We've all been there; re-checking our inboxes waiting for a certain email to arrive.
Websites can use email for a password reset, including two-factor identification codes, and e-commerce confirmations. Emails that never arrive can lead to poor user experience and more support requests.
The most common explanation for an email that does not arrive is a misconfigured PHP mail function. ISP’s such as Gmail and Yahoo, have tools in place to authenticate incoming emails as valid messages or SPAM.
Validation is done typically by MX records ( used to verify the originating email server.) If the Email Client determines that these records don’t match, they assume the email is SPAM and it is filtered as such.
If the validation process fails, which is likely when the sending WordPress website depends on PHP and other WordPress apps, the email may never reach its destination.
Therefore it is recommended, to use a professional ESP (Email Service Provider) to send out your newsletters.
If you use your WordPress site to generate and send WordPress emails, we recommend using SMTP.
SMTP is called Simple Mail Transfer Protocol. Unlike the PHP mail function, SMTP uses more accurate authentication protocols to increase the likelihood that your email lands in the inbox that it’s supposed to.
How to setup SMTP on WordPress
1. Find, Install and activate the Easy WP SMTP Plugin
2. Configure your SMTP
Your “FROM” address should come from your website’s domain. Do not use an email outside your domain such as Gmail. This can be viewed as email spoofing and your email may be removed as spam. If you are unsure what the SMTP Host or Port Setting Should be: contact your hosting provider.
3. Test Your Settings
Once your settings are saved head over to the test tab and send yourself a test email. This will help you determine if your settings are working properly
With these easy to follow steps the probability of reaching your client’s inbox in greatly increased.
