Q&A: Adding and Editing Authentication

Q: Why does the “From:” email address when I send my emails say “Jane Doe [Jane@example.ccsend.com] on behalf of Jane Doe [Jane@example.com]?” And how do I change it?

A: The “ccsend.com” here is a dead giveaway that we’ve got Constant Contact Authentication at work! Whether you’ve been an email marketer for a long time or are just starting out, email authentication is something that you’ll want to be familiar with. Especially since Constant Contact makes it easy to put it in place and it has such important benefits!

What Is It?

To put it simply, some ISPs (Internet Services Providers) use an authentication process on incoming emails as a way to cut down on spam for their customers. After all, when spammers send out emails, they often try to hide their identity in the process. Authenticating allows ISPs to check that an email is coming from exactly who it says it’s coming from.

As a way to get the best deliverability result, Constant Contact offers Constant Contact Authentication. When it is turned on for your account, any ISP that tries to authenticate your outgoing customer emails (which are being delivered through Constant Contact) will find all of your ducks in a row.

Why It’s a Good Thing

There are several reasons why using some form of authentication is a good thing. In fact, when you do so, you’re actually helping more than your own email marketing efforts. By using authentication you are:

• Following industry best practices.
• Helping ISPs and corporate domains make headway in reliably determining spam from legitimate emails.
• Building up your own reputation as a good email marketer with the ISPs who are tracking authenticated emails, which can lead to a better deliverability rate for you in the future.
• Allowing your recipients to have more confidence when opening up their incoming emails.
  

Easy to Use and Edit

While it's possible, with the right resources, to authenticate emails on your own, Constant Contact Authentication is easy to turn on or to change in your account:

1. Go to the My Settings tab.
2. Look for the Authentication field under the Other section.
   
   
   
   
3. Click OFF.
   Note: Now, if Authentication has already been turned on for you, and you just want to edit it, the link will say ON instead. Click it just the same.
4. Turn on Authentication by selecting “Enable Authentication with Constant Contact (recommended).”
5. The Sender Header address is already filled in for you, based on your verified email address and organization name. However, you can certainly edit that to reflect something else if you need to.
   
   
   
   
6. Click Save.
   

That’s all it takes to put forth your best foot and give ISPs a bit more reason to send your emails straight to the inbox.

For more information on authentication and how it can help your deliverability, check out these FAQs:

FAQ 2664: What is self-publishing for authentication?
FAQ 1613: What do I need to know about DomainKeys Authentication?
FAQ 3659: Help Overview: Authentication
FAQ 1048: Benefits of email authentication

Contributed by: Jaime McCall, Knowledge Base Writer, Constant Contact