Gmail Adds Blue Checkmark to Emails with Verified Brand Logos ... Kinda

Gmail is introducing a new feature by adding a blue checkmark to emails, building upon the existing support for verified brand logos that was introduced in 2021.

Previously, you could use BIMI to override the generic logo that Google would put as your avatar in the inbox. With this new system it will slap a blue checkmark next to the sender name too, potentially leading to more engagement via trust.

It's a nice idea but in practice, it's pretty expensive to get going.

For BIMI to work, you need a particular TLS cert (basically an Extended Validation cert) in addition to the record. To acquire this certificate, you need to handover a lot of documents to prove your legitimacy and fork out hard cash.

Not fun or free.

If you're a bank, financial company, or you just have a lot of time + cash laying around then go for it. As always, Bento is here to support you get it all setup in your Bento account (we even have a free BIMI record generator!).

We encourage this initiative from Google but do wish they would make it simpler for the little guys to prove who they are.