How to Get a Blue Verified Checkmark on Gmail & Email
Have you ever received an email where the sender has a verified checkmark next to their name or brand?
It can look similar to the blue verification badge you see on Instagram — but email verification works differently.
If you have a business, brand, website, or professional email address, you can potentially get your brand recognized as an authenticated sender in supported email services.
The technology behind this is called BIMI.
What Is BIMI?
BIMI stands for Brand Indicators for Message Identification.
It is an email standard that allows a verified brand logo to appear alongside authenticated emails.
Instead of seeing only:
MAACAT
maacat@example.com
a supported inbox may display the brand's authenticated logo, giving recipients an additional visual signal that the email is genuinely associated with the domain.
Some email providers can also display a verification indicator/checkmark when the sender meets their authentication and verification requirements.
But there is an important distinction:
BIMI is not simply a button you turn on.
Your domain needs to meet several technical requirements.
Step 1 — Own Your Domain
First, you generally need control over a domain.
For example:
maacat.cc
or
yourbrand.com
A free Gmail address such as:
yourbrand@gmail.com
doesn't give you control over the domain itself, so it isn't the same setup as authenticating a business domain.
A professional address would look like:
hello@yourbrand.com
Step 2 — Set Up SPF
SPF stands for Sender Policy Framework.
SPF tells receiving email providers which servers are authorized to send emails on behalf of your domain.
For example, if your domain uses Google Workspace to send email, your DNS configuration needs to authorize Google's mail servers.
Without proper SPF configuration, your domain may have difficulty establishing a strong authenticated sending identity.
Step 3 — Set Up DKIM
DKIM stands for DomainKeys Identified Mail.
DKIM adds a cryptographic signature to outgoing emails.
When the recipient receives your email, their mail provider can check the signature and determine whether the message was sent by an authorized system and whether important parts of the message were altered.
Think of it as a digital signature for your email domain.
Step 4 — Set Up DMARC
This is one of the most important steps.
DMARC stands for Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting & Conformance.
DMARC tells email providers what to do when a message claims to come from your domain but fails authentication checks.
It also helps protect your domain from someone trying to impersonate your brand.
For BIMI, your domain generally needs a properly configured DMARC policy rather than simply having SPF and DKIM present.
Step 5 — Create Your BIMI Record
Once your email authentication is correctly configured, you can create a BIMI DNS record.
This record tells participating email providers where your brand's logo can be found.
The logo needs to meet the technical requirements of the BIMI standard.
So you can't simply upload any random PNG and expect it to appear next to your emails.
Step 6 — Get a Verified Mark Certificate
This is where the process becomes more similar to obtaining an official verification badge.
A Verified Mark Certificate (VMC) can be used to establish that your organization has the rights to use the brand logo associated with the BIMI record.
Depending on the email provider and implementation, a certificate may be required for the logo/checkmark experience.
This usually involves proving ownership or rights to the trademark represented by the logo.
That's why a company can't simply put:
✓ Nike
or another company's logo into its BIMI record.
The verification process is designed to prevent exactly that type of impersonation.
Step 7 — Your Email Provider Displays It
After the technical configuration and verification requirements are satisfied, the receiving email provider decides whether and how to display the authenticated brand identity.
This is important:
You cannot force Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, or another email provider to display a badge.
Each provider has its own requirements and supported features.
So getting BIMI configured does not mean that every person receiving your email will automatically see exactly the same checkmark.
What Does the Gmail Verification Look Like?
In supported Gmail experiences, verified senders can receive a visual indicator associated with the authenticated brand identity.
The important idea is:
Your email address → authenticated domain → verified brand identity → visual trust signal
It is not the same verification system as Instagram's blue badge.
Instagram verifies an account on a social platform.
Email verification works through domain authentication and standards such as BIMI, together with the requirements of the receiving mailbox provider.
Can Anyone Get It?
Not necessarily.
Having a Gmail account isn't enough.
For a serious brand verification setup, you generally need:
A domain you control
A professional email address
SPF configured correctly
DKIM configured correctly
DMARC configured correctly
A BIMI-compatible logo
Compliance with the relevant BIMI requirements
Potentially a Verified Mark Certificate
A legitimate brand identity and rights to the logo
An email provider that supports the relevant verification features
How Much Does It Cost?
The DNS technologies themselves don't necessarily require a separate subscription.
However, costs can appear elsewhere.
For example, you may need to pay for:
Domain name
Your domain needs to be registered.
Business email service
For example, a professional email provider may charge per mailbox.
Trademark
If your verification process requires a trademark, registering one can involve government fees and/or professional costs.
Verified Mark Certificate
A VMC can involve a separate certificate fee depending on the certificate provider and your circumstances.
Therefore, the total cost isn't simply:
"Pay €X and get a blue check."
It is more like building a properly authenticated digital identity for your domain.
What If I Only Have @gmail.com?
If you're sending from:
yourname@gmail.com
you don't control the gmail.com domain.
You therefore can't create your own BIMI identity for gmail.com.
If you want your brand to have its own authenticated identity, a much better setup is something like:
hello@maacat.cc
or
contact@yourbrand.com
You control the domain, and you can configure the authentication records for it.
Why Is This Useful?
Email impersonation is a major problem.
Imagine receiving:
support@maacat.cc
and another message pretending to be:
support@maacat.cc
A properly authenticated domain helps email providers distinguish legitimate messages from unauthorized ones.
A visible brand logo or verification indicator can also make it easier for recipients to recognize legitimate communications.
This can be particularly useful for:
Companies
Online stores
Financial businesses
Newsletters
Creators
SaaS companies
Media brands
Large websites
The Simple Version
If you want the closest equivalent to an Instagram-style verification identity for your business email, think of it like this:
1. Buy your domain
↓
2. Create professional email
↓
3. Configure SPF
↓
4. Configure DKIM
↓
5. Configure DMARC
↓
6. Implement BIMI
↓
7. Obtain a VMC if required
↓
8. Meet the receiving provider's requirements
↓
9. Your authenticated brand identity can appear in supported inboxes
One Important Warning
Don't confuse this with random "email verification badge" services.
A website claiming:
"Pay €20 and we'll give your Gmail a blue verified badge!"
is not necessarily providing official Gmail verification.
Email authentication happens at the domain and email-provider level.
The safest approach is to configure the recognized standards correctly rather than trying to imitate the appearance of a verification badge.
MAACAT Perspective
Social media verification tells people:
"This account belongs to this person or brand."
Email authentication tries to establish something similar at the domain level:
"This message is genuinely associated with this authenticated domain and brand."
In other words, the modern professional email identity isn't just about having a nice-looking address.
It's about owning the domain, authenticating it, and proving the identity behind it.
