A standard that displays your verified logo next to your emails in supported inboxes, once your domain authentication is fully enforced.
What Is BIMI?
BIMI lets your brand logo show up as the avatar next to your emails in Gmail, Yahoo, and a growing list of other inboxes. It is the only piece of email authentication customers can actually see.
It is also the reward for doing the rest of your authentication properly. Inboxes will not show your logo unless SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are already solid, BIMI sits on top of all three, not instead of them.
Why BIMI Matters
Email marketing is a trust game. A recognizable logo next to your subject line signals to a customer, at a glance, that this is genuinely your store and not a spoofed lookalike. That small visual cue can lift open rates, since it stands out in a crowded inbox next to plain text senders.
It also acts as a quiet confirmation that your domain’s authentication is properly locked down, since BIMI simply will not display without it.
How BIMI Works
1. Your DMARC policy needs to be enforced at quarantine or reject, not just monitoring
2. You get a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC) for your logo, issued by an authorized certificate authority
3. You publish a BIMI DNS record pointing to your logo and certificate
4. Supporting inboxes display your logo automatically once everything checks out
A Real BIMI Record
Host: default._bimi.yourstore.com
Type: TXT
Value: v=BIMI1; l=https://yourstore.com/logo.svg; a=https://yourstore.com/vmc.pem
l= points to your logo file, which needs to be a square SVG.
a= points to your Verified Mark Certificate, which proves you legally own the logo.
How to Set It Up in Adflipr
1. Confirm your DMARC policy in Adflipr is already set to quarantine or reject
2. Prepare a square SVG version of your logo and obtain a Verified Mark Certificate through an authorized provider
3. Adflipr’s domain settings show the exact BIMI record format once your DMARC status qualifies
4. Add the record to your DNS and click Verify in Adflipr
5. Send a test email to a supporting inbox to confirm your logo appears
Best Practices
– Get DMARC to quarantine or reject before starting BIMI, this is not optional
– Use a properly formatted square SVG logo, inboxes reject anything else
– Keep your VMC current, these certificates expire and need renewal
– Test across Gmail and Yahoo separately, support varies slightly between providers
Common Mistakes
– Trying to set up BIMI while DMARC is still at p=none
– Using a logo file in the wrong format or aspect ratio
– Letting the Verified Mark Certificate expire without renewing
– Assuming BIMI alone improves deliverability, it is a branding layer, not an authentication fix
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, and it needs to be enforced at quarantine or reject, not just monitoring at none. BIMI is built on top of a fully authenticated domain, it will not display without that foundation in place.
Pricing varies by provider and typically runs into the hundreds of dollars per year, since it requires your logo to be a legally registered trademark. Costs and requirements can shift, so check current pricing directly with a certificate authority.
Both support BIMI, though exact requirements can differ slightly between them. Once your DMARC policy is enforced and your certificate is in place, your logo should appear consistently across supporting inboxes.
Any store with a registered trademark and properly enforced DMARC can use BIMI, size is not a requirement. The real barrier is usually the certificate cost and getting DMARC to reject first, not company size.
