WordPress and Email – A Guide to Sending Emails from Your Website

WordPress, the widely renowned content management system, offers website owners with an array of effective tools and features to manage their sites with ease. One such incredibly vital tool is email. In this article, we’ll discuss how to send emails from WordPress using various plugins and methods that cater to your specific needs.

The Importance of Sending Emails From WordPress

Email marketing is one of the most effective ways to establish relationships with your audience, promote your content, products, and increase revenue. You can effortlessly use your email to send newsletters, notifications, and promotions to your subscribers, increasing your brand’s reach, engaging the audience and driving more traffic to your website.

Additionally, configuring WordPress to manage your emails can improve the user experience by sending automatic notification emails. These notifications can include password resets, welcome emails, and other helpful notifications that facilitate communication between the brand and its audience.

How to Send Emails from WordPress

Here is an overview of some of the most common methods of sending emails from WordPress:

1. Default WordPress Mail Function

WordPress comes equipped with a default mail function that allows you to send emails from your website. Although there are some limitations to this method, it serves as an ideal option for simple mailing tasks that require no advanced features. However, it may not support authentication of features such as HTML email and SMTP.

To use the mail function, configure the email settings in your WordPress dashboard. Go to Settings > General > Email Address and enter the email address that you plan to use for sending emails. To customize the email sender name and address, use a plugin like WP Mail SMTP. This plugin offers advanced features, allowing you to set up your email account and SMTP server, ensuring that your emails get delivered to the recipient.

2. Third-party Email Service

You can use a third-party email service like Mailchimp or Constant Contact to offer advanced email marketing features, such as segmentation, email automation, and A/B testing. To use a third-party service with WordPress, sign up for an account with your preferred provider, then connect your site with your email service provider using a plugin. Most providers offer their own WordPress plugins, which can be downloaded and customized to match your requirements.

3. Using Contact Form 7 Plugin

Creating contact forms and sending emails directly from your WordPress site is possible with plugins such as Contact Form 7. This plugin allows you to create contact forms with a user-friendly interface, making it easy to customize your settings and create different forms.

To use the plugin, download and activate it, then visit the Contact > Add New option and configure your contact form’s email settings. WP Mail SMTP can simplify the process further by ensuring that the contact form emails reach the intended recipient correctly.

4. Using WooCommerce Emails

If you operate an e-commerce store or a related website, WooCommerce’s email notification feature can help you send order confirmations and shipping updates to your customers. WooCommerce comes with pre-built email templates that you can customize to match your brand identity, ensuring that the emails’ messaging is consistent.

To use the email notifications, go to WooCommerce > Emails in your WordPress dashboard. Here, you can customize your email templates or create new ones. To ensure that your WooCommerce emails reach the right recipient, use WP Mail SMTP or any SMTP plugin.

Conclusion

These are just some of the methods and plugins that website owners can utilize to send emails directly from their WordPress sites. Regardless of whether you’re sending marketing emails, notifications, or transactional emails, the methods outlined above simplify the process, ensuring that your emails reach the right recipients, thereby maintaining robust relationships with your audience.