Configuring DNS correctly helps protect your sending reputation and makes sure your emails are trusted by inbox providers. In this guide, you’ll learn how to add the main DNS records you need in Hostinger, including MX, SPF, DMARC, DKIM, and the CNAME/TXT records used for a custom tracking domain in lemlist.
Learning objective
By the end of this tutorial, you’ll know how to open your Hostinger DNS area, add the right DNS records for your email provider, and configure the extra records needed for a custom tracking domain in lemlist.
Why this matters
DNS records tell mailbox providers whether your domain is authorized to send email. When these records are missing or incorrect, your emails are more likely to land in spam, fail authentication checks, or get blocked entirely.
Prerequisites
You should already know which domain you want to use for sending.
You should already know where your mailbox is hosted, such as Hostinger, Google Workspace, Outlook, or Zoho.
You should already have access to your Hostinger account and your lemlist workspace.
You should already have your provider-specific DKIM value, since DKIM is generated by your mailbox provider.
Core lesson — step-by-step workflow
Phase 1: Open the DNS management area in Hostinger
Go to your domains list.
In Hostinger, open Domains from the left sidebar, then find the domain you want to configure. This is where Hostinger keeps all domain-level settings, including DNS.
Open the domain settings.
Click Manage next to the domain you want to edit. This takes you to the domain overview page for that specific domain.
Open DNS / Nameservers.
On the domain page, go to DNS / Nameservers and click Edit. This opens the section where you can add new DNS records and review existing ones.
Phase 2: Add MX records for your mailbox provider
MX records tell the internet which mail servers handle email for your domain. The correct values depend on where your mailbox is hosted, so only add the set that matches your provider.
Select the MX record type.
In the Nameservers form, open the Type dropdown and choose MX. Once selected, Hostinger shows the fields needed for mail routing, including Name, Mail server, Priority, and TTL.
Enter the MX values for your provider.
In most cases, Name stays as @, which means the root domain. Leave TTL at the default value unless your provider tells you otherwise.
If your mailbox is hosted with Hostinger, add these two MX records:
Name: @ Mail server: mx1.hostinger.com Priority: 5
Name: @ Mail server: mx2.hostinger.com Priority: 10
If your mailbox is hosted with Google Workspace, add these five MX records:
Name: @ Mail server: aspmx.l.google.com Priority: 1
Name: @ Mail server: alt1.aspmx.l.google.com Priority: 5
Name: @ Mail server: alt2.aspmx.l.google.com Priority: 5
Name: @ Mail server: alt3.aspmx.l.google.com Priority: 10
Name: @ Mail server: alt4.aspmx.l.google.com Priority: 10
If your mailbox is hosted with Outlook, add one MX record using the value provided by Microsoft. It usually follows this format:
Name: @ Mail server: yourdomain-com.mail.protection.outlook.com Priority: 0
Click Add Record after each entry. If you’re not sure which set to use, check with your mailbox provider before saving anything.
Phase 3: Add your SPF and DMARC TXT records
TXT records are used for email authentication. SPF tells providers which servers can send mail for your domain, while DMARC defines what should happen if authentication fails.
Select TXT as the record type.
Open the Type dropdown and switch from MX to TXT. This updates the form so you can add text-based authentication records.
Add your SPF record.
Keep Name as @, then paste the SPF value that matches your mailbox provider. SPF is important because it tells receiving servers which providers are allowed to send email on your behalf.
Common SPF values:
Hostinger:
v=spf1 include:_spf.mail.hostinger.com ~allGoogle Workspace:
v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~allOutlook:
v=spf1 include:spf.protection.outlook.com ~allZoho:
v=spf1 include:zoho.com ~all
If you use more than one sending provider, do not create multiple SPF records. You must merge them into a single SPF entry.
For example:
v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com include:spf.protection.outlook.com ~allv=spf1 include:_spf.google.com include:zoho.com ~all
Add your DMARC record.
Create another TXT record and paste your DMARC value. A safe default is:v=DMARC1; p=quarantine;This policy tells providers to quarantine messages that fail authentication checks. In most setups, quarantine is a safer starting point than reject, because it is less strict while still offering protection.
Phase 4: Add the CNAME and TXT records for a custom tracking domain in lemlist
If you want to use a branded tracking domain in lemlist, you’ll need to add both a CNAME record and an extra TXT record. You’ll get these values from your lemlist email settings.
Open the custom tracking domain settings in lemlist.
In lemlist, click your profile icon, then open Settings.
From there, go to Sending settings, expand the Email section if needed, and click Settings next to the email address you want to configure.
In the email settings window, open Custom tracking domain and copy the DNS values shown there. You’ll use the listed record type, host name, and value in Hostinger.
Create the CNAME record in Hostinger.
In Hostinger, change the Type from TXT to CNAME. Then enter the hostname from lemlist in the Name field and the destination in the Target field.
Save the CNAME values.
For example, if lemlist gives you a hostname like hour and a target like custom.lemlist.com, your record would look like this:
Type: CNAME
Name: hour
Target: custom.lemlist.com
TTL: default
Add the tracking TXT record from lemlist.
If lemlist provides an additional TXT record for your tracking domain, return to Hostinger, create a new TXT record, keep the provided name, paste the TXT value exactly as shown, and save it.Validate the setup in lemlist.
Once the required DNS records are added in Hostinger, go back to lemlist and click Validate or Check setup. This confirms your custom tracking domain is correctly configured.
Phase 5: Add your DKIM record
DKIM is different from SPF and DMARC because it is not universal. Your mailbox provider generates this value specifically for your domain, so you’ll need to copy it from their admin panel.
Get the DKIM value from your email provider.
If you use Google, Outlook, Zoho, or another mail host, generate or copy the DKIM record from that provider’s admin area. This value is unique to your setup.Add it in Hostinger as a TXT record.
Create a new TXT record in Hostinger, use the Name and Value exactly as provided by your mailbox host, then click Add Record.
Practical application
A common sending setup in lemlist looks like this:
MX records for your mailbox host
SPF to authorize your sending provider
DMARC to protect the domain from misuse
DKIM to cryptographically sign outgoing mail
CNAME + TXT for a branded tracking domain
If you use Google Workspace and lemlist together, for example, your final DNS setup would usually include Google MX records, a Google SPF record, a DMARC TXT record, your Google-generated DKIM, and the lemlist tracking CNAME/TXT pair.
Best practice: After adding new DNS records, wait for DNS propagation before testing. Some records appear quickly, but full propagation can take up to 72 hours, depending on TTL and provider caching.
Troubleshooting & pitfalls
Issue: Emails still land in spam after setup
Root cause: One or more authentication records are missing, duplicated, or incorrectly entered.
Fix:
Check that SPF, DMARC, and DKIM all exist
Make sure you only have one SPF record
Verify that record values match your mailbox provider exactly
Issue: lemlist says the tracking domain is not validated
Root cause: The CNAME or TXT record is missing, misnamed, or has not propagated yet.
Fix:
Recheck the Name and Target fields in Hostinger
Confirm the TXT value matches what lemlist generated
Wait and re-run validation after propagation
Issue: Hostinger won’t accept the SPF setup you want
Root cause: You’re trying to add more than one SPF record.
Fix:
Remove duplicate SPF TXT records
Merge all includes into a single SPF string
Save only one SPF TXT record for the domain
Issue: Mail stops routing correctly after MX changes
Root cause: Old and new MX records may be mixed together, or priorities may be incorrect.
Fix:
Keep only the MX records required by your mailbox provider
Double-check priorities
Remove outdated MX entries that point elsewhere
Issue: DKIM isn’t working
Root cause: The DKIM selector or value was copied incorrectly, or the record name was not entered exactly as provided.
Fix:
Copy the DKIM name and value again from your provider
Paste them exactly, without editing formatting
Recheck after DNS propagation completes