address and content.
• Other good habits and practices for building emails and newsletters.

Regarding your address book, we recommend that you:

• build your contact database with care, trying to populate it with still-active addresses of real people;
• ensure, by following GDPR regulations, that all your contacts and clients have chosen to receive your emails;
• always keep your mailing list updated, constantly removing email addresses that are no longer active or that have stopped receiving/reading your communications (bounced);
• collect personal email addresses rather than general ones, in the case of some organisations, especially large companies, filters may have been set up to prevent newsletters from reaching their employees' inboxes.

Regarding the email subject line, it would be best to avoid:

     phrases written entirely in uppercase;

     phrases indicating offers, such as: "Save 50%" or "Offer";

     phrases indicating urgency, such as: "Order now" or "Limited time";

     phrases inviting you to place an order or spend money, such as: "Request a quote";

     currency symbols or sums of money expressed in numbers;

     an excessive amount of punctuation (e.g., too many exclamation points);

     overused expressions such as "you won't believe your eyes" or "the secret no one knows".

We also advise you to check your email address and the content of your emails:

• make sure to send your emails from a clear and recognizable address linked to a functioning and reliable mailbox;
• avoid sending emails containing only images or only links. Instead, include the right amount of text, interspersed with some links and some multimedia content;
• use tested and working links, always inserting them with their full URL, never in short or abbreviated format, which usually conceal potential dangers.

In this regard, we advise you to adopt the following good habits:

• design your emails and newsletter campaigns clearly and balanced, without straying too far from the content that the recipient already associates with your business or your name and the rest of your communication (website and social networks);
• try to engage and not bore your contact or client;
• do not include content that may be considered inappropriate for your audience;
• try to adjust the frequency of your communications to your goal, avoiding excesses.