After 15 years building websites, I can‘t tell you how many times I‘ve heard this complaint: "Emails from my WordPress site aren‘t getting delivered. They end up in spam or never arrive at all!"
It‘s a headache for any webmaster. Email is the lifeblood of most websites. It‘s crucial for:
- User registration and password reset
- Comment notifications
- Contact forms
- Email marketing campaigns
- eCommerce order info and shipping updates
But the default mail method in WordPress is clunky and unreliable.
The good news? There‘s an easy fix – using a dedicated SMTP email service.
In this beginner‘s guide, we‘ll explore:
- Why WordPress email fails
- How an SMTP service ensures deliverability
- The best SMTP providers for WordPress sites
- Plugins to connect SMTP services to your site
Let‘s start by understanding why the default WordPress email method falls short…
Contents
The Problem: Why Default WordPress Email Ends Up in Spam
When you install WordPress, it comes configured to deliver email using PHP‘s built-in mail() function.
At first glance, it seems like a convenient option – email without needing any external service.
But in reality, the mail() function is outdated and limited:
No authentication
The core problem is that mail() sends email without authenticating who it‘s coming from. There‘s no login required.
That makes it super easy for spammers to spoof addresses and blast out junk mail. To prevent abuse, many hosts restrict or fully disable the mail() function.
According to a 2022 survey, only 36% of hosts provide unrestricted access to mail(). The rest limit it heavily or block it entirely.
No deliverability tools
WordPress alone has no way to verify deliverability or check if your mail reached inboxes.
An SMTP service gives you bounce alerts, spam checks, and detailed email logs and stats.
No scalability
High volume email blasts will crash the native mail() function. It just wasn‘t built for sending large newsletters or batches of customer notifications.
No redundancy
If your web server goes down, mail() stops working. SMTP services route your mail through external servers, so emails go through even during downtime.
The bottom line…
Relying solely on the WordPress mail() function means flakey deliverability, missing messages, and inevitable headaches.
So what‘s the solution?
The Solution: Use a Professional SMTP Email Sending Service
To send email reliably, you need a dedicated SMTP server.
SMTP stands for "Simple Mail Transfer Protocol" – it‘s the standard way email flows across the internet.
When you use a professional SMTP service provider (aka ESP), your email gets routed through their specialized servers optimized for deliverability.
The key benefits include:
✅ Inbox placement – SMTP providers have top-notch deliverability technology to avoid spam folders.
✅ Reliability – External SMTP servers maintain near 100% uptime.
✅ Scalability – Leading SMTP services can send billions of emails monthly.
✅ Metrics – Detailed email analytics show opens, clicks, geolocation, and more.
✅ Redundancy – SMTP servers ensure continuity even if your main site goes down.
✅ Support – SMTP tech experts can optimize your email reputation and troubleshoot issues.
When it comes to mission-critical functions like email, it pays to use enterprise-grade infrastructure.
6 Best SMTP Service Providers for WordPress
There are dozens of SMTP services out there. Based on 15 years of web development experience, these are my top recommendations:
1. SendLayer – Easiest Setup
SendLayer is purpose-built for sending email from web apps like WordPress. The signup process is super quick.
It only takes a few minutes to connect SendLayer to your WordPress site using their plugin. Everything is menu-driven – no coding needed.
Their free plan includes 200 emails per month. Paid plans start at $4.99/month for 5,000 emails.
SendLayer has awesome deliverability with features like dedicated IPs, real-time monitoring, and custom sender domains. You get detailed logs and metrics for every email.
Their support team is very responsive in case you ever need help. For beginners, SendLayer is a great hassle-free SMTP choice.
2. SMTP.com – Most Affordable Volume
SMTP.com is trusted by 100,000+ businesses globally. They offer a generous 50,000 free emails per month.
Paid plans start at $9.99 for 10,000 emails up to $49.99 for 1 million emails. With volume pricing, costs stay low as your needs grow.
In my experience, SMTP.com has virtually 100% uptime and excellent inbox placement. Their reputation tools help ensure your mail is marked safe by major ISPs.
3. Sendinblue – Best Overall Value
Sendinblue is popular for good reason – it combines ease of use and top notch deliverability.
Their free plan covers 300 emails per day. Upgrading to a paid plan gets you deliverability features like dedicated IPs, DKIM signing, and custom sender domains.
I like Sendinblue‘s real-time dashboard showing your latest email stats. Their SMTP setup is straightforward with good documentation. They also have great 24/7 live chat support.
4. Amazon SES – Best for Developers
If you‘re comfortable with code, Amazon SES (Simple Email Service) is tough to beat.
The pay-as-you-go pricing means high volume email can cost less than a penny per message.
Amazon‘s API has all the hooks needed for automated, large scale delivery. The downside – the learning curve is steeper compared to other ESPs.
But if your team has development experience, Amazon SES is a cost-effective choice.
5. Mailgun – Best Deliverability Technology
Mailgun is built for developers at companies like Rackspace, Lyft, and GitHub.
They offer a DNS validation system to verify your sending domains. Mailgun also does deep traffic analysis to optimize inbox placement.
I like their real-time activity dashboard showing traffic spikes, deliverability events, and other insights.
The free plan allows 10,000 emails per month – a generous allotment for testing. Paid plans start at $35 for 50,000 emails.
6. SendGrid – Best for Large Volume
SendGrid powers email for Spotify, Uber, Airbnb, and hundreds of thousands more companies.
They offer plans from 100 emails/day up to billions per month. SendGrid‘s email infrastructure can handle massive volume.
Their email activity feed lets you monitor deliverability in real-time. You get visual analytics on opens, clicks, spam reports, and unsubscribes too.
With mail volume above 10 million/month, SendGrid is a smart choice for established businesses. Their technical support is phenomenal.
How to Choose the Right SMTP Provider
With so many options, how do you select the best SMTP service for your WordPress site?
Here are a few pointers:
For low volume email…
Go with SendLayer or Sendinblue. Their free tiers cover up to 300 emails per day – ideal for small membership sites, blogs, and businesses.
For high volume email…
SMTP.com and SendGrid offer the scalability and redundancy to handle thousands to millions of emails per month.
For developers and customization…
Mailgun and Amazon SES have robust APIs plus antispam and monitoring tools for developers.
For maximizing deliverability…
SendLayer, Mailgun, and SendGrid have leading technology to optimize inbox placement.
For affordability…
SMTP.com has the lowest cost plans, and Amazon SES charges pennies per email at high volumes.
For ease of use…
SendLayer and Sendinblue are known for quick setup and user-friendly dashboards.
The right SMTP provider depends on your email volume, technical needs, budget, and desired features.
I always recommend starting with a free trial to test out a few providers‘ workflows. Look for responsive support and check email deliverability in real-world use.
How to Connect an SMTP Service to WordPress
Once you‘ve chosen an SMTP provider, you need to link it to your WordPress site.
There are two options:
1. Use an SMTP plugin
Plugins like WP Mail SMTP make connecting SMTP services very easy. The setup is point-and-click – no coding required.
Most SMTP providers offer plugins or extensions for their service. Just install, enter your API key and SMTP credentials, and you‘re up and running.
2. Manually configure SMTP
You can manually add SMTP credentials to your wp-config.php file.
This works but can be prone to user error. Plugins centralize your settings and provide troubleshooting.
For most users, a plugin is the fastest way to start sending WordPress email via SMTP. But developers may prefer raw SMTP configuration.
3 Best SMTP Plugins for WordPress
If you decide to use an SMTP plugin, these three are top choices:
WP Mail SMTP
- 1M+ installs
- Free version available
- Supports all major SMTP providers
- Easy setup wizard
Easy WP SMTP
- 600K+ installs
- Free version with basic features
- Encryption, authentication, logging
- Gmail/Outlook integration
PostSMTP
- 70K+ installs
- Only paid version ($29)
- Priority email support included
- Used by large media sites
All three have 4+ star ratings and active development. Check their pricing to see if premium features are worthwhile.
The Bottom Line
Reliable email delivery is crucial for every WordPress site. Email notifications, subscriptions, ecommerce updates, and visitor messages are too important to end up in spam.
After seeing hundreds of sites hampered by the native WordPress mail function, using a dedicated SMTP provider is the #1 solution I recommend.
Leading SMTP services like SendLayer, SMTP.com, and Sendinblue make the setup easy. Their deliverability technology and support ensure your mail gets to inboxes.
Hopefully this guide gave you a good overview of the best practices for sending WordPress email. Let me know if you have any other questions!
