{"id":3803,"date":"2025-08-07T08:36:14","date_gmt":"2025-08-07T08:36:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/certera.com\/blog\/?p=3803"},"modified":"2025-09-26T09:29:54","modified_gmt":"2025-09-26T09:29:54","slug":"what-is-bimi-benefits-works-and-supported-mailbox-providers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/certera.com\/blog\/what-is-bimi-benefits-works-and-supported-mailbox-providers\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is BIMI? Benefits, Works and Supported Mailbox Providers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What is BIMI?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

BIMI, which stands for Brand Indicators for Message Identification, is an email specification that gives brands the ability to display their logo next to their emails when they appear in the recipients’ inboxes. It is a visual authentication of email, as well as making brands more recognizable and raising awareness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"BIMI<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

You could think of BIMI as the email equivalent of a verified profile picture. BIMI begins with either SPF or DKIM, and if you have DMARC, there are even more protections, indicating that only the legitimate senders can display this representation of your brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Benefits of Brand Indicators for Message Identification<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

BIMI provides several advantages for organizations implementing it:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Enhanced Brand Recognition<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Greater brand identity roles are fulfilled, and BIMI enables images to be displayed in recipients’ inboxes, ensuring your brand remains consistent and easily identifiable. There is a high level of trust among email users in messages received from recognizable logos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Improved Email Security<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Higher levels of authentication than only DMARC<\/a> are delivered via the logo; you can count on reduced phishing attacks and email spoofing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Increased Email Engagement<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Users and organizations who use identifiable logos in their emails provide tremendous amounts of visual stimuli- their messages become more recognizable and enticing to open.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Improved Deliverability<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While it won’t affect deliverability positively as a measured factor, BIMI can improve it indirectly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Implementing strong email authentication standards<\/a> (the requirement for BIMI) demonstrates to mailbox providers that you are a legitimate sender, which, in turn, builds your email sender reputation<\/a> and mitigates the chance of delivering spam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Better Trust and Confidence<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A verified logo can make a well-defined and identified brand even more trustworthy. If emails are authenticated and properly identified, recipients will generally have stronger trust levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stronger Competition<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

BIMI can deliver the huge threat of making your emails more attractive and more legitimate than the unverified, unbranded emails of a competitor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How BIMI Works?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"How<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

With BIMI, trust incorporates a blend of DNS records, email authentication, and a verified logo file. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The general description goes as follows:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Email Authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

BIMI stands upon a very stout email authentication. The sender domain needs to have a valid SPF, DKIM, and DMARC<\/a> in place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A DMARC policy execution of p=quarantine or p=reject is a must to ensure that emails that fail sender authentication are either not delivered or quarantined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also Read:<\/strong> What is DMARC Fail? How to Know and Fix DMARC Failure?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Verified Mark Certificate (VMC)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

VMC is a digital certificate that proves your legal title to the logo you chose to display. The certificate authority (CA) issues the Verified Mark Certificate<\/a> after performing its due diligence in verifying your brand identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s not an absolute necessity all the time; however, some mailbox providers, Gmail being one among them, require VMC to make BIMI operational.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also Read:<\/strong> How to Trademark Your Brand Logo to Qualify for VMC?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Logo Creation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Your logo shall be in SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) format. And your logo must be square and in compliance with the rules established by the BIMI Group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Setting the DNS Records<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Now you must generate a TXT record<\/a> under your domain’s DNS setup. This record will contain the BIMI record indicating the location of your SVG logo file on the internet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The BIMI record is made up of a version number of the BIMI specification (which is optional), the path to your SVG logo file, and your VMC file (also optional).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The BIMI record type as seen in the example below:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

default._bimi.yourdomain.com. IN  TXT \"v=BIMI1; l=https:\/\/yourdomain.com\/logo.svg; a=https:\/\/yourdomain.com\/vmc.pem;\"<\/em><\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
v=BIMI1:<\/strong> Specifies the BIMI version.
l=https:\/\/yourdomain.com\/logo.svg<\/strong>: Specifies the URL of your SVG logo file.
a=https:\/\/yourdomain.com\/vmc.pem<\/strong> (Optional): Specifies the URL of your VMC file.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mailbox Provider Implementation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Mailbox providers to whom BIMI may apply will seek to verify your BIMI record within the DNS of your domain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also Read:<\/strong> How to Implement Brand Indicators for Message Identification to Display Brand Logo on Email?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Provided that the record is discovered, and the email is going through the authentication validation (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), the recipient email box provider will append your logo next to your email message in the recipient’s inbox.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>Supported Mailbox Providers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
BIMI is increasing in adoption; however, not all mailbox providers currently support it. Some of the key providers who are currently BIMI supportive are:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n