Want your emails to stand out? BIMI verification lets you display your brand logo alongside your messages, boosting trust and visibility. Plus, it helps you earn Gmail’s blue verified checkmark! In this guide, we’ll show you how to achieve BIMI verification and elevate your email game. Let’s dive in!
Key Points
BIMI secures your emails and boosts brand visibility by showing verified logos in recipients’ inboxes.
BIMI setup requires DMARC compliance, a properly formatted SVG logo, and a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC) or Common Mark Certificate (CMC) for some email clients.
Use BIMI lookup tools to check if your BIMI records are set up correctly. This helps improve email engagement and makes your brand more recognizable.
Maintaining a strong brand reputation is essential to prevent domain spoofing and ensure customers trust your emails. This increases open rates and helps your messages stand out in crowded inboxes.
The Essential Guide to BIMI Verification for Emailers
An illustration depicting the concept of Brand Indicators for Message Identification verification for email marketers.
As emailers, we’re always looking for ways to make our messages stand out and build trust with our audience. BIMI is the solution that does both – it enhances brand visibility and secures email. By implementing BIMI, brands can show their verified logos directly in recipients’ inboxes and make their emails instantly recognizable.
This guide covers everything you need to know about BIMI – from how it works to the steps to get it done. We’ll dive into the technical bits, common issues, and real-world examples of BIMI in action to show the impact on email marketing.
Whether you’re new to BIMI or looking to tweak your existing strategy, this guide will give you the knowledge and tools to get BIMI working for you.
What is BIMI?
BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification) is a relatively new standard that’s become a must-have for emailers. Launched in February 2019 by the AuthIndicators Working Group, BIMI aims to increase email visibility and brand recognition by showing brand logos in email clients.
BIMI verification not only increases brand trust but also secures email by preventing domain impersonation and phishing attacks. Having an official logo displayed in email clients enhances brand recognition and trust among recipients while also requiring validation through a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC) or a Common Mark Certificate (CMC) to ensure only authorized entities can use the logo.
Common Mark Certificates (CMC)
As of late 2024, Google introduced Common Mark Certificates (CMCs), allowing brands without registered trademarks to utilize BIMI. This change makes it more accessible for smaller companies that previously faced barriers due to the cost and requirements of VMCs.
What is BIMI Verification?
A diagram explaining what Brand Indicators for Message Identification verification is and how it works.
BIMI is a standard that lets brands show their logo next to email messages in the recipient’s inbox. Launched in February 2019, BIMI’s main goal is to give trusted senders control over their brand representation in messaging services. This is done by adding an extra layer of email security by verifying the sender’s identity and protecting the brand’s reputation from domain impersonation.
Maintaining a strong brand reputation is crucial for preventing domain spoofing and ensuring that customers recognize and trust communication from legitimate sources, which ultimately enhances engagement and open rates in crowded inboxes.
BIMI works alongside email authentication protocols like DMARC, DKIM, and SPF to keep things private and secure. Without BIMI, brands have no control over how their logo is displayed in the email inbox.
You need to create a BIMI record and publish a DNS TXT record with your logo. This ensures third-party verification and correct display in various email clients.
How Does BIMI Work?
An infographic demonstrating how BIMI works in email marketing.
BIMI relies on a correctly configured DNS record to link the brand logo to email messages. This involves publishing a BIMI record with a secure URL to the logo in the DNS. The mailbox provider checks the sending domain’s DMARC policy and BIMI record, and if all is good, they use the logo from the BIMI record.
DNS Records
DNS records are used to allow email senders to prove their brand information. BIMI works by using a DNS text record on email servers to verify the brand information for email senders.
The TXT record used for BIMI not only verifies the brand but also links to the brand logo so it can be displayed in email inboxes.
SVG File Format
BIMI requires brands to use SVG format for logos which is optimized for display across all email clients. SVG files used for BIMI must follow specific guidelines to be displayed properly in email clients.
One cool thing about SVG files used for BIMI is they can display logos at different resolutions so it looks good across devices.
Verified Mark Certificates (VMC)
A VMC is a certificate that proves trademark ownership of a logo. VMCs are required by some mailbox providers like Gmail to verify a logo is associated with a brand. To get a VMC you need to prove the logo is a registered trademark.
An SVG file (logo) must be submitted to get a VMC or CMC. Both the logo and VMC or CMC must be served over HTTPS to be BIMI compliant.
How to Implement BIMI
Implementing BIMI involves several steps, starting with getting DMARC compliant. A compliant SVG logo must be created and hosted, and the DNS settings must be updated with the BIMI TXT record.
BIMI lookup tools will guide you through the process and highlight any missing steps.
Setting Up DMARC Policies
Before you can do BIMI, your domain must have a DMARC policy set up with either a “reject” or “quarantine” setting. This is required as it will verify that your emails are authenticated using SPF (Sender Policy Framework) or DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail).
Here’s how you can set up the DAMARC record.
Obtain a VMC or CMC
A VMC verifies you own the trademark for your logo. Not required yet, but Gmail requires a VMC to display logos in their inbox. Get a VMC or CMC by following these steps:
Trademark Your Logo: Get your logo trademarked in your region
Logo in SVG: Have your logo in SVG format, preferably SVG Tiny 1.2 or SVG Portable
Buy a VMC or CMC: Purchase a VMC from an authorized provider like DigiCert or Entrust, costs may vary.
Validation: The validation process will require:Notarized ID documentsVideo call with the Certificate Authority (CA) validation teamProof of trademark and logo format
Deploy: Once issued, host the VMC’s or CMC’s PEM file on a public web server and update your BIMI record to point to this file’s URL
Update DNS with BIMI TXT Record
Now that you have DMARC compliance and either a VMC or CMC, you need to create a BIMI record in your DNS. This will point to your logo image file (preferably an SVG) and your VMC or CMC. Here’s the basic format:
default._bimi.your-domain.com TXT "v=BIMI1; l=https://your-domain.com/path/to/logo.svg; a=https://your-domain.com/path/to/vmc.pem;"
First, replace your-domain.com with your actual domain name. For example, if your domain is example.com, you would change it to default._bimi.example.com.
Next, update the URL for the logo by replacing https://your-domain.com/path/to/logo.svg with the actual URL where your SVG logo file is hosted. Ensure that the logo is accessible publicly and in the correct SVG format.
If you have a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC) or Common Mark Certificate, replace https://your-domain.com/path/to/vmc.pem with the URL where your VMC or CMC file is hosted. If you do not have one, you can omit this part of the record, but having one is recommended for better brand recognition.
After adding the BIMI record, it may take some time to display. Up to 48 hours.
Benefits of BIMI Verification for Email Marketers
A visual representation of the benefits of BIMI verification for email marketers.
Show a verified logo next to your emails and make them instantly recognisable. BIMI helps brands show a verified logo so recipients know the message is from a trusted source.
BIMI works alongside DMARC and SPF to improve overall email security and deliverability. Overall good for email marketers to build brand and trust with customers.
BrandRecognition
BIMI allows brands to visually stand out in recipients’ inboxes through recognized branding—especially beneficial for new subscribers who haven’t seen you before.
Email Security
BIMI helps prevent fraudulent messages while building trust with subscribers. By requiring DMARC policy compliance, it verifies email authenticity—reducing phishing attempts using your brand’s identity.
Email Engagement
Good implementation of BIMI can lead to better open rates; initial tests show up to a 10% increase due to recognizable branding through emails.
Mailbox Providers and Email Clients Supporting BIMI
Big mailbox providers that support BIMI include Apple Mail (as of iOS 16), Gmail, Yahoo!, Fastmail, AOL, Comcast, Cloudmark, and La Poste. Not all providers support it equally; Gmail now requires specific verification processes including either VMCs or CMCs.
Using BIMI Lookup Tools
An illustration of different BIMI lookup tools available for users.
To check if a company is using BIMI simply use one of many available lookup tools . These tools will verify your setup ensuring everything is configured correctly .
BIMI Lookup ToolsPopular Tools Include:
MXtoolbox
BIMI Inspector: Provides detailed reports on compliance.
DMARC Analyzer: Offers full suite tools for monitoring.
Mailhardener
PowerDMARC
Using these tools increases your chances of successfully setting up and maintaining your BIMI configuration.
Summary
BIMI verification remains an essential tool for email marketers offering benefits that range from enhanced brand recognition to improved security and engagement rates . As adoption grows , implementing these standards reinforces both effectiveness in campaigns as well as integrity within communications .Start your journey with BIMI today—experience its transformative impact on your marketing efforts! You can explore more guides on Email Deliverability & Authentication here.
This article has been updated for 2025 to reflect the latest developments in BIMI verification and its benefits for email marketing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is BIMI? BIMI for Message Identification, enables brands to showcase their logos in email clients, thereby increasing visibility and fostering trust with recipients. Why do I need a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC) or Common Mark Certificate (CMC)? A VMC/CMC confirms your brand’s identity , ensuring verified display of logos within inboxes—enhancing authenticity. How do I create a BIMI record? Publish DNS TXT records including secure URLs directing towards both branded logos & compliance measures such as DMARC policies . What are the benefits of implementing BIMI? Enhances recognition, builds trust, improves security & boosts engagement rates leading towards more effective communication strategies. What tools can I use to check my BIMI setup? Use tools like BIMI Inspector, DMARC Analyzer, Mailhardener, PowerTool, & MXtoolbox for effective setup & troubleshooting . You should now be able to copy this plain text version without any issues! If there are any further problems or if you’d like additional assistance, please let me know!