SMTP Setup Guide for WordPress

SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) is a tool necessary for your WordPress website. Without it, your website cannot send emails to visitors. This impairs the ability of your website to attract potential leads, communicate with customers or subscribers, and confirm orders. In this guide, we will take you through step-by-step instructions on how to set up SMTP in WordPress so that your website can function appropriately.

Step 1: Choose Your SMTP Provider

Before setting up SMTP in WordPress, you must pick an SMTP provider. Although you can use the most preferred email services such as Gmail or Yahoo, it is recommended that you choose SMTP services. We suggest providers like SendGrid or SMTP.com, as they specialize in sending bulk emails and provide detailed email analytics. After you have created an account with your chosen SMTP provider, you will be required to get your SMTP credentials. These include a username, password, server name, and port number. You will need these credentials for the next step.

Step 2: Install and Configure WP Mail SMTP Plugin

The following step is to install and configure the WP Mail SMTP plugin on your WordPress site. This plugin enables you to connect your SMTP provider to your website, so your emails can be sent accurately. To start, log in to your WordPress dashboard, navigate to “Plugins”, and click “Add New”. In the search bar, type in “WP Mail SMTP”, and click “Install Now”. After the installation, activate the plugin. During activation, navigate to “Settings” → “WP Mail SMTP”. On this page, you will have to configure the plugin settings.

Choose your SMTP Provider

Under the “Mail” section, select “SMTP” as your mailer. Next, you will need to input your SMTP provider details under the “SMTP Host” section. Here, you will input your SMTP username and password, along with your SMTP server name and port number.

Sender and Receiver Email Address

After inputting your SMTP details, select the “From Email” and “From Name” fields. Here, you will input the email address that will appear as the “From” address of your emails. In the “To Email” field, input the email address where emails will be sent to.

Email Logs

In the “Email Logs” section, you can enable the email logging feature. This feature logs all sent emails so that you can see any errors or handling issues that may occur. Once you have input all your details, click the “Save Settings” button.

Step 3: Test Your Email

After configuring the WP Mail SMTP plugin, you should test your email to ensure that everything is working perfectly. To do this, go to “Email Test” on the plugin’s settings page. Input your email address and click the “Send Email” button. This should send a test email to your inbox. If the email is delivered to your inbox, then everything is working correctly. However, if the email fails to send, then there may be an issue with your SMTP credentials. In this case, double-check your SMTP provider details to ensure that they are correct.

Step 4: Ensure Email Deliverability

Finally, to ensure that your emails are delivered correctly, you will need to set up email deliverability. Email deliverability refers to the rate at which your emails reach their intended recipients. To improve deliverability, you should configure your email server settings to reduce spam and email bounce rates. We recommend using a service like SparkPost or MailJet. These services offer email analytics and allow you to configure your email server settings for maximum deliverability.

Conclusion

Setting up SMTP in WordPress is a critical step to ensure that your website can send emails correctly. With the right SMTP provider and plugin configuration, you can ensure that your emails are delivered promptly and effectively. Follow these steps to set up SMTP on your WordPress website, and you will be able to streamline your email communications, attract leads, and engage your audience.