Adding DNS records at Cloudflare, GoDaddy, Namecheap and Porkbun

Draft — written from product facts + domain knowledge; UI labels to be verified before publishing.

If you bring your own domain to OutreachFox, you add DNS records yourself: SPF, DKIM and DMARC for authentication, MX for inbound mail, and a CNAME for a custom tracking domain. This article shows where the DNS editor lives at four common registrars and how to fill in each field. Domains bought through Icemail skip all of this.

Before you start

Have these values ready:

• SPF — TXT at @, e.g. v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all
• DKIM — TXT at google._domainkey (Google) or two CNAMEs selector1._domainkey / selector2._domainkey (Microsoft), copied from the provider's admin console
• DMARC — TXT at _dmarc, e.g. v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc@yourdomain.com
• Tracking CNAME — host and target shown in OutreachFox under Domain → (domain) → Settings → custom tracking domain

Field naming differs by registrar: "Name" = "Host" = "Record name"; "Value" = "Content" = "Points to" = "Answer".

Steps

Cloudflare

1. Log in, select the domain, open DNS → Records.
2. Click Add record, choose the Type.
3. Enter Name (@, _dmarc, google._domainkey, or link) and Content.
4. For the tracking CNAME, set Proxy status to DNS only (grey cloud). Proxied records break verification.
5. Click Save.

GoDaddy

1. Log in → My Products → next to the domain click DNS (or Manage DNS).
2. Click Add New Record.
3. Choose Type, enter Name and Value, leave TTL at default.
4. Click Save. GoDaddy already has a default @ TXT and MX set; delete any existing SPF before adding yours.

Namecheap

1. Log in → Domain List → Manage next to the domain → Advanced DNS tab.
2. Under Host Records click Add New Record.
3. Choose Type, enter Host and Value, TTL Automatic.
4. Click the green tick to save.
5. For MX, use the Mail Settings dropdown → Custom MX and add the provider's MX hosts with priorities.

Porkbun

1. Log in → Domain Management → click the domain → DNS Records (the DNS link under the domain).
2. Choose Type, enter Host (leave blank for root) and Answer.
3. Click Add.
4. Delete Porkbun's default parked-page ALIAS/CNAME records for @ and * if you plan to forward the domain.

What you see afterwards

Within minutes to an hour the records resolve. Verify with a DNS lookup tool, then return to OutreachFox and click Verify for the tracking domain.

Tips

• Enter only the subdomain part in the host field (_dmarc, not _dmarc.yourdomain.com). Most registrars append the domain automatically.
• Set TTL to 3600 or Automatic. Low TTLs are unnecessary.
• One SPF record only. If your registrar pre-created one, edit it rather than adding a second.
• If you move nameservers to Icemail so it can manage DNS, all records at the registrar stop being used. Do not manage records in two places.

Troubleshooting

• Record saved but lookup shows nothing. Propagation can take up to 48 hours; usually under an hour. Also check the domain's nameservers actually point at the registrar whose DNS you edited.
• Cloudflare tracking domain will not verify. Turn off the proxy (orange cloud → grey cloud).
• Namecheap DKIM value rejected as too long. Paste the value as a single line with no quotes; Namecheap splits it automatically.
• GoDaddy shows "record already exists". Edit the existing record instead of adding a duplicate.

Related articles

• SPF, DKIM and DMARC: what they are and how to check yours
• Set up a custom tracking domain
• Domain forwarding and MX records for cold-email domains
• How Icemail automates SPF, DKIM and DMARC — and replaces mailboxes for free
• Connect a Google Workspace mailbox
• Connect a Microsoft 365 / Outlook mailbox