Why can't I use my Gmail / Bigpond / Hotmail address to send emails from in the software

So why can't I use my Bigpond/Gmail/Yahoo/Hotmail email address to send bulk emails?

Quite simply, because email platforms can't or will never allow you to update the backend DNS records required to authenticate your email domain.

Attempting to use these kinds of email addresses without email verification will often result in email clients marking the messages as spam or, worse, blacklisting the email address, which can be very difficult to undo.

What has happened to cause this?

As email continues to be exploited by spam providers, email providers must constantly increase levels of protection for their clients. This has made it much more difficult for email marketing providers to ensure their emails get delivered and are not marked as spam.

In order to prevent this, email authentication has become increasingly necessary as spammers and phishers continue to use email to distribute unwanted or harmful messages. Most email servers now use a number of protocols to verify email messages before they reach the intended recipient. Emails that are not properly authenticated are likely to face deliverability issues and end up undelivered or in the spam folder.

What is Email Authentication?

Authenticating your email proves to ISPs that you are who you say you are and are worthy of sending email. This is done by adding certain 'records' to your DNS host that cover different protocols.

There are four widely used authentication protocols in email domain authentication:

Sender Policy Framework (SPF): Performs a check similar to verifying a return address to authenticate a sender’s identity.
DomainKeys Identified Mail (DKIM): Authenticates a sender’s identity and ensures the message contents are unaltered by using a locked box or a wax seal.
Domain Message Authentication Reporting & Conformance (DMARC): The courier that ensures messages meet SPF and DKIM requirements before delivery.
Link Branding: Allows all click-tracked links and image tracking in your emails to be from your domain instead of the mail delivery system.

Spam filters and recipient servers look at the links within emails to determine whether the email looks trustworthy enough to deliver. They use the reputation of the root domain to decide whether the links can be trusted.

What do I need to do then?

Set up and use a hosted email service. This is a separate service that allows you to set up a custom email address and use it to send and receive emails.

The email domain name you use will match your website.

For example, if your site is mywebsite.com, your email address would be something like yourname@mywebsite.com.

Having an email address that matches your website not only makes your business look more professional, but it also keeps your email safe and secure.

Once you have a hosted email service, you can apply the email authentication techniques we have discussed to maximize your email marketing results.

There are many reliable email hosting services available, so contact your web hosting provider or do a simple search to find one that works for you.