Creating a BIMI record is a simple yet powerful way to strengthen your brand’s presence and email security. BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification) allows your company’s official logo to appear right beside your emails in the recipient’s inbox, helping people instantly recognize and trust your messages. With inboxes filled with countless promotional emails every day, standing out has become more important than ever, and BIMI helps you do exactly that.
Before you can display your logo, you must meet the essential BIMI requirements, which include setting up authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. These ensure your emails are verified and safe, reducing the risk of phishing or spoofing attacks. Once everything is properly configured, your brand not only gains visibility but also communicates credibility and authenticity with every email sent.
In this guide, we’ll take you through a clear, step-by-step process to create your BIMI record successfully.
What is a BIMI Record?
A BIMI record is a DNS TXT record that specifies the location of a brand’s verified logo and its corresponding Verified Mark Certificate (VMC). It enables mailbox providers to display the brand’s logo beside authenticated emails that pass SPF, DKIM, and DMARC checks.
In simple terms, it allows your business to show a verified logo in recipients’ inboxes, helping them easily recognize your messages. BIMI makes logo display simpler and more consistent by allowing domain owners to use one standard image instead of managing multiple versions. This creates a cleaner, more trustworthy experience for email users.
How BIMI Builds on DMARC to Boost Email Trust?
BIMI builds on the existing email authentication protocol, DMARC, to visually prove message legitimacy. While DMARC ensures that only authorized servers can send emails on behalf of your domain, BIMI takes it one step further by displaying a verified brand logo in the inbox. This combination not only strengthens protection against phishing and spoofing but also enhances recipient confidence.
When users see a familiar, validated logo tied to a DMARC-compliant domain, they are more likely to trust and engage with the message, improving both brand reputation and email deliverability.
How to Generate a BIMI Record
Before your logo can appear beside your emails, you need to generate a BIMI record. This involves creating and publishing a DNS TXT record that tells mailbox providers where to find your verified logo and certificate.
Follow the steps below carefully to meet all BIMI requirements and create your BIMI record correctly.
Note: Before you generate a BIMI record, ensure your DMARC policy is set to enforcement mode (p=quarantine or p=reject).
Step 1: Prepare your Brand Logo
To implement BIMI, the logo must be in the BIMI-compatible SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) format that meets specific BIMI requirements. If required, use our BIMI SVG Logo Converter to convert your company logo into a BIMI-compatible format.
A BIMI-compatible SVG file should:
- Use the valid SVG Tiny 1.2 format.
- Exclude any embedded raster images.
- Contain only one layer.
- Avoid scripts or external resources.
- Follow the file size limits defined by the email provider.
Mailbox providers strictly validate BIMI logos, so keeping the file light, clean, and standards-compliant helps you meet the BIMI requirements for logo formatting and hosting.
Step 2: Obtain a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC)
A Verified Mark Certificate (VMC) confirms that your organization owns the logo you plan to display. You can get it from a trusted certificate authority (CA) such as DigiCert or Entrust.
The CA will verify your brand’s trademark registration and domain ownership before issuing the certificate. While a VMC is optional for testing, it is required by most mailbox providers, including Gmail and Apple Mail, to fully generate a BIMI record that displays your logo in inboxes.
Step 3: Generate your BIMI record
Once your SVG logo and VMC are ready, it’s time to generate your BIMI record. You can easily do this using the EasyDMARC BIMI Record Generator, which automatically creates a properly formatted BIMI TXT record for your domain.
Simply enter your logo URL and VMC URL, and the tool will generate the record syntax for you. Here’s an example of what it looks like:
default._bimi.yourdomain.com TXT “v=BIMI1; l=https://yourdomain.com/logo.svg; a=https://yourdomain.com/vmc.pem”
Here’s what each tag represents:
- v=BIMI1: Defines the BIMI version being used.
- l=URL: Points to the HTTPS location of your verified brand logo.
- a=URL: Points to your Verified Mark Certificate file, confirming logo authenticity.
Using a generator tool ensures accuracy and prevents syntax errors that could cause your BIMI setup to fail. Once generated, review the record details before moving on to DNS publishing.
Step 4: Verify Your BIMI Record
Verification is an important step in understanding how to set up BIMI correctly. Once your BIMI record becomes active, you need to confirm that it meets all BIMI requirements and functions as expected. This ensures that mailbox providers can read and validate your record without errors.
Start by using a free verification tool, such as the EasyDMARC BIMI Lookup Tool. These tools perform a detailed scan of your BIMI record and display any configuration issues that could prevent your logo from showing up in inboxes.
The verification process checks several key factors:
- Whether the TXT record syntax follows the correct BIMI format.
- If your DMARC policy is properly enforced at the “quarantine” or “reject” level.
- Accessibility of your SVG logo and VMC file over a secure HTTPS connection.
If any part of the setup fails these checks, correct the specific errors and re-run the verification until all issues are resolved.
Step 5: Publish the Record in DNS
Log in to your domain’s DNS management panel (for example, Cloudflare, GoDaddy, or your hosting provider). Add a new TXT record with the BIMI record details from Step 3. Save the changes and allow time for DNS propagation (usually a few hours).
Step 6: Test your BIMI display
Send test emails from your domain to inboxes that support BIMI, such as Gmail, Yahoo, and Apple Mail. If everything is set up correctly, your verified brand logo will appear beside your messages.
Troubleshooting Common Issues With BIMI Setups
Even with everything configured correctly, BIMI sometimes refuses to show up as expected. Here are a few common roadblocks you might face:
Missing HTTPS Certificate
Your BIMI logo must be hosted on a secure (HTTPS) server. If the logo URL doesn’t start with HTTPS, mailbox providers will reject it.
Non-Square or Non-Compliant SVG File
BIMI only supports square SVG Tiny 1.2 files. If your logo looks distorted or doesn’t display, recheck its dimensions and format. You can use an online BIMI lookup tool for validation.
DNS Cache Delay
After updating your BIMI or DMARC records, changes might take up to 24–48 hours to propagate across DNS servers. You can monitor propagation with EasyDMARC’s DNS checker or simply wait before re-testing.
DMARC Policy Not Enforced
BIMI only works if your DMARC policy is set to “quarantine” or “reject.” If your policy is “none,” update it through the EasyDMARC Managed DMARC dashboard.
Simplify your BIMI journey with EasyDMARC’s Managed BIMI Solution; just upload your SVG logo, and we’ll handle the rest. From secure logo hosting to DNS publishing and ongoing monitoring, manage your entire BIMI setup effortlessly in one place.
Final Thoughts
BIMI gives your brand more than just visibility; it builds credibility, authenticity, and stronger inbox trust. By meeting all the BIMI requirements and maintaining proper email authentication, your brand can stand out in crowded inboxes while keeping phishing risks low and deliverability high.
If you are ready to get started with EasyDMARC, our team can also help you implement and fine-tune your DMARC setup, which is one of the most important prerequisites for BIMI. With EasyDMARC, you can make sure both your authentication and brand visibility are fully optimized.
Frequently Asked Questions About BIMI Record and Implementation
Yes. Most mailbox providers, like Gmail and Yahoo, require a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC) to confirm that your logo legally represents your brand. Without a VMC, your BIMI logo may not appear even if the rest of the setup is correct.
This usually happens due to DNS propagation delays, missing HTTPS hosting, or an unenforced DMARC policy. Use EasyDMARC’s BIMI Inspector to check for setup errors.
No. BIMI only works when your DMARC policy is set to quarantine or reject. A “none” policy will fail to meet BIMI’s authentication requirement.
It can take up to 48 hours for changes to reflect due to DNS caching and mailbox provider updates. Be patient and verify your record after propagation.
Your logo must be a square SVG Tiny 1.2 file. Any other format or non-square dimensions can cause display issues.
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