It’s impossible to do business if you can’t receive email. An even worse scenario is if you don’t know you’re not receiving email. You could miss out on sales, customer inquiries, or complaints. When you receive some emails, you might think you’re receiving them all. Meanwhile, some angry customers might take to social media or review sites to complain that you ignored them. A simple problem could spiral into a full-on crisis.

Follow these suggestions for more reliable email delivery in WordPress, and save a lot of headaches.

 

Check Your Code

First, if you’re not receiving emails at all, there might be a simple error that you simply aren’t aware of. Confirm that your WordPress hosting server is configured to use PHP mail() function. Check for the proper PHP coding within your HTML, or ask your programmer to do so.

However, a PHP mail function may not be your best bet. WPBeginner recommends using SMTP to send emails in WordPress. SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) is the industry standard for sending emails. With SMTP you will use a third-party email client such as Gmail. Unlike PHP mail function, SMTP uses proper authentication which increases email deliverability.

 

Shop Around

Your web hosting company probably basic services for email delivery, which may have sounded workable at the time. These tend to be no-frills options with low monthly send limits, slow processing, and shared servers.

If e-commerce or other email communication forms the basis for your businesses, choose an email client separate from your hosting company. Not only will your delivery be more reliable, you may gain numerous other benefits. Email products offer features like reporting, better SPAM protection, authentication, and technical support. Choose one with a WordPress plugin so that it works seamlessly with your WordPress site. Remember to keep this, like all of your plugins, updated to avoid hackers.

Consider your company’s long-term needs. Some products offer as few as 200 emails per month for free, while others offer thousands. Some services guarantee delivery in under five minutes. Think about the nature of your business and how you expect to grow. Make sure your email client allows room for that growth.

 

Change the Default “Send” Email

By default, WordPress sends from wordpress@example.com, an address that doesn’t actually exist. Change the domain to your own. It’s a simple fix that may ensure your email gets through.

 

Set Up an SPF Record

SPF stands for Sender Policy Framework. This feature figures out whether the server that is sending you email is allowed to do so. Make sure that you’ve entered the proper code to tell your SPF that you can receive email from your own domains and subdomains. Otherwise, you might be standing in your own way. How you set this up will vary by what email client you use. Check the code carefully.

 

Test For Reliable Email Delivery

Use an SPF testing tool such as this one. You will need to put in a few pieces of information to send a test email. Under “results” you should see “SPF authorized.” If not, check your SPF coding, or ask your programmer to do so. Another option is the Check Email plugin for WordPress. Also, test whether your domain has been blacklisted using a tool like this one.

You may also test in a more conventional way, e.g. just fill out your various forms and see if you receive notifications. This test may tell you a problem exists, but not necessarily the reason for it.

 

Recommendations From the Web

Adam Connell of Blogging Wizard says his top pick is currently Thrive Leads. Among other features, it allows you to create multiple forms, which you can split test against each other

Joost de Valk of Yoast prefers Postmark. He reports that, while it costs more than many others, the reliability surpasses anything else available.

Sendgrid appears on several recent lists of best email clients, including this recommendation from Kinsta. Spotify and Uber use it. You can integrate it using SMTP or API.

 

Whichever route you choose for your company’s email, choose wisely. Consider your company’s unique needs and do your research. Worrying about a seemingly simple thing like email delivery can waste precious time that you could use to grow your business and make more money!

IMAGE: Maialisa / CC0 Public Domain