OceanDrive
OceanDrive
Get Early Access
Docs/Email Domain Setup
Deliverability · 10 min read

Email Domain Setup

Connecting your own domain is the single biggest thing you can do to make sure your emails land in the inbox — not spam. This guide walks you through every step, from picking the right subdomain to hitting Verify and going live. No tech experience needed.

Why this matters

Without a custom domain, your emails go out from a shared OceanDrive address. Inbox providers like Gmail and Outlook trust emails more when they come from a domain you own and have verified. Setting this up can double your open rates overnight.

On this page
  1. 1Before you start
  2. 2Add your domain in OceanDrive
  3. 3What records to add (and why)
  4. 4How to add them in your DNS provider
  5. 5Verify your domain
  6. 6Set it as your default sending domain
  7. 7Troubleshooting
1

Before you start

There are two things you need before you can do anything in OceanDrive:

A domain you own

You need to own a domain — like yourbusiness.com. If you don't have one, you can buy one from GoDaddy, Namecheap, Squarespace, or Cloudflare Registrar for about $10–15 per year.

Access to your DNS settings

DNS settings are where you tell the internet how your domain behaves. You log into your domain registrar (GoDaddy, Namecheap, etc.) and find a section called "DNS," "DNS Records," or "Manage DNS." Keep that tab open — you'll need it in Step 4.

Use a subdomain — not your main domain

Do not use yourbusiness.com directly. Use a subdomain like mail.yourbusiness.com instead. Here's why: if something ever goes wrong with your email sending, it only affects the subdomain — your main website stays unaffected.

✗ Don't useyourbusiness.com
✓ Use thismail.yourbusiness.com
✓ Or thissend.yourbusiness.com
✓ Or thisemail.yourbusiness.com
Ready to go when: You have a domain, you know your registrar (GoDaddy, Namecheap, etc.), and you can log into your DNS settings. That's all you need.
2

Add your domain in OceanDrive

This takes about 30 seconds. You're just telling OceanDrive which subdomain you want to use. The actual DNS setup happens in Step 4.

  1. 1
    Go to Settings → Domains
    In the left sidebar of OceanDrive, click Settings. Then click Domains in the left menu.
  2. 2
    Type your subdomain
    In the "Add a domain" box, type your subdomain. For example: mail.yourbusiness.com — then press Enter or click Add domain.
  3. 3
    Your DNS records appear
    OceanDrive instantly generates the DNS records you need to add. Click "DNS records ↓" on the domain card to see them. Keep this tab open — you'll copy from it in Step 4.
OceanDrive will warn you if you try to add www.yourdomain.com or your root domain. That's intentional — use a subdomain like mail.yourdomain.com as explained in Step 1.
3

What records to add (and why)

When you expand your domain in OceanDrive, you'll see 7 DNS records. Here's a plain English explanation of what each one does — so you know what you're adding and why.

TXTSPFRequired

Tells inbox providers like Gmail: "This server is allowed to send email for my domain." Without this, your emails will likely go to spam or get rejected entirely.

TXTDKIM 1, 2, 3Required

Three records that act like a digital signature on every email you send. They prove the email wasn't tampered with after it left your account. You need all three — they work together. Missing even one will hurt your deliverability.

CNAMEReturn PathOptional

Handles bounce management — when an email can't be delivered, the bounce notice goes here. Without it, bounces are handled on a shared address. With it, your bounce data is tied to your domain and improves your sender reputation over time.

CNAMEClick TrackingOptional

Makes click tracking links in your emails use your own domain instead of a shared tracking domain. This looks more trustworthy to both your readers and spam filters.

TXTDMARCRequired

A policy that tells inbox providers what to do if an email from your domain fails the SPF or DKIM checks. The default setting (p=none) means "just report it, don't block it" — which is the safest starting point.

Short version: SPF + 3 DKIM records + DMARC are required for your domain to be verified. Return Path and Click Tracking are optional but recommended. Add all 7 when you can — it takes the same amount of time.
4

How to add them in your DNS provider

This is the main step. You'll be copying records from OceanDrive and pasting them into your DNS provider. The process is the same regardless of your provider — the interface just looks a little different.

The most important rule — read this first

Most DNS providers automatically add your domain name to the end of whatever you type in the Name field. This means you should paste only the prefix — not the full name.

What OceanDrive shows you (full name)
bounces.mail.yourbusiness.com
What you paste into GoDaddy / Namecheap
bounces.mail(they add .yourbusiness.com automatically)

OceanDrive shows you which part to paste when you select your DNS provider in the domain card — it strips the suffix automatically so you can copy the right value.

General steps (works for any provider)
  1. 1
    Open OceanDrive Settings → Domains
    Find your domain card and click "DNS records ↓" to expand it.
  2. 2
    Select your DNS provider
    At the top of the DNS records panel, click your provider — GoDaddy, Cloudflare, Namecheap, Squarespace, or Other. OceanDrive will show you the correct Name value for that provider.
  3. 3
    Open your DNS provider in another tab
    Log in to GoDaddy, Namecheap, Cloudflare, etc. Find the DNS Records section for your domain.
  4. 4
    Add each record one by one
    For each of the 7 records: click Add New Record in your provider, set the Type (TXT or CNAME), paste the Name, paste the Value, and save. Repeat for all 7.
  5. 5
    Use the Copy buttons
    Each record in OceanDrive has a Copy button next to the Name and Value. Use them — don't type these manually. One wrong character will cause the record to fail.
Provider-specific tips
GoDaddy
Go to My Products → DNS → Add New Record. GoDaddy adds your domain automatically to the Name field — paste only the prefix. If a record already exists with the same name, edit it instead of adding a duplicate. GoDaddy sometimes shows a delete error in Safari — try Chrome if that happens.
Cloudflare
Go to your domain → DNS → Records → Add record. Paste the prefix only — Cloudflare adds your domain automatically. For CNAME records, make sure the orange proxy cloud is turned off (grey cloud = DNS only). Proxied CNAMEs will break email tracking.
Namecheap
Go to Domain List → Manage → Advanced DNS → Add New Record. Paste the prefix only. For the Host field, use @ for records that should go on your root subdomain.
Squarespace
Go to Domains → your domain → DNS Settings → Add Record. Paste the prefix only. Squarespace adds your domain automatically. Omit any trailing dot from CNAME values.
SPF: you can only have ONE per subdomain. If you already have a TXT record that starts with v=spf1 on the same name, edit that record and add include:amazonses.com to it — don't create a second one. Having two SPF records will break your email delivery.
5

Verify your domain

After you've added all the records in your DNS provider, come back to OceanDrive and run the verification check.

  1. 1
    Wait a few minutes
    DNS records don't take effect instantly. Most propagate within 5–30 minutes. Some providers take up to 48 hours — though this is rare. Give it at least 10 minutes before your first check.
  2. 2
    Click Verify DNS on your domain card
    In OceanDrive Settings → Domains, find your domain and click the "Verify DNS" button. OceanDrive will check each record live.
  3. 3
    Check per-record results
    Expand the DNS records panel. Each record will show ✓ Verified or ✗ Not found. This tells you exactly which records passed and which still need fixing — no guessing.
  4. 4
    Still failing? Check the common mistakes below
    If a record shows ✗ Not found, scroll to Step 7 for the most common reasons and fixes.
What the status badges mean
verifiedAll required records passed. Your domain is ready to send.
pendingNot all records verified yet. DNS may still be propagating, or a record needs fixing.
failedA previous check found errors. Click Verify DNS again after fixing the records.
You can click Verify DNS as many times as you want. It runs a fresh live check every time — nothing is cached. If you just made a change in your DNS provider, wait 5 minutes and hit it again.
6

Set it as your default sending domain

Once your domain is verified, set it as your default so all outgoing emails use it.

  1. 1
    Your domain must be verified first
    The Set default button only works after verification passes. If you see it greyed out, run Verify DNS first.
  2. 2
    Click Set default on the domain card
    In Settings → Domains, click the Set default button on your verified domain. It will be marked with a purple Default badge.
  3. 3
    All future emails use this domain
    From this point on, all emails sent from OceanDrive for this brand go out from your custom domain. Your "From" address will show as something like news@mail.yourbusiness.com.
You're live. Your emails now go out from your own verified domain. This is the best thing you can do for long-term inbox placement and brand trust.
7

Troubleshooting

Most domain setup issues come down to the same handful of mistakes. Check these first.

DKIM records show ✗ Not found

This is almost always a Name field error. Most DNS providers auto-add your domain — so if you pasted the full name (e.g. okdcj2aqpj._domainkey.mail.yourbusiness.com), it became okdcj2aqpj._domainkey.mail.yourbusiness.com.yourbusiness.com. Go back and edit the record — paste only the prefix: okdcj2aqpj._domainkey.mail. Use the OceanDrive Copy button and select your provider first.

SPF shows ✗ Not found

Check that you only have ONE TXT record starting with v=spf1 on your subdomain. If you added a second one, delete the old one. Also confirm the Name field shows only the subdomain prefix — not the full domain.

DMARC shows ✗ Not found

The DMARC record Name should be _dmarc.mail (if your subdomain is mail.yourbusiness.com). Some providers need it as just _dmarc — check what OceanDrive shows for your provider when you select it from the provider picker.

All records show ✗ right after adding them

DNS propagation takes time. Wait 10–30 minutes and click Verify DNS again. If it still fails after an hour, double-check the record values in your DNS provider.

GoDaddy shows a delete error when removing old records

Try Chrome instead of Safari. GoDaddy's DNS editor has a known bug in Safari. If deletion still fails, click the edit (pencil) icon and change the value to something harmless — or call GoDaddy support at 1-480-505-8877 and ask them to delete it for you.

Cloudflare CNAME records verify in OceanDrive but email tracking is broken

Your CNAME records are being proxied (orange cloud). Go to Cloudflare → DNS → find your bounces and track CNAME records → click the orange cloud to turn it grey (DNS only). Proxied records break email bounce and click tracking.

"Invalid name provided for record data" error in GoDaddy

You pasted the full domain name in the Name field. GoDaddy adds your domain automatically. Edit the record and paste only the prefix — everything before .yourdomain.com.

My domain was verified but now shows pending again

This can happen if your DNS records were changed or deleted at your provider. Go to your DNS provider, confirm all 7 records are still there with the correct values, then click Verify DNS again.

Still stuck? Contact support from the Help & Docs link in your sidebar. Include a screenshot of your DNS records and the per-record verify results — that's all we need to diagnose it fast.
Quick reference — all 7 records at a glance
TXT
mail.yourbusiness.comv=spf1 include:amazonses.com ~all
Required
TXT
token1._domainkey.mail.yourbusiness.comtoken1.dkim.amazonses.com
Required
TXT
token2._domainkey.mail.yourbusiness.comtoken2.dkim.amazonses.com
Required
TXT
token3._domainkey.mail.yourbusiness.comtoken3.dkim.amazonses.com
Required
CNAME
bounces.mail.yourbusiness.compm.mtasv.net
Optional
CNAME
track.mail.yourbusiness.compm.mtasv.net
Optional
TXT
_dmarc.mail.yourbusiness.comv=DMARC1; p=none
Required

* Token values are unique to your domain — copy them from OceanDrive Settings → Domains → DNS records ↓

What to do next
  • Set up an email sequence in Email HQ to start sending to your list
  • Connect your social channels from Settings → Integrations
  • Publish your first funnel and share the link
Getting Started Stripe & Checkout All guides
All docsStripe & Checkout