Sending emails in WordPress: A step-by-step guide 2024

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A common myth about how WordPress sends emails is that they all end up in the recipient’s spam folder. While it’s true that this can be the case, WordPress emails are often flagged as spam due to hosting issues or poor PHP configuration.

The native WordPress email feature has limited capabilities, and manually configuring WordPress email settings can be technical. Also, since emails are sent via the web host server by default, it can cause unreliability.

This does not mean that there’s no solution to these problems. 

This post discusses how to configure WordPress to send emails with better deliverability rates.

Let’s get started.

How to send emails from WordPress using wp_mail() function

How does WordPress send emails? By default, it uses the PHP-based wp_mail function to send email and your hosting web server to send emails. 

Here’s how this feature works:

Step 1: There’s the wp code snippet to specify the subject, recipient, message, etc, and email.

Step 2: wp_mail(), through the PHP mail function instructs the server to send emails. 

Step 3: Your WordPress hosting service provider initiates the process by requesting PHP mail to send the email. The hosting servers use SendMail or Postfix to route emails to your recipients. The receiving host can then reject or accept the email.

Since over 20 other WordPress functions use wp_mail, it’s not surprising that this function can be unreliable. 

The feature also makes it hard to build HTML templates, add images or attachments, and more importantly email headers without making adjustments.

All these shortcomings make your emails more likely to wind up in your recipient’s spam folder.

As well as this, WordPress’s built-in tool is limited in the types of emails you can typically send. There are a few triggered emails that you can send, which include:

• Password resets
• Transactional emails
• Form notifications

WordPress email users can easily check if the default wp email is active on the WordPress site using the free Check and Log Email plugin. You can find this plugin on your WordPress dashboard. 

The process is simple. First, choose an email address that can receive your test email. Next, enter the email address in the Send test email to box and and click the Send test email button. Then, check your inbox to see if you received the email.

You’ll make one of three observations:

• WordPress successfully delivered the email to your inbox, which means that the feature works perfectly
• The email ended up in your spam folder, meaning there may be authentication or verification issues that are causing email clients to flag your emails
• You didn’t receive the email, which means WordPress did not send it in the first place. In this case, your host may have disabled PHP mail

In the case of the second and third results, there are other options to send emails from WordPress to fix these issues. These include using a WordPress plugin or setting up an SMTP server manually using wp-config.php.

We’ll discuss these in the next sections.

How to send emails with a WordPress SMTP plugin

As mentioned, the default wp email function has its setbacks that may lead to your emails getting stuck in the spam folder, or not being sent at all. 

Setting up an SMTP plugin on your WordPress resolves most of these configuration issues. The plugin configures your wp_mail() to use SMTP instead of PHP and routes the email through an email-sending service.

The combination improves your site’s reliability and email deliverability.

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to do it:

Step 1. Select a dedicated sending service/SMTP plugin from WordPress

Here, you’ll log in to your WordPress as an admin. On the left menu, click on Plugins, then Add New. Click on the search box in the right corner, type WP Mail SMTP by WPForms, and search.

Then, click Install Now. After that, click on Activate once the installation is complete.

Step 2: Configure settings for “Mail”

Go to the settings page of the plugin and configure the following Mail setup:

• From email: Enter the email address that you want to send all your emails from. It’s important to know that this email address must be created on your domain, as third-party email addresses will not work. 

Be sure to check the box labeled Force From Email to ensure that your From Email setting will be used for all your emails:

• From name: This is set to the name of your website by default, but you can change it to anything you want. Here, you can also enable the Force From Name setting to apply this name sitewide:

• Return path: Check the Return Path option to ensure your return path matches your From Email. This way, you’ll be notified if any email bounces because of problems on your recipient’s end.

• Mailer: Here, you select the Other SMTP option:

Step 3: Configure “Other SMTP” settings

Select the Other SMTP icon at the bottom as your mailer. Another section will appear with settings for you to configure. These include:

• SMTP Host: Enter the outgoing server in your email provider’s SMTP settings
• Encryption: Encryption used for the SMTP connection, i.e., TLS, SSL, or none
• SMTP Port: The port your provider uses for SMTP connection is pre-filled, depending on the encryption selected
• Auto TLS: This option appears for SSL encryption only, and the field needs to be selected, i.e., it needs to be on
• Authentication: You’ll need to enable this button
• SMTP Username: Enter the email address you entered in the From Email field
• SMTP Password: Here, you’ll need to generate a password for your account

Finally, select Save Settings at the bottom of the page to confirm your configuration.

Step 4: Send a test email

Below are the steps for sending a test email:

• Go to the WP Mail SMTP settings page and click on the Email Test option
• Enter a recipient’s email address that you can access
• Click on the Send Mail button and wait for a few seconds
• Go to your email address and see if you’ve received the email and, if it was sent successfully, it should be in your inbox
• If the email ended up in the spam folder, you’ll need to add an SPF record to DNS settings

Step 5: Set up an SPF record (optional)

An SPF ensures spammers don’t use your domain as their senders’ email address. It specifies the servers authorized to send emails from your website’s domain. Therefore if the server is not approved, the email will be marked as unauthorized and rejected or sent to spam.

Here are SMTP configuration best practices for email deliverability:

• Use DNS records like SPF, DMARC, and DKIM to protect your domain from email spoofers
• Try sender reputation warming to improve deliverability
• Ensure your IP address is not on any block list

Plugins for email in WordPress

Plugins make it easier to send emails on WordPress and ensure they don’t end up in your users’ spam folders. They improve email deliverability, and allow you to manage your audience more effectively. 

Email plugins offer much more functionality than you can find on WordPress’s default email function. This is especially so if you’re looking for an automated email marketing solution or a mass email service to reach a wider audience.

With the right plugin, you can send marketing emails without leaving your WordPress dashboard. Depending on the plugin you choose, you’ll be able to conduct functions such as:

• Build opt-in forms to grow your subscriber list
• Send automated emails to your target audience
• Segment your email contact lists
• Create ecommerce-focused emails, etc.

How to set up Omnisend for WordPress

You need to set up the Omnisend backend integration to be able to use it on your WordPress store. This requires some developer knowledge and can be complex. 

However, if you have the WooCommerce plugin installed, you only need to install Omnisend as a plugin, with no backend configurations. 

If you do not have a WooCommerce plugin, this section discusses the front-end configuration for Omnisend for WordPress:

Step 1: On the Omnisend Dashboard, go to Connect your store, then click on Other. Enter your store URL and click on the Connect to store button.

Step 2: You’ll find snippets on the next page that you should paste to the HTML source code on your site. Be sure to insert the snippet on every page of your online store. 

Alternatively, an additional WordPress plugin can add the frontend snippet on every page. Here’s how to use Code Snippets:

• Go to the WordPress admin dashboard, then Plugins, search for Code Snippets and then click Install. Activate the plugins once the installation is done.

• Check the Admin dashboard sidebar and select Snippets

• Search for Example Javascript snippet, click the button to turn it on, and click Edit

• Paste this snippet there and replace the text <YOUR BRAND ID> with your Omnisend Brand ID:

add_action( ‘wp_footer’, function () { ?>

<script type=” text/javascript”>

//OMNISEND-SNIPPET-SOURCE-CODE-V1

window.omnisend = window.omnisend || [];

omnisend.push([“accountID”, “<YOUR_BRAND_ID>”]);

omnisend.push([“track”, “$pageViewed”]);

!function(){ var e=document.createElement(“script”);e.type= “text/javascript”,e.async=!0,e.src= “https://omnisnippet1.com/inshop/launcher-v2.js”; var t=document.getElementsByTagName(“script”)[0];t.parentNode.insertBefore(e,t)}();

</script>

<?php } );

• At the bottom of the page, select Run Snippet everywhere to paste the snippet on all your pages. Rename the snippet for later use, then click Save Changes

• Go back to the Omnisend store and click Verify

The Omnisend plugin is especially crucial for ecommerce platforms looking to elevate their email marketing campaigns. You can build an email list, use its advanced marketing automation feature, segment your list, send email and SMS campaigns, and more.

It’s important to send a test email so you can preview what your emails will look like in your recipient’s inbox.

Common email issues in WordPress

It’s frustrating when you try to send an email in WordPress, but it doesn’t work the way you want it to. There are a few common email issues that come up frequently when sending WordPress emails. Below, we will discuss what those issues are and how to fix them:

Emails going to spam

A common problem that comes up when using WordPress for emails is that your emails go to the spam folder. Fortunately, you can take steps to ensure your emails reach the inbox of whoever you send them to in a couple of ways. 

First, let your recipients know they should add you to their contacts. When you’re a contact in someone’s email list, your emails will go directly to their inbox.

Another option is to change your email address to one that looks more professional. If you’re using an email address that looks like spam, it will likely go to a spam folder.

Authenticating your email address could also prevent your emails from going into spam, as an email that isn’t authenticated won’t reach the inbox of the people you send it to.

Server configured incorrectly

Your WordPress server may not have the proper configuration to send emails. This will prevent your emails from reaching those you send them to. Luckily, you can check whether your server has the correct PHP mail() function.

You can solve a server configuration issue by installing a WordPress SMTP plugin. Omisend has a service to help you send emails, ensuring they reach the people who need to see them.

Using a third-party SMTP plugin can move emails across different networks while keeping them linked to your website. This means your emails are sent through another server, allowing them to get past the block on your host server.

Issues with contact form plugin

Your emails aren’t going to a spam folder, and you’ve corrected server issues. So why are they still not reaching your customers? You might have issues with your contact form plugin. There are several different contact form plugins you can use for your site, so how you correct this problem will depend on which form you use.

Fixing contact form plugin issues should help you increase customer engagement, so you want to handle this problem as soon as possible. Some plugins will have their own step-by-step guide for troubleshooting how to fix issues with sending emails.

With some plugins, the fix may be as simple as changing your email address. Other forms may be trying to send and receive your emails from the same address. Because each one has its slight differences, you’ll need to check the help or troubleshooting guides for the specific plugin you use or contact the customer service team to resolve emailing problems in WordPress.

How to test email sending in WordPress

Testing email sending in WordPress is a great way to learn whether your emails are making it into the inboxes of your recipients. How you test sending your emails will depend on which method you use for this process.

If you’re using an SMTP like Omnisend, you may have a built-in email test feature. So you can track where your emails go after you send them, but this typically won’t let you see what happens to the email. It won’t show if the email gets opened, only whether it was delivered to an inbox.

You can also use a check email plugin that allows you to simply type in the email address where you want to send a test email. Once you send it, wait a few minutes to see if it comes in, and if not, you likely have one of the issues discussed above.

Wrap up

If you’re sending WordPress emails to your audience, it’s important to take the necessary steps to make the most of the platform. 

As outlined in this article, WordPress provides free SMTP plugins you can download and configure for better deliverability. You can also set up other third-party plugins for an even wider range of functionalities, especially for email marketing. 

For instance, the Omnisend email marketing plugin allows you to send both email and SMS campaigns in a single channel. 

You’ll also get a more comprehensive range of ecommerce functionality, including automation, segmentation, and omnichannel marketing. Configuration is easy, especially if your WordPress website has a WooCommerce plugin.

For more information, use our email pricing calculator below to quickly compare costs and features with those of other top platforms. Input your desired number of contacts, choose up to two other email marketing providers from the list, and see how Omnisend stacks up against them.