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How to Set Up Multiple Email Domains in 5 Minutes

Akvilė Marčiukaitytė

May 30, 2025

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5 min read

Want to protect your email domain and scale your outreach? Setting up multiple email domains is the solution. It improves deliverability, safeguards your primary domain's reputation, and helps you manage campaigns effectively. Here's how you can do it in just 5 minutes:

Buy Domains: Choose brand-aligned domains with trusted extensions like .com or .net. Avoid spam-prone extensions such as .xyz.
Set Up DNS Records: Automate SPF, DKIM, and DMARC setup to ensure email authentication and security.
Connect to Email Software: Securely configure SMTP settings and follow sending rules based on domain age.
Manage Domains: Rotate domains, warm them up, and monitor performance metrics like open rates and bounce rates.

Using tools like Mailforge simplifies the entire process, automating DNS configuration and domain management for just $3/month per mailbox. Get started now to keep your email campaigns running smoothly and securely.

Step 1: Choose and Buy Your Domains

Selecting the right domains is crucial for maintaining email deliverability and showcasing your brand. Here's how to approach it:

Match Domains to Your Brand

Your domain should align with your brand identity. Consider using variations like:

Your brand name with action words (e.g., getbrand.com, trybrand.com)
Keywords that are relevant to your industry
Location-specific terms if targeting regional markets

"When you utilize descriptive domains for a targeted audience, you can bolster your business and amplify your digital footprint. The more domain names that you use, the more opportunities you have to tell your brand's story." - Julia Weikel, Entrepreneur Contributor

Pick the Right Domain Extensions

Not all domain extensions work equally well for cold email campaigns. Here's a quick guide to the most effective ones:

Extension	Effectiveness	Best Used For
.com	Highest	Primary campaigns, established businesses
.net	Very Good	Network-focused companies
.io	Good	Tech startups, SaaS companies

"The .com TLD is the best domain extension for cold emailing due to its strong reputation and deliverability." - Zapmail

Avoid extensions like .xyz, .free, or .yx, as they are often flagged as spam and can harm your email deliverability. Once you've chosen suitable extensions, move quickly to secure your domains.

Buy Multiple Domains Efficiently

To streamline the process of purchasing domains:

Use bulk domain search tools that can check hundreds of domains simultaneously.
Register common misspellings of your primary domain to prevent competitors or errors from affecting your outreach.
Look for registrars that offer discounts for bulk purchases.

When purchasing, prioritize domains that:

Have no history of spam activity
Support updated authentication protocols
Align with your brand identity
Use a consistent root domain across all communication channels

Taking these steps ensures your domains are ready to support successful campaigns.

Step 2: Set Up DNS Records

Setting up DNS records is a crucial step to ensure email authentication and improve deliverability. Mailforge simplifies this process with automated tools that configure records for multiple domains in just minutes.

Use DNS Automation Tools

Manually configuring DNS records can lead to mistakes, which might disrupt email delivery or weaken security. Mailforge eliminates these risks by automating the creation and implementation of essential authentication records:

Record Type	Purpose	Automated Setup
SPF	Authorizes sending servers	Automatically includes all necessary IPs
DKIM	Adds digital signatures	Generates and deploys keys
DMARC	Enforces authentication policies	Creates progressive policy setup

"Email authentication can help to protect the reputation of an organization's brand by preventing cybercriminals from using fake email addresses or domains to send spam or phishing messages that damage the organization's reputation." - Mimecast

Confirm Domain Ownership

To verify your domain, log into your registrar's DNS settings and add the TXT record provided by Mailforge. Keep in mind that DNS changes may take 24–48 hours to fully propagate.

Fix Common DNS Mistakes

Proper DNS configuration requires careful attention to detail. Here’s a timeline and checklist to ensure smooth authentication setup:

Authentication Setup Timeline:

Start with a DMARC policy set to "p=none" for monitoring (2–4 weeks).
Move to a "quarantine" policy to isolate suspicious activity (additional 2–4 weeks).
Finally, implement a "reject" policy for maximum security.

Critical Checks:

Ensure there’s only one SPF record per domain.
Stay within the 10 DNS lookup limit for SPF records.
Confirm DKIM key alignment with your sending domains.
Regularly monitor authentication reports to track any issues.

Mailforge’s automated DNS management takes care of these potential pitfalls. Built-in validation and monitoring systems ensure your records are correctly configured, saving you from technical headaches while maintaining secure authentication settings.

With your DNS records properly configured, the next step is to connect your domains to your email software.

Step 3: Connect to Email Software

Once your DNS settings are in place, the next step is to link your domains with your email platform. Mailforge simplifies this process by automatically configuring secure SMTP settings for each domain:

Setting	Recommended Configuration	Purpose
SMTP Port	587 or 465	Ensures secure email transmission with TLS
Authentication	Enabled	Prevents unauthorized email sending
TLS/SSL	Enabled	Encrypts email data for added security
From Address	Verified domain email	Confirms the email address is authorized

To keep your emails secure and improve deliverability across major providers, Mailforge enforces TLS encryption on all outgoing connections, protecting your messages from interception.

Configure Sending Rules

Protecting your domain’s reputation starts with setting appropriate sending limits. Here’s how to scale your email volume based on the domain’s age:

Domain Age	Daily Email Limit	Ramp-up Period
New (0-30 days)	50-100	4 weeks
Warmed (31-60 days)	100-500	2 weeks
Established (60+ days)	500-2,000	Ongoing

"An IP reputation is hard to build, easy to lose, and hard to regain. Therefore, ensuring you are sending the best emails before they are sent will limit the damage caused, and monitoring, post-send, will allow fine-tuning - and it will allow you to know when further action needs to be taken to protect or improve your IP status." - Rob Pellow, digital experience director at Armadillo

Track Domain Health

Mailforge offers tools to help you monitor and maintain the health of your domains, ensuring consistent deliverability:

Real-time Monitoring and Alerts
- Keep an eye on bounce rates, spam complaints, and engagement metrics.
- Get instant notifications for issues like authentication failures, blacklist appearances, reputation changes, or delivery problems.
Performance Dashboard
- Access a consolidated view of metrics across all your domains.
- Track delivery rates, engagement trends, authentication status, and reputation scores.

With 16% of delivered emails landing in spam folders, it’s crucial to regularly review your domain’s performance. Adjust your sending patterns as needed to keep your emails reaching the inbox.

Step 4: Manage Multiple Domains

Managing multiple domains effectively involves rotating them, warming them up, and keeping a close eye on their performance to ensure your campaigns run smoothly.

Rotate Your Domains

Rotating your domains helps spread out email volume and reduces the risk of triggering spam filters. Depending on the size of your campaign, you can rotate domains daily, weekly, or bi-weekly. Tools like Mailforge simplify this process by automating domain rotation, so you don’t have to manage it manually.

Once rotation is in place, the next step is to establish a strong reputation for any new domains through a proper warm-up process.

Warm Up New Domains

Building a reliable sender reputation for new domains takes time - typically about three months. Here’s a structured approach to warming them up:

Initial Phase (Days 1–30): Start small by sending emails to a limited number of highly engaged contacts. This helps establish credibility.
Growth Phase (Days 31–60): Gradually expand your recipient list while keeping a close eye on key metrics. Use the table below as a guide:

Metric Target Warning

Open Rate 40–70% Below 15%

Reply Rate 3–5% Below 1%

Bounce Rate Below 3% Above 5%

Spam Complaints Below 0.01% Above 0.05%
Scaling Phase (Days 61–90): Gradually increase the volume of emails sent while maintaining high levels of engagement.

Metric	Target	Warning
Open Rate	40–70%	Below 15%
Reply Rate	3–5%	Below 1%
Bounce Rate	Below 3%	Above 5%
Spam Complaints	Below 0.01%	Above 0.05%

A successful warm-up process lays the groundwork for better email deliverability, but the work doesn’t stop there.

Check Email Performance

Consistently monitoring your email performance is crucial. With an estimated 85% of daily email traffic potentially flagged as spam, keeping track of delivery rates, inbox placement, and engagement metrics is a must. If delivery rates dip below 95%, take immediate action to address the issue. Tools like Mailforge offer real-time alerts, helping you maintain the impressive 44:1 ROI that email marketing can achieve.

"An IP reputation is hard to build, easy to lose, and hard to regain. Therefore, ensuring you are sending the best emails before they are sent will limit the damage caused, and monitoring, post-send, will allow fine-tuning - and it will allow you to know when further action needs to be taken to protect or improve your IP status." - Rob Pellow, digital experience director at Armadillo

Conclusion: Quick Domain Setup with Mailforge

Mailforge

Getting multiple email domains ready has never been so fast. Thanks to Mailforge's automated DNS configuration, essential records like DKIM, SPF, and DMARC are set up in just minutes. What once took hours is now a streamlined 5-minute process.

For those scaling cold email operations, Mailforge delivers both time efficiency and premium email deliverability. With mailbox costs at just $3 per month and a one-time domain fee of $14, it's an affordable solution trusted by over 10,000 businesses - from small startups to Fortune 500 companies. Features such as SSL & Domain Masking and bulk DNS updates make it a go-to platform for secure and scalable email campaigns.

"The simplicity and the automation in the buying process of domains, DNS setting, inbox creation, forwarding, etc. Everything in one place... my results had been great since using Mailforge!" - Isabella L., Founder, Let's Fearlessly Grow

FAQs

What are the main advantages of using multiple email domains for cold email campaigns?

Using several email domains can bring significant advantages to your cold email campaigns:

Keeps your main domain safe: Sending emails from additional domains minimizes the chances of your primary domain getting blacklisted due to spam complaints or deliverability issues.
Boosts deliverability: With multiple domains, you can send higher volumes of emails without harming your sender reputation, helping your messages land in inboxes.
Simplifies organization: Dividing email communications across different domains makes it easier to manage replies and stay on top of responses.
Allows for testing: Trying out new outreach strategies becomes less risky and more effective when your primary domain isn’t the sole focus.

Using multiple domains protects your email reputation, improves campaign results, and makes scaling your outreach efforts much smoother.

How does Mailforge simplify DNS setup to improve email deliverability?

Mailforge makes DNS setup a breeze with its automated, one-click configuration for domains and mailboxes. You don’t need to be a tech expert - Mailforge ensures DNS records are set up according to industry standards, optimizing your email deliverability right from the start.

By automating key settings like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, Mailforge reduces the chances of your emails landing in spam folders. On top of that, features like SSL integration and domain masking enhance the credibility of your email domains. This not only helps you maintain a solid sender reputation but also increases the effectiveness of your cold email campaigns.

How can I keep my new email domains in good standing over time?

To keep your email domains in good standing and maintain a solid reputation, here are some essential steps to follow:

Configure email authentication protocols: Set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to verify your email's authenticity. These protocols not only confirm your identity but also help boost deliverability rates.
Keep an eye on engagement: Regularly monitor how recipients interact with your emails. Remove inactive addresses and steer clear of spam traps to keep your email list healthy and responsive.
Warm up your domain slowly: Gradually increase your email volume over time. This measured approach helps build a positive sender reputation and avoids triggering spam filters.

By staying consistent and managing these aspects carefully, you can ensure your email domains remain trustworthy and effective over time.