Where you saw it: Your logo missing in Gmail or Yahoo while the BIMI record checks out, or a BIMI validator passing while nothing appears in a real inbox.
Why it happens
- DMARC is set to p=none. BIMI requires quarantine or reject, with a pct of 100, and this is the most common blocker.
- The SVG is not the required profile. BIMI needs SVG Tiny Portable/Secure, which forbids scripts, external references and animation.
- The logo is not square, or has a transparent background where a solid one is required.
- Gmail requires a Verified Mark Certificate. A BIMI record without one may display at Yahoo and will not at Gmail.
- The record is at the wrong host. It belongs at default._bimi.yourdomain.com.
- The message itself did not pass DMARC, so no logo is shown for that message regardless of the record.
The fix, in order
Get DMARC to enforcement first
Move to p=quarantine or p=reject with pct=100 and confirm your legitimate mail passes. Nothing about BIMI works before this is true.
Produce a compliant SVG
Export as SVG Tiny Portable/Secure: square aspect ratio, solid background, no scripts, no external references, no animation. A general-purpose SVG export will not satisfy this.
Host it over HTTPS
The file must be reachable over HTTPS with a valid certificate. A certificate error makes the logo invisible with no other symptom.
Publish the BIMI record
Create a TXT record at default._bimi.yourdomain.com with v=BIMI1; l=https://yourdomain.com/logo.svg and, where you have one, the a= tag pointing at the certificate.
Buy a Verified Mark Certificate for Gmail
Gmail requires one, it needs a registered trademark, and it costs real money annually. Yahoo is more permissive. Decide whether Gmail display justifies the cost.
How to know it worked
The short version
- A BIMI validator reports the record, the SVG and the certificate as valid.
- Send to a Gmail and a Yahoo address you control and look at the inbox list view.
- Confirm the test message itself passed DMARC, since a failing message never shows a logo.
Questions people ask
Do I need a Verified Mark Certificate?
For Gmail, yes. Yahoo and some others will display a logo without one. A VMC requires a registered trademark and carries a yearly cost.
Why does my logo show at Yahoo and not Gmail?
Almost always the certificate. Gmail requires a VMC and Yahoo does not, so a record without one produces exactly this split.
Does BIMI improve deliverability?
Not directly. It requires DMARC at enforcement, and that does help. The logo itself is a recognition signal in the inbox rather than a filtering input.