How to authenticate a domain with Amazon Route 53

Source: https://getsitecontrol.com/help/authenticate-amazon-domain

In this guide, you’ll learn how to add DNS records in Amazon Route 53 to verify your domain in Getsitecontrol. Once verified, you’ll be able to send email campaigns and automated emails from your own domain instead of the default shared address.

Open your DNS settings

For starters, log in to your Amazon Route 53 account. Open the Hosted zones section and find your domain. On the Records tab, click Create record.

The Records tab with the Create record button in Amazon Route 53

Add three CNAME records for DKIM setup

Copy the first entry under Name from the DKIM section in your Getsitecontrol DNS settings and paste it into the Record name field in Amazon Route 53. Select CNAME from the Record type menu and leave the Alias toggle disabled.

CNAME record setup for DKIM: Record name, Record type, and Alias toggle

Next, copy the corresponding entry under Value from Getsitecontrol and paste it into the Value field in Amazon. Enter 86400 in the TTL field and set the Routing policy to Simple routing. Click Add another record and repeat the process for the second and third CNAME records. Once you’re done, click Create records at the bottom of the page.

CNAME record setup for DKIM: Value, TTL, and Routing policy

Add a TXT record for SPF setup

With Amazon Route 53, you can add all the records from the same screen by clicking Add another record. For clarity, we've added the TXT records for SPF and DMARC separately below; however, you can continue to add them from the same screen if you prefer.

Click Create record and select TXT from the Record type menu. Leave the Record name field empty and the Alias toggle disabled.

TXT record setup for SPF: Record name, Record type, and Alias toggle

Next, copy the entry under Value from the SPF section in Getsitecontrol and paste it into the Value field in Amazon Route 53. Enter 86400 in the TTL field and set the Routing policy to Simple routing. Lastly, click Create records.

TXT record setup for SPF: Value, TTL, and Routing policy with the Create records button

Add a TXT record for DMARC setup

Click Create record and enter _dmarc in the Record name field. Select TXT from the Record type menu and leave the Alias toggle disabled.

TXT record setup for DMARC: Record name, Record type, and Alias toggle

Next, copy the entry under Value from the DMARC section in your Getsitecontrol DNS settings, and paste it into the Value field. Enter 86400 in the TTL field, set the Routing policy to Simple routing, and click Create records.

TXT record setup for DMARC: Value, TTL, and Routing policy

Verify the records

Allow a few minutes for the changes to take effect. Then, go back to the DNS records window in Getsitecontrol and click Verify records. The verification process can take up to 48 hours. Read the main guide on custom domain settings to learn how to send emails from your verified domain.