What are the options and considerations for pointing an SFMC email subdomain to multiple NS servers?
Summary
What email marketers say10Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Email Geeks suggests brands should keep their subdomains in their scope rather than delegate the responsibility. He highlights potential security risks with vendor delegation.
Email marketer from NeilPatel.com shares that when setting up subdomains for email, it's crucial to ensure your DNS records (NS, A, MX, SPF, DKIM, DMARC) are correctly configured. NS records ensure the subdomain is properly delegated to the email sending service.
Email marketer from Litmus.com shares that ensuring SPF, DKIM and DMARC are correctly setup is a key aspect of domain delegation. After updating nameservers, validating your authentication helps ensure reliable deliverability.
Email marketer from SparkPost.com shares that pointing your email subdomain to multiple NS servers is part of an IP warming strategy. Having the correct DNS setup helps establish your sender reputation.
Email marketer from Gmass.co states that delegating to a subdomain helps protect the main domain's reputation. Should the subdomain suffer deliverability issues, the core website and email infrastructure remain unaffected.
Email marketer from Mailgun.com explains that delegating a subdomain to an email service provider's NS records allows the provider to manage the DNS settings required for optimal deliverability, including SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. This simplifies the configuration process for the sender.
Email marketer from Reddit shares that some hosting providers might have limitations on the number of NS records allowed for a subdomain. In such cases, alternatives like self-hosting the DNS or using a dedicated domain might be necessary.
Email marketer from StackExchange highlights that delegating a subdomain to a third-party email service requires trusting them with your DNS zone. Evaluate the security practices of the ESP before delegating.
Email marketer from EmailToolTester.com advises that after setting up NS records and delegating your subdomain, verify the DNS configuration using online tools to ensure the records have propagated correctly and are resolving as expected.
Email marketer from Sendinblue.com mentions if your hosting provider will not allow you to point a subdomain to multiple nameservers then you should look into other options. One option is to move the domain to another provider that allows this functionality.
What the experts say5Expert opinions
Expert from Email Geeks explains that self-hosting can be difficult due to the number of DNS entries required and potential errors by IT when setting it up.
Expert from Email Geeks explains that delegation allows providers to evolve subdomain settings as new features emerge, like DKIM keys, DMARC settings, and BIMI.
Expert from Spam Resource responds that a solid DNS infrastructure is foundational for email deliverability. It explains that correctly setting up NS records for your email subdomains is crucial for sender authentication and reputation.
Expert from Word to the Wise explains the importance of carefully considering whether to self-host your DNS or delegate it to your ESP, and to ensure that your chosen method is set up correctly, as improper set up will negatively affect delivery.
Expert from Email Geeks suggests self-hosting or dedicating a whole domain for SFMC use if the hosting provider can't point the subdomain to four different NS servers. He explains that dedicating a domain is suboptimal because it can't be used for anything else or have a website on it.
What the documentation says5Technical articles
Documentation from DigitalOcean.com explains the process of creating NS records in a DNS control panel. It emphasizes the need for accuracy when copying values from your ESP.
Documentation from Cloudflare.com explains that DNS record changes, including NS records, can take up to 48 hours to propagate across the internet. It suggests using tools like `dig` or `nslookup` to check the propagation status.
Documentation from Salesforce Help explains that Salesforce Marketing Cloud requires delegation of a subdomain to Salesforce NS records for email sending. This involves creating NS records at the domain registrar that point to Salesforce's name servers.
Documentation from Oracle Help Center explains that when delegating a subdomain, it's necessary to update the NS records at the parent domain's registrar to point to the name servers provided by the email sending service. This ensures that DNS queries for the subdomain are correctly routed.
Documentation from RFC 1035 (the standard for DNS) explains that NS records are used to delegate a domain or subdomain to a set of name servers. Multiple NS records should be provided for redundancy.