Things to Know About BIMI and Email Authentication

BIMI is built on a foundation of proven email authentication standards that secure your domain, protect your customers, and make your logo trustworthy.

SPF (Sender Policy Framework)

Before anything else, you need to define who’s allowed to send emails from your domain. SPF tells inboxes which mail servers are authorized to send on your behalf — and blocks unauthorized ones from slipping through.
Learn more about SPF »

•  Average cost of a data breach is close to $5 million
  IBM's Cost of a Data Breach Report 2024

DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail)

Next, your emails need a digital signature — and that’s where DKIM comes in. It adds a cryptographic signature to each message, confirming that the content hasn’t been altered in transit and that the sender is legitimate.
Learn more about DKIM »

•  Businesses earn an average of $36 in revenue for every dollar spent on email marketing
  Litmus, The 2024 State Of Email Trends Report

DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance)

DMARC ties SPF and DKIM together into a single policy. It tells inboxes what to do with messages that fail authentication, and gives you reporting visibility into who’s sending emails from your domain — both the good and the bad.
Learn more about DMARC »

•  Since 2024, Gmail and Yahoo have required DMARC from bulk senders, and Outlook.com has followed since May 2025.

VMC (Verified Mark Certificate)

Once your domain is authenticated and protected, VMC lets you display your verified logo in inboxes together with the famous blue checkmark. To qualify for a VMC, your logo must be a registered trademark and DMARC must be enforced (p=quarantine or p=reject).
Learn more about VMC »