VMC Certificate and web domains – a new standard for reliable email communication

In 2026, Demandsage estimates that approximately 392.5 billion emails (both sent and received) will be sent worldwide every day. In this sea of information, most messages won’t even be opened. At the same time, according to industry analyses, cybercriminals use email for up to 96% of phishing attacks.

So is there a way to make your business emails stand out from the crowd, build trust with recipients, and be resistant to spoofing? Yes—the solution is a VMC certificate, which can display your company logo directly next to the sender’s name in the inbox.

Your web domain as your brand’s digital identity

By registering a domain, you take the first step in building your online presence. But the domain itself is just the beginning. Every email you send from your company address carries your brand’s image. The problem is that in a standard inbox, your message looks just like thousands of others—a gray avatar or initials, easy to overlook and impossible to distinguish from potential spam.

This is where game-changing technology comes in. The VMC (Verified Mark Certificate) allows you to transform your domain from a simple email address into a full-fledged visual brand identity—with your logo visible on every message you send.

How does a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC) work?

A Verified Mark Certificate is a digital certificate that confirms your organization is the legal owner of a brand logo. It is issued by a certification authority that verifies ownership rights to the logo in question. To obtain a VMC, your logo must be a registered trademark—for example, with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).

The VMC prevents your brand logo from appearing in inboxes without formal and technical verification. A trademark is difficult to misuse because it has been verified by the appropriate authority—this effectively prevents impersonation of your company.

VMC plays a key role in the logo verification process under the BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification) standard. This is an innovative communication standard that enables email clients to display a logo next to authenticated emails. This allows your recipients to see not only the sender’s name in their inbox, but also your company logo—along with the information that the sender has been verified.

Email authentication foundations: the role of DNS, SPF, DKIM, and DMARC

Before your logo appears in inboxes, you must establish a solid technical foundation based on your domain’s DNS system. The VMC certificate requires properly configured email authentication records.

SPF (Sender Policy Framework)—is a DNS record that specifies which servers and IP addresses are authorized to send emails on behalf of your domain. It serves as the first line of defense against spoofing, or impersonation of your address.

DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) - adds a digital signature to each message, confirming its authenticity and the integrity of its content. The recipient can verify that the email has not been modified during transmission.

DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance) - combines SPF and DKIM into a single system, specifying what should happen to messages that fail verification. For a VMC certificate, the DMARC record must be set to p=quarantine or p=reject.

These three elements form the foundation without which displaying the logo in the inbox is not possible. The authenticity of the email is confirmed by these standards, and the logo is verified by the VMC certificate.

The BIMI standard: the visual layer of your email domain

BIMI is a protocol that allows you to display a logo in email clients that support this standard. It works through a special DNS record added to your domain, which specifies the location of the image file (in SVG Tiny 1.2 format) and a certificate confirming the right to use the logo.

By using BIMI, you specify the logo that will be displayed next to emails sent from your domain. This allows your recipients to immediately see the sender’s visual identifier—which builds trust and increases brand recognition. In the case of Gmail, the VMC certificate also enables the display of a blue verification badge—a visual confirmation of the highest level of authenticity.

The list of providers supporting BIMI is constantly growing and includes Gmail, Apple Mail, Yahoo, Fastmail, and selected regional providers such as Onet, GMX, WEB.DE, and La Poste. Some providers—such as Comcast, mail.com, and Seznam.cz—are considering implementing this technology. Among the major players, only Microsoft remains outside the BIMI ecosystem.

Why displaying a logo in emails matters: hard marketing data

You might think that a logo next to a message is a minor detail. However, market research clearly shows just how much impact it has on the effectiveness of communication.

Increased email open rates and engagement

A visible sender logo in the inbox significantly increases the likelihood that the recipient will open the message. In studies conducted, a previously unknown brand with a logo achieved a 21% increase in open rates in the U.S. and as much as 62% in the U.K. compared to messages without a logo.

In transactional emails (bank notifications, invoices, confirmations), companies with logos see an increase ranging from 6% to 38%, while competitors without logos lose between 10% and 11%. In promotional campaigns, the differences are even more pronounced: brands with logos gain between 14% and 39%, while competitors without logos lose between 15% and 18%.

According to independent analyses, including Yahoo Mail tests, adding a visible logo can increase audience engagement by up to 50%—depending on the industry and campaign type.

Real impact on sales and customer conversion

A logo in the inbox translates directly into financial results. Data from the U.S. and U.K. markets show that a market leader without a logo can lose as much as 24–39% of sales share, while competitors with a visible logo gain 32–34%. What’s more, even a completely new brand with a logo can gain an additional 25–38% of sales share.

Better brand recall and subconscious recognition

In tests where participants viewed emails for just 5 seconds, a competing brand with a logo achieved up to 120% better recall. Even market leaders saw increases ranging from 8% to 44%. The human brain processes images much faster than text—a logo creates an immediate association with the brand, operating on a subconscious level.

Why Gen Z and Millennials demand brand logos in emails

Millennials and Generation Z are groups that grew up in the digital world. While it might seem that social media has dominated their communication, 78% of teenagers use email. For these groups, the absence of a logo in a message can reduce the likelihood of a purchase by as much as 28%. They open messages with a visible logo 18% more often for important financial topics, and for less important content—as much as 28% more often.

Phishing protection: How VMC Certificates secure your domain

The VMC certificate is not just a marketing tool. It also provides real protection against cyber threats. The statistics are alarming: according to industry analyses, as many as 75% of organizations worldwide have experienced phishing attacks, and 96% of these attacks begin with an email.

Cybercriminals often impersonate well-known brands by sending fake emails requesting login credentials or payment information. The recipient, unsure of the sender’s authenticity, may fall victim to the scam. The VMC certificate confirms that the logo in the message actually belongs to the legitimate sender.

This is an additional layer of protection that makes it harder for criminals to impersonate your brand, helps recipients recognize authentic messages, and reduces the risk of reputational damage from phishing. The requirement to configure DMARC at the “quarantine” or “reject” level further blocks unauthorized messages sent from your domain.

Step-by-step guide:from domain registration to displaying your logo in emails

Implementing a VMC certificate is a process that requires several steps. Here’s what you need to do:

1. Register your trademark - Your logo must be registered with an accepted trademark office. We recommend EUIPO due to its flexibility and broad acceptance in Europe. Currently, 17 trademark registries from around the world are recognized, including the USPTO (USA), the UK Intellectual Property Office, and the Japan Trademark Office.
2. Configure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records – authenticate your company’s email in your hosting control panel. The DMARC record must be set to p=quarantine or p=reject.
3. Prepare your logo in SVG Tiny 1.2 format - the image file must meet the BIMI standard requirements.
4. Order a VMC certificate - complete the verification process with the certificate issuer.
5. Place the certificate on the server – after the certificate is approved, you will receive a PEM file. Upload it along with the intermediate certificates to a publicly accessible HTTPS address.
6. Publish the BIMI DNS record – this will inform email servers which image file should be displayed as the logo.

VMC vs. CMC certificates: which option should your business choose?

There are two types of certificates available on the market that allow you to display a logo in emails: VMC (Verified Mark Certificate) and CMC (Common Mark Certificate). Both serve the same purpose but differ in their verification levels and requirements.

VMC is a premium solution. It requires a registered trademark and undergoes a rigorous verification process. In return, it provides an additional element of authenticity—a blue verification badge in Gmail. This is the best and most secure solution, aimed at larger organizations that prioritize maximum credibility.

CMC is a simpler and more affordable alternative. It does not require a trademark, but it still requires proper domain configuration and DMARC. It is particularly suitable for companies that want to quickly stand out in email correspondence without incurring significant costs. CMC does not offer the blue badge in Gmail, but it provides all other benefits—logo visibility and better brand recognition.

The choice between VMC and CMC depends on the specifics of your business—the scale of your operations, your available budget, and the level of paperwork you’re willing to accept.

Conclusion: why VMC is the future of trustworthy email marketing

Email remains one of the most effective marketing channels—87% of marketers cite it as a priority. However, the effectiveness of email marketing depends on whether your messages are even noticed and opened.

The VMC certificate is neither an experiment nor a passing fad. It is a new standard adopted by global brands such as Amazon, Apple, eBay, PayPal, LinkedIn, New Balance, and T-Mobile. Growing support from email providers (including Gmail, Apple Mail, Yahoo, and Onet) and a surge in interest among email marketing companies (over 45% of organizations are planning or already implementing BIMI) point to a clear direction for growth.

In summary, VMC certification can provide you with tangible benefits:

• Increase email open rates by 10–62%
• Boost sales by 25–38%
• Improve brand recognition by over 100%
• Protection against phishing and reputational damage
• Competitive advantage in inboxes