What you need for BIMI
- Email authentication: SPF and DKIM set up, and a DMARC policy of quarantine or reject.
- A logo file in the SVG Tiny Portable/Secure format.
- A mark certificate: Gmail and Apple Mail only show logos with a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC), which requires a registered trademark, or, in Gmail, a Common Mark Certificate (CMC).
- A BIMI record: a TXT record in your DNS that points to the logo and the certificate.
Why use BIMI
- Your logo makes emails easier to recognize in a crowded inbox.
- It builds trust, and makes it harder for scammers to impersonate you.
- The authentication it requires improves deliverability in general.
BIMI works together with DMARC, so set up DMARC first.
BIMI example
A bank sends statements by email, and scammers copy its look in fake messages. The bank sets up SPF, DKIM and DMARC, gets a verified mark certificate for its registered trademark and publishes a BIMI record. In supporting inboxes, genuine emails from the bank now show its logo, while spoofed ones that fail authentication do not.
BIMI setup steps
- Set up SPF and DKIM for your sending domain.
- Publish a DMARC policy of quarantine or reject, and keep it there.
- Prepare your logo as an SVG Tiny PS file.
- Get a mark certificate if the mailbox providers you target require one.
- Publish the BIMI TXT record in DNS and test it with a checker.
BIMI mistakes
- Enforcing DMARC without checking all legitimate senders first, so real emails get rejected.
- Using a logo file in the wrong format.
- Expecting the logo to show in every mailbox. Support varies by provider.
BIMI FAQs
Does BIMI improve deliverability?
Not directly. The authentication it needs helps your emails reach the inbox, and the logo can make them easier to recognise. See DMARC and email marketing.
Do small businesses need a certificate?
Some providers show logos only with one, and certificates have costs, so check which providers your customers use first.