What Is BIMI? Showing Your Logo in the Inbox
Also known as Brand Indicators for Message Identification, BIMI record
BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification) is an email standard that lets a sender's logo appear next to its messages in supporting inboxes such as Gmail, Yahoo and Apple Mail. It uses a DNS TXT record pointing to an SVG logo. It requires DMARC at enforcement, and most providers also require a Verified Mark Certificate or Common Mark Certificate.
BIMI explained
BIMI is a reward for strong authentication rather than a deliverability fix. To qualify, your domain needs SPF and DKIM passing and a DMARC policy of p=quarantine or p=reject, applied to all mail rather than a partial pct. You publish a TXT record at default._bimi.yourdomain.com with the logo URL (l=) and, for most providers, a certificate URL (a=). The logo must be a square SVG in the SVG Tiny Portable/Secure format.
Gmail requires a certificate. A Verified Mark Certificate (VMC) needs a registered trademark for the logo and earns a blue checkmark in Gmail. A Common Mark Certificate (CMC) does not need a trademark but requires proof the logo has been in use for some time. Requirements and supported clients change, so check the BIMI Group and each provider's current documentation.
For B2B, BIMI mostly helps brand recognition and trust in marketing, product and customer email sent from your primary domain, where recipients already know the brand. It is rarely worth doing on cold email secondary domains, because certificates cost money every year and those domains are meant to be replaceable if their reputation drops.
BIMI example
Acme Inc has a registered trademark for its logo and runs DMARC at p=reject on acme.com. It converts the logo to SVG Tiny PS, buys a VMC from an authorized certificate authority, hosts both files on its website and publishes a BIMI record. A few days later, Acme's newsletters show its logo and a verified checkmark in Gmail.
Host: default._bimi.example.com
Type: TXT
Value: v=BIMI1; l=https://example.com/bimi/logo.svg; a=https://example.com/bimi/certificate.pemHow to set up BIMI
Reach DMARC enforcement
Get SPF and DKIM passing for all legitimate mail, then move DMARC to p=quarantine or p=reject for the whole domain.
Prepare the SVG logo
Create a square version of your logo in SVG Tiny Portable/Secure format, with a solid background, and host it on a public HTTPS URL.
Get a VMC or CMC
Buy a certificate from an authorized certificate authority. A VMC needs a registered trademark; a CMC needs evidence of prior logo use.
Publish the BIMI record
Add a TXT record at default._bimi.yourdomain.com with v=BIMI1, the l= logo URL and the a= certificate URL.
Validate and wait
Run a BIMI checker to confirm the record, logo and certificate are valid. Logo display can take days and depends on reputation.
Common mistakes
- Publishing a BIMI record while DMARC is still at p=none, which does not qualify.
- Using a regular SVG export instead of the required SVG Tiny Portable/Secure profile.
- Expecting BIMI to fix spam placement, when it only adds a logo for already trusted mail.
- Skipping the certificate and expecting the logo to appear in Gmail.
BIMI FAQ
For Gmail, you need either a Verified Mark Certificate or a Common Mark Certificate. A VMC requires a registered trademark and adds a verified checkmark. Some providers, such as Yahoo, may show logos without a certificate for senders with strong reputation. Check each provider's current rules.
A VMC (Verified Mark Certificate) requires your logo to be a registered trademark and earns Gmail's blue checkmark. A CMC (Common Mark Certificate) does not require a trademark, but you must show the logo has been in public use for a period. Both let Gmail display the logo.
Not directly. BIMI does not change spam filtering. It needs strong authentication and DMARC enforcement, which do help deliverability, and the logo can improve recognition and trust once your email is already reaching the inbox.
Common reasons are DMARC not at enforcement, an SVG that does not meet the Tiny PS profile, a missing or invalid certificate, an email client that does not support BIMI, or not enough sending reputation yet. Run a BIMI validator and give it a few days after fixes.