MX It!
MX It! is a simple tool that lets you select the best system for handling your email needs.
For more information and help deciding on the system for you, see Choosing the Best Email System for Your Needs.
MX It! allows you to send your mail to a third-party resource, such as Google Workspace (which is a paid service) Gmail, Outlook.com (another paid service), or Zoho Mail (free for up to 5 user accounts, paid for 6+), where you can create email accounts with separate logins and assign them to your employees.
If you're a webmaster who builds Solo Build It! (SBI!) sites for clients, some of them may need multiple individual email accounts.
You can offer them that functionality through MX It! and Google Workspace or Outlook.com, if they're willing to pay for each account, or Zoho Mail (or other third-party resources that accept MX changes, such as Pobox.com, another paid service).
Once you change your MX record in MX It!, all mail will then go directly to the system you set up, completely bypassing SBI! Mail. All outgoing mail is sent through that system as well, but from your domain name.
For example, if the owner of anguilla-beaches.com sets her MX record to Zoho Mail, she (and any employees) would then send and receive all mail through Zoho Mail, but it would come in and go out as @anguilla-beaches.com.
We recommend that you use the free Zoho Mail.
Important Notes
If another SBIer sends you mail from an SBI! Mail address (e.g., [email protected]), that mail will go to your SBI! Mail setup, not to your Zoho Mail setup.
The email never enters the Internet (it stays internal, on SBI! servers), so there's no way for the message to reach the third-party mail servers.
If, at some time in the future, you need to use Move It! to change to a different domain name, you'll need to make changes at your third-party mail service.
If you don't make those changes, mail will come to SBI! Mail rather than your third-party service.
Changing the Records
- Paste the first MX record into the Primary Mail Exchange text box.
- Paste the second MX record into the Secondary Mail Exchange text box.
- Add an SPF record (recommended) and DKIM key (also recommended).
- Click on Save Records.
Your mail provider (Zoho Mail, G Suite, etc.) will provide primary and secondary mail exchange records. Paste each one into the equivalent text box and click on Save Records to save the changes.
If you want, also add an SPF record (recommended) and a DKIM key (also recommended).
If you use Zoho Mail, copy the following SPF record and paste it into the text box...
v=spf1 mx include:zoho.com include:_spf-client-servers.sitesellmail.com ~all
The "sitesellmail.com" portion ensures that you will receive all mail that we send to you without it landing in your spam or junk folder.
For other mail services, log in and do a search for "SPF record." Copy whatever record they provide, which should be in the same format as the Zoho record.
If the record is inside quotation marks, do not copy the quotation marks.
If your mail provider also offers a DKIM record, enter a word or some characters into the Selector text box.
Copy the TXT Record Value and paste it into the Key box in MX It!. Click on Save Records.
If the key is inside quotation marks, do not copy the quotation marks.
For Zoho, follow the instructions in this TNT HQ article to set up your DKIM key.
Using Google Workspace Gmail?
If you're using Google Workspace for your email, the SPF record is...
v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com include:_spf-client-servers.sitesellmail.com ~all
Paste it into the SPF text box.
To set up a DKIM key, follow the Google Workspace instructions here...
Reverting to SBI! Mail
If you decide that you no longer want to use the third-party mail service, and want to start using SBI! Mail again, edit MX It!. Remove both records and leave the boxes empty. Also remove the SPF record and the DKIM key.
Click on Save MX Record to save your change.