How to Send Emails from Your WordPress Site

The Email Deliverability Dilemma

You’ve spent countless hours perfecting your WordPress website. It’s live, it’s beautiful, and it’s functional. But there’s a catch: your emails aren’t getting delivered. Whether it’s transactional emails like order confirmations or newsletters to your subscribers, they’re either landing in spam folders or not showing up at all.

This isn’t just frustrating—it can harm your business. Missed emails mean lost opportunities, disgruntled customers, and a tarnished reputation. Unfortunately, default WordPress email settings are not equipped to handle the complexities of modern email delivery.

Why It’s Worse Than You Think

Email providers like Gmail, Yahoo, and Outlook are cracking down on spam. They use stringent algorithms to determine whether an email is legitimate or junk. If your emails aren’t configured correctly, they may never reach your recipient’s inbox.

Add to this the technical minefield of email authentication. Without proper DNS records like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, your emails lack credibility in the eyes of email providers. Even worse, your domain could be spoofed by malicious actors, damaging your brand’s trustworthiness.

The question is: how do you fix it?

Setting Up Email Deliverability the Right Way

Option 1: The Manual Way

For a hands-on approach, you’ll need to configure DNS records manually. This process requires some technical knowledge and access to your domain registrar’s DNS settings.

1. SPF (Sender Policy Framework): SPF specifies which servers are authorized to send emails on behalf of your domain. To set this up:
   • Contact your web host to get the server’s IP address.
   • Log into your domain registrar’s DNS settings.
   • Add a TXT record with your SPF details. For example:

     v=spf1 ip4:123.45.67.89 ~all

     Replace 123.45.67.89 with your server’s actual IP address. This step ensures email providers recognize your server as a legitimate sender. It’s essentially signalizing that the server your website it hosted on is authorized to send emails from your domain’s behalf.

2. DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail): DKIM adds a digital signature to your emails, verifying they haven’t been tampered with during transit. Here’s how to set it up:
   • Generate a DKIM key from your web host or email provider.
   • Add a TXT record in your DNS settings with the DKIM key details.
3. DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance): DMARC tells email providers how to handle emails that fail SPF or DKIM checks. To configure it:
   • Add a TXT record like this:

     v=DMARC1; p=quarantine; rua=mailto:dmarc-reports@yourdomain.com

     Adjust the policy (p=quarantine) to suit your needs. You can change it to p=reject for stricter enforcement.

Option 2: The Easy Postmark Way

If the manual method feels overwhelming, Postmark offers a simpler solution tailored for transactional emails. Not only is it simpler, it also has proven to be more reliable.

1. Sign Up for Postmark:
   • Create an account at Postmark. They provide step-by-step guidance to get started quickly. If your website isn’t doing high-volumes of emailing, you might be able to get by on their free plan.
2. Authenticate Your Domain:
   • In the Postmark dashboard, add your domain.
   • Postmark will generate the necessary SPF, DKIM, and Return-Path records.
   • Copy these records and add them to your DNS settings following the provided instructions.
3. Install the Postmark Plugin for WordPress:
   • Download and activate the Postmark WordPress plugin.
   • Go to the plugin settings in WordPress and enter your Postmark API key, available in your Postmark dashboard.
   • Alternatively, you could use any number of SMTP plugins to get this set up. WP Mail SMTP also has a built-in Postmark integration.
4. Test Your Setup:
   • Use Postmark’s built-in testing tool to ensure everything is configured correctly. Once verified, your emails will bypass spam filters and reach their intended recipients reliably.

We’re partial to Postmark because it’s user-friendly, secure, and specifically optimized for transactional emails. Unlike WordPress’s default PHP mailer, Postmark offers detailed analytics, ensuring you know exactly when your emails are sent, delivered, and opened.

Final Thoughts

Whether you choose the manual method or the streamlined Postmark solution, taking the time to set up proper email deliverability safeguards your communications and enhances your website’s professionalism. Don’t let poor email deliverability hold you back—take action today and ensure your emails always land in the inbox.