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Proofpoint, Inc.

Verifying Relay Domains

Situation How do I verify my domain? You receive the error Verification Fail when trying to enable a domain.
Solution

See below for information on: 

  • Verifying by adding a DNS (TXT) record to the domain's configuration
  • Verifying by adding a custom META tag to the homepage of your domain

Verifying by adding a DNS (TXT) record to the domain's configuration

  1. Navigate to Administration > Account Management > Domains.
  2. Click Verify Domain  on the right side of the desired domain.
  3. The top of the new window will say TXT Record. A value, (for example, ppe-7c123438b96cd00aa17e) is shown.
  4. Copy the value to the clipboard.
  5. Click Verify Later.
  6. Open a new tab or browser window.
  7. Login to your DNS provider's website.
  8. Go to your provider's domain management screen: this may be called DNS Settings, Control Panel, Advanced Settings, etc.
  9. Add a new entry to your DNS as follows: 
    Type TXT
    Host @
    Value/Answer/Definition [Paste the value from the clipboard]
    TTL 3600 seconds / 1 hour
  10. Save the change.
  11. Return to Proofpoint Essentials.
  12. Click Verify Domain again and then click Verify Now.
  13. Confirm that the domain says Verified under the Domain Status column
  14. Enable the domain clicking Enable Relay.

Verifying by adding a custom META tag to the homepage of your domain

  1. Navigate to Administration > Account Management > Domains.
  2. Click Verify Domain on the right side of the desired domain.
  3. At the top of the new window, select META TAG. A value (for example, <meta name="ppe-verify" content="ppe-f01321e1e822fcd1e7a8">) wll be shown.
  4. Copy the value to the clipboard.
  5. Click Verify Later.
  6. Open a new tab or browser window
  7. Open your website homepage HTML file using any text or HTML editor or, if your web host uses a web-based page editor (WordPress, Squarespace, etc.), open your homepage in their editor.
  8. Paste the content from your clipboard into the <head> section that appears before the first <body> section. (If you are unsure how to do this, contact your web host's technical support team.)
  9. Open your website homepage in a browser and view the source to confirm the addition.
  10. Return to Proofpoint Essentials.
  11. Click Verify Domain again and then click Verify Now.
  12. Confirm that the domain says Verified under the Domain Status column
  13. Enable the domain clicking Enable Relay.