Email Infrastructure

BIMI

Display your brand logo directly in the inbox at Gmail, Apple Mail, and Yahoo — before the recipient even opens your email.

⚡ Monitored by EmailExacto Intelligence

What is BIMI?

BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification) lets organisations display their brand logo in the email client inbox — appearing next to the sender name before the message is opened. Supported by Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Apple Mail, and Fastmail. BIMI requires strong authentication (DMARC at quarantine or reject) as a prerequisite, making it both a brand visibility feature and an authentication maturity signal.

How It Works

BIMI uses a DNS TXT record at default._bimi.yourdomain.com pointing to an SVG logo and optional VMC certificate:

default._bimi.yourdomain.com TXT "v=BIMI1; l=https://yourdomain.com/logo.svg; a=https://yourdomain.com/vmc.pem"

The l= tag points to your SVG logo (must be hosted at HTTPS, SVG Tiny PS profile). The a= tag points to your VMC certificate from DigiCert or Entrust verifying trademark ownership. Without a VMC, Yahoo shows the logo, but Gmail requires a VMC for the verified checkmark.

Why It Matters

BIMI improves brand recognition and click-through rates in a crowded inbox. The VMC certificate signals to ISPs that your sending identity has been verified. The DMARC prerequisite means pursuing BIMI forces full authentication compliance — a deliverability improvement in its own right.

How EmailExacto Helps

BIMI Readiness in EmailExacto

EmailExacto tracks your DMARC policy progression and authentication score — the two prerequisites for BIMI eligibility.

  • DMARC policy monitoring — alerts when you're ready to progress toward BIMI
  • Authentication score tracks the SPF/DKIM/DMARC combination BIMI requires
  • Daily report flags DMARC policy level so you know exactly where you stand
  • Alerts when DMARC policy changes — critical for maintaining BIMI compliance
See EmailExacto Intelligence →

What to Get Right

Achieve DMARC p=quarantine or p=reject before pursuing BIMI.

Prepare your SVG logo to the BIMI SVG profile specification (SVG Tiny PS).

Obtain a VMC certificate from DigiCert or Entrust for Gmail's verified checkmark.

Test BIMI with Google's BIMI inspector before publishing.

Maintain DMARC compliance continuously — losing alignment causes BIMI to stop displaying.

Use the default selector unless you need per-brand customisation.

Related Topics

Free Weekly Training

Get a Free Email Deliverability Lesson Every Week

Expert-written training delivered to your inbox every Tuesday. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

Join thousands of senders building better email habits.