Branding

Login to the portal and go to Account details Branding.

Branding is used to add your companies brand information to the branded email/web templates that are sent/shown to registrants we're required to send/show by various registry requirements to registrants. This KB-article provides information on how to setup and customize branding in the Realtime Register Domain Manager to match your companies brand.

Once you reach the branding section in the DM, your brand overview is displayed as in the image above. By default only one brand is displayed here, your default brand. Your default brand is used for all contacts unless specified otherwise. It's recommended to update your default brand email address to an email address to connected to your companies support email address for example. By doing so all branded email sent by your default brand to registrants will have your companies email address as sending email address.

Other brands can be added alongside your default brand. By adding additional brands, you have the option to manage multiple brands from your Realtime Register account for the various labels your company might have.

In case you have not done already, update your default brand to a custom email address first.


Update Default Brand

To update your default brand, follow the instruction below.

  • To update your default brand with a new email address click your default brand to open it and hit the update button on the right

  • Update any of the information necessary with the below in mind;
  1. Locale: Specify your locality, English or Dutch are the only two options you have here. Unless you want the branding to be displayed in dutch where possible, specify "English" here;
  2. Organization: Specify the organization name for your default brand here;
  3. Street name and numbers: Specify your brands' address information here;
  4. Postal code: Specify your brands' zipcode here;
  5. City: Specify your brands' city here;
  6. State: Specify your brands' state here;
  7. Country: Specify your brands' country here;
  8. Email Address: Specify your email address here;

Important: required SPF record

In order for the branded e-mail to be delivered successfully and not end up in spam folders, it's necessary you add information to an existing SPF-record or create a new SPF record for the domain which will be sending the branded emails. The information which needs to be in the SPF-record is detailed below.

include:spf.mydomainprovider.com

For more information on the failed SPF check error, check the troubleshooting section of this KB-article.

  1. Telephone Number: Specify your brands' telephone number here;
  2. Fax number: Specify your brands' Fax number here;
  3. Website: Specify your company website here with a complete URL;
  4. Abuse contact: Specify your abuse contact here.

Take note: It's important to add an abuse contact. As a reseller, you're responsible for your customers and offering the ability for complainants to get in touch and report abuse to the appropriate abuse channels of your brand(s).

  • Click the update branding button on the bottom of the page to confirm the update
  • A message will be displayed instructing to accept the branding update approval email which is sent to the new branding email address, once that email is approved your default brand will be updated.

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Add a new brand

  • To add a brand, click the + New Brand button in the top right of the Domain Manager.

  • Add all of the information necessary with the below in mind and once done click Create and go back to detail page;
  1. Locale: Specify your locality, English or Dutch are the only two options you have here. Unless you want the branding to be displayed in dutch where possible, specify "English" here;
  2. Organization: Specify the organization name for your default brand here;
  3. Street name and numbers: Specify your brands' address information here;
  4. Postal code: Specify your brands' zipcode here;
  5. City: Specify your brands' city here;
  6. State: Specify your brands' state here;
  7. Country: Specify your brands' country here;
  8. Email Address: Specify your email address here;

Important: required SPF record

In order for the branded e-mail to be delivered successfully and not end up in spam folders, it's necessary you add information to an existing SPF-record or create a new SPF record for the domain which will be sending the branded emails. The information which needs to be in the SPF-record is detailed below.

include:spf.mydomainprovider.com

For more information on the failed SPF check error, check the troubleshooting section of this KB-article.

  1. Telephone Number: Specify your brands' telephone number here;
  2. Fax number: Specify your brands' Fax number here;
  3. Website: Specify your company website here with a complete URL;
  4. Abuse contact: Specify your abuse contact here.

Take note: It's important to add an abuse contact. As a reseller, you're responsible for your customers and offering the ability for complainants to get in touch and report abuse to the appropriate abuse channels of your brand(s).

  • A message will be displayed instructing to accept the branding creation approval email which is sent to the new brand's email address, once that email is approved your brand will be created.
  • You've now successfully added a new brand.

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Update any brand

To update any of your brands, follow the instruction below.

  • Click on the brand you wish to update to open it
  • Once opened, click the update button on the right
  • Add all of the information necessary with the below in mind and once done click Update branding and go back to detail page;
  1. Locale: Specify your locality, English or Dutch are the only two options you have here. Unless you want the branding to be displayed in dutch where possible, specify "English" here;
  2. Organization: Specify the organization name for your default brand here;
  3. Street name and numbers: Specify your brands' address information here;
  4. Postal code: Specify your brands' zipcode here;
  5. City: Specify your brands' city here;
  6. State: Specify your brands' state here;
  7. Country: Specify your brands' country here;
  8. Email Address: Specify your email address here;

Important: required SPF record

In order for the branded e-mail to be delivered successfully and not end up in spam folders, it's necessary you add information to an existing SPF-record or create a new SPF record for the domain which will be sending the branded emails. The information which needs to be in the SPF-record is detailed below.

include:spf.mydomainprovider.com

For more information on the failed SPF check error, check the troubleshooting section of this KB-article.

  1. Telephone Number: Specify your brands' telephone number here;
  2. Fax number: Specify your brands' Fax number here;
  3. Website: Specify your company website here with a complete URL;
  4. Abuse contact: Specify your abuse contact here.

Take note: It's important to add an abuse contact. As a reseller, you're responsible for your customers and offering the ability for complainants to get in touch and report abuse to the appropriate abuse channels of your brand(s).

  • A message will be displayed instructing to accept the branding update approval email which is sent to the new branding email address, once that email is approved your brand will be updated.
  • You've now successfully updated a brand.

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Customize Email templates

Email notifications are sent as multipart emails; both the text version and the HTML version are sent together. The emails consist of a header, body and footer part, all of these parts can contain variables to personalize the content of the emails and add your company's brand information. The complete list of variables to use with the email templates is located in the documentation section. Most emails contain a mandatory text in English because of the ICANN requisites, however, we provide an option to put explanatory text below the standard text.

Please make sure to use the texts in the header to refer to the explanation in your language or refer to your additional comments. For instructions on updating the various email templates available, refer to the instruction below.

Email Header/Footer
Email Notifications/Requests for response

Customize email header/footer

Take note: customization of the header and footer apply to all branded emails. In other words, this is the header and footer that will be used for all of your branded emails. Please make sure to use the texts in the header to refer to the explanation in your language or refer to your additional comments.

  • Click the brand you wish to update the email header/footer for

  • Open the header or footer by clicking on it in order to make changes

  • On the header/footer (it depends which one you've clicked) overview page you'll notice a preview of the template is detailed on the right, options to customize are provided on the left in HTML or text format

  • Submit your custom HTML header or define a text version (HTML allows more styling options) for your email header and click 'Update Preview' to check changes that have been made in preview

  • Click Update template to finalize the changes

  • A message will be displayed indicating the template was updated successfully

  • You've now successfully updated the header/footer template

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Customize email notifications/requests for response

Take note: It's advised to add explanatory texts in your own language to the branded emails that are available in the Domain Manager. Make sure you check and if necessary add additional information to all of the notification email templates available. You can change some emails all together, but we advise to use the default texts we provide and provide additional information for your customers if necessary. In case any ICANN mandatory texts are required you will only be able to add an explanatory text to the mandatory ICANN text. All of the email templates can contain variables to personalize the content of the e-mails and add your company's brand information. The complete list of variables to use with the e-mail templates is located at the documentation section.

Below we'll provide two instructions to update both email templates with and without ICANN mandatory text in them.

Take note: Our advice, again, is to leave the default text as is and add additional information for both types of templates with and without ICANN mandatory texts in them. In case you wish to fully customize emails where possible, that's fine as well.


Customize email templates without ICANN mandatory text in them

To customize an email template without ICANN mandatory text in it, follow the instruction below.

  • Click the brand you wish to an email template without ICANN mandatory text in it for

  • When you click any of the notification/request for response email templates, you'll open the selected template. When you click the preview, a preview of the corresponding template is displayed in a pop up window

  • On the template overview page you'll notice a preview of the template is detailed on the right, options to customize are provided on the left in HTML or text format

  • Submit your custom HTML or define a text version (HTML allows more styling options) for the template your updating and click 'Update Preview' to check changes that have been made in preview

Take note: It's advised to customize email templates with custom text below the text that is set by default, the custom text can be submitted in your own native language if necessary. In our broad experience it's best to have a complete email in English with the information in it we set by default underlined with your own instructions to your customers.

If you wish to add explanatory text in HTML & Text, be sure to add the text both to the HTML and Text version of the email template.

  • Click update template to complete the update

  • A message will be displayed indicating the template was updated successfully

  • You've now successfully customized an email branding template without ICANN mandatory text in to fit the brand of your company.

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Customize email templates with ICANN mandatory text in them

When you open a template that has less text detailed in the HTML-version and Text version fields that can be edited versus the text that is detailed in the preview of the template, your looking at a template that has ICANN mandatory text in it. The ICANN mandatory text cannot be customized as we're required to send certain information to registrants according to ICANN regulations. The WHOIS data accuracy reminder email template is a good example of such a template.

Below we'll go over the options you have to customize the part of the WHOIS accuracy reminder email that can be edited. You can use this instruction on all other templates with ICANN mandatory texts in them as well.

  • Click the brand you wish to an email template with ICANN mandatory text in it for

  • Click the WHOIS accuracy email template in the notification list

  • You'll notice that the HTML and Text version fields contain less information than the preview and information regarding the additional information you can provide is given in the description above these fields

  • To add explanatory text, submit your own text in the HTML and/or Text version field or change the default explanatory text all together and click 'Update preview' to review the changes made in the preview

Take note: It's advised to add explanatory text below the explanatory text that is set by default, the custom text can be submitted in your own native language if necessary. In our broad experience it's best to have a complete email in English with the information in it we set by default underlined with your own instructions to your customers.

  If you wish to add explanatory text in HTML & Text, be sure to add the text both to the HTML and Text version of the email template.

  • Click Update template to finalize the changes

  • A message will be displayed indicating the template was updated successfully

  • You've now successfully added explanatory text in addition to ICANN mandatory of the WHOIS accuracy email template.

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Web templates

The web templates have the same kind of composition as the e-mail templates; they consist of a header, body and footer. All of these parts can contain variables to show your brand information. The complete list of variables to use with the web templates is located at the documentation section. Most web pages that are linked to from the e-mails, have a mandatory text in English, because of the ICANN requisitions. However, we have provided an option to put explanatory text below the standard text.

Please make sure to use the texts in the header of the web page to refer to the explanation in your language or additional comments.

Web template header/footer
Web template general/requests for response

Customize web template header/footer

Take note: customization of the header and footer apply to all branded web templates. In other words, this is the header and footer that will be used for all of your branded web pages and defines the overall styling of your web templates. To preview a custom header/footer, open any of the web templates once the custom HTML has been added and saved.

  • Click the brand you wish to update the web template header/footer for

  • Click 'header' or 'footer' to open the template.

  • To update your web template header/footer template (it depends which one you've opened), add information to the HTML version of the web template footer/header, then click 'Update preview' to show your changes in the preview on the right side of the page.

  • Click 'Update template' to confirm the changes

  • A green bar indicates the web template has been updated successfully.

  • You've now successfully updated the header/footer webtemplate.

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Customize General/requests for response web templates

Take note: It's advised to add explanatory texts in your own language to the branded web templates that contain default mandatory text required by ICANN. Make sure you check and if necessary add additional information to all of the general and requests for response web templates available. All of the web templates can contain variables to personalize the content of the web templates and add your company's brand information. The complete list of variables to use with the web templates is located at the documentation section.

Below we'll provide two instructions to update both web templates with and without ICANN mandatory text in them.

Take note: Our advice, again, is to leave the default text as is and add additional information for both types of templates with and without ICANN mandatory texts in them. In case you wish to fully customize web templates where possible, that's fine as well.

Web templates without ICANN mandatory text
Web templates with ICANN mandatory text

Web templates without ICANN mandatory text

The web templates without ICANN-mandatory text are a little more straight forward. In these templates, by default, variables are used. The complete list of variables to use with the web templates is located at the documentation section. Our advice, again, is to leave the default text as is and add additional information. In case you wish to fully customize the web pages, that's fine as well. The thank you page web template is a good example of a web template without mandatory texts.

  • Click the brand you wish to update a web template without ICANN mandatory text in it for

  • Click the Thank you page web template

  • You'll notice that there is a pre-defined text available in the web template.

  • To change the predefined text, add text to the HTML version and click 'Update preview' to review the changes made in the preview

  • Once your satisfied with your changes, click 'Update template' to update the template

  • A green bar indicates the web template has been updated successfully.

  • You've now successfully updated the Thank you page web template without any ICANN mandatory texts in it.

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Web templates with ICANN mandatory text

When you open a what looks like an empty web template, you'll notice that in the preview, text can be found. This is the ICANN mandatory text that we're obliged to show to registrants on certain web pages we show to registrants considering their domains. The Contact validation web template is a good example of a web template containing content we're required to show to registrants by ICANN. Of course, all web templates with ICANN mandatory texts in them behave like the example below.

  • Click the brand you wish to update a web template with ICANN mandatory text in it for

  • Click the Outgoing transfer approval web template in the requests for response list.

  • You'll notice that there is no text available in the HTML version of the template the preview shows what the template looks like

  • To inform your customers, you can add explanatory text to the web template. To do so, add text in the HTML field and click the 'Update preview' button to review your changes

  • Click 'Update template' to confirm the changes

  • A green bar indicates the web template has been updated successfully.

  • You've now successfully added explanatory text in addition to ICANN mandatory text of the Outgoing transfer approval web template.

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Adding images

You can add images to any of the web/email templates available. To do so, follow the instruction below. For example purposes, we'll be adding an image to the web page header/footer, functionality for adding images to any brand template is similar to the example below.

  • Click the brand you wish to add an image to the web page header/footer template for

  • Click 'header' or 'footer' to open the template.

  • Click + Add an image and upload the image you wish to add

Take note that once uploaded, a message in the preview is displayed that the uploaded image can't be previewed yet. Click update template and reopen the header/footer template, then some changes in the HTML have to be made to display the image in the preview.

  • Once uploaded click update template and make sure in the HTML you provide the name of the image file uploaded, otherwise the image will not show correctly in the preview and the web templates that will be shown to your customers.

  • A green bar indicates the web template has been updated successfully.

  • Once updated, reopen the template and you'll notice the image was added accordingly.

  • You've now successfully added an image to the web header/footer template

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Troubleshooting

Brand update is not visible
SPF record error

A brand is created/updated, but the brand/updates do not show in the branding overview.

Once a new brand is created or updated, an email is sent to the (new) brand email address to confirm the brand details. Once the email is confirmed, your brand will become active and visible. Below is an example of what a branding confirmation email looks like.

Once accepted through the link in the brand update email, the new brand or updates you've made will be visible


SPF record error

The most common error is the SPF-record error when adding/updating a custom email address to/for a brand.

The update in the image above clearly states that an SPF-record containing "include:spf.mydomainprovider.com" has to be added to the domains SPF-record. As you can see, the update above tried to update the brand with a "@test.nl" email address. The SPF-record of test.nl needs an update with and include of "include:spf.mydomainprovider.com" and the update will be able to be processed.

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