How to Set Up SMTP on WordPress to Send Emails

Having a proper email delivery system is critical when keeping in touch with your customers. One wrong move and those messages can end up in your customers’ spam folder. Don’t worry, in this article, I will provide you with a solution – using a WordPress SMTP plugin and show you how to set it up properly.

Why Can’t I Send Emails from WordPress?

If your WordPress email delivery fails, the culprit probably lies in its overall configuration. WordPress uses PHP to deliver mail and, most of the time, it fails the spam test due to the customer’s hosting provider or email services blocking those messages.

To send your emails properly, you can opt for the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP). It is the industry’s alternative method for sending emails, and it offers a better security system and excellent deliverability rates.

How to Set Up SMTP on WordPress?

To use SMTP for WordPress, you need to set it up first. You can use any WordPress SMTP plugin available, but in this article, I will use WP Mail SMTP.

Step 1 – Install the WP Mail SMTP Plugin

Installing WP Mail SMTP is easy. First, you need to go to your WordPress dashboard. Go to the Plugins category, and then search for the plugin in the Add New section. Don’t forget to click Activate after installing it.

Step 2 – Set Up SMTP on WordPress

The next step is to change your WordPress SMTP plugin’s settings. You can do so by going to its Settings page which is located next to the Installed Plugins section.

Provide any necessary information that represents you or your business, such as your email address or the name that your customers will associate you with.

For the Mailer section, make sure you choose the Default (none) option. Don’t forget to save your changes.

Once you are finished setting up your WordPress SMTP plugin properly, a message will appear at the top of the screen.

Step 3 – Do an Email Test

It’s time to do an email test to see if the newly set up WordPress SMTP option works. To find the email test option, just go to the Email Test section next to the General settings. You will see your email address already written in the dialog box. All you need to do is click Send Email, and you’re done!

If the test was a success, you will see another notification at the top:

Can I Use an External SMTP Service Instead?

If you don’t want to use a plugin, you can try using an external SMTP service. In fact, this method tends to have better security protocols and advanced spam filtering, giving you a better chance for your emails to pass the spam test.

There are several external SMTP services available. However, Mailgun snags the top spot due to the following features:

• Free account and messages ‒ you can use all of Mailgun’s basic features and send up to 10,000 messages per month with your free account.
• Email monitoring ‒ through Mailgun’s dashboard, you can check the number of overall emails delivered, bounced, and suppressed.
• Bulk emails ‒ messages can be sent in bulk if you decide to upgrade your account.
• Inbox placement ‒ a feature that is currently in beta, Inbox Placement allows you to monitor where your emails will land – inbox, spam, or other locations.
• Email templates ‒ Mailgun offers email templates that can be used right away, using only a few clicks.

To set Mailgun as your email provider for WordPress, there are several steps you need to complete:

1. Fill out any necessary information to register your account. If you want to create a free account, just untick the box that asks for your credit card information. After verifying your account, you can open your Mailgun dashboard.
   
2. From here, go to the Settings, and then click on API Security. Mailgun will redirect you to a page with several APIs. Press the View button at the far right of the Private API key section and then copy it.
   
3. To get your domain, you must go to the Sending menu, and then click Domains. Copy your provided domain name as well.
   
4. After getting your API key and domain name, it’s time for you to go back to WP Mail SMTP’s settings. This time, select the Mailgun option next to the Mailer section.
5. An additional window will appear after clicking on the symbol. Paste your Private API Key and Domain Name. Don’t forget to press Save Settings to complete the process. Just as before, a notification will pop out to confirm that your new settings have been saved successfully. You should be ready to use WordPress SMTP mailing through Mailgun.
   

Wrapping Up

For a very long time, emails have been a reliable bridge between a customer and a business. It is important that you give it some additional attention if you want your online marketing strategies to be successful. Unfortunately, sending emails through WordPress alone tends to land your messages to your customer’s spam folder. To counter this problem, you can use a WordPress SMTP plugin. WP Mail SMTP would be a perfect example. Here’s a recap on how to set up this plugin:

1. Install the WP Mail SMTP plugin.
2. Set up WordPress to use SMTP for sending emails.
3. Perform an email test to see whether you have done everything correctly.

However, to get the best results, you can use an external SMTP service such as Mailgun. All you need to do is to configure Mailgun on your WordPress account and add your Private API Key and domain name.

Configuring SMTP for WordPress is rather simple. Why not try it out right now?