Are you missing important emails? Are your Contact forms going to Junk Mail or your SPAM folder?
This is a common issue for WordPress sites and more advance email services. Then forms are set up (Elementor, Contact Form 7, Ninja Form, etc), they use WordPress’s mail PHP function. This is different than your standard email services such as Gmail, Outlook, MacMail, or others.
The issue arrises once the server has created and sent the email. As that email travels from server to server, it is often flagged as spam email or even blocked. This is because WP doesn’t adde any authentication to the email message. Your email server or application can not verify the sender and flags it as junk or spam.
What you can do to stop your web forms from going to Junk Mail.
There are a few things you can check and do to prevent this from occurring. The first step is to check that your web server hasn’t been “blacklisted“. Blacklisted means your server has been flagged for spamming in the past. If this is the case, none of your emails will be trusted.
With shared hosting (EX: GoDaddy Managed WP hosting) it can happen if only 1 customer is blacklisted. All of the other customers and websites on that server will have problems.
This can also happen if your site is infected with malware, or if a hacker is using your server as an email relay. There are many sites that can help you determine if you server is blacklisted. The MXToolbox blacklists checker is a good option. Just click Blacklist Check to scan unto 100 sites.
Other Reasons for Emails Getting Listed as Spam.
- It is common for recipients using AOL, Yahoo, or Gmail. These providers tend to apply stricter spam checks. For example, Yahoo can reject any email from a domain without a DMARC record.
- Attachments and certain files types can create a flag for spam.
- Unusual Top Level Domains (TLD) “.com”. “.org” “.net” are common TLD. Research shows the TLDs most abused by spammers include .work, .shop, and .biz. A non-traditional doesn’t mean you will be classified as a spammer, but can increase the chance.
- Excessive amounts of emails sent
- Malware on you website generating spam.
- Your Email Application need to have it Junk rules updated, amended or changed.
Setting Up An STMP or Other Plugin for WordPress
There are a bunch of plugin solutions for WP sites. After some research, I found WP Mail SMTP by WPForms. It is a simple plugin and the free version works for many email services. For Outlook 365, it required the PRO version for as low as $49.995/year. There is an option to have it set up for your for $99.99.
The installation and integration with Outlook 365 was simple. It instantly corrected the problems of web forms going to my Junk Mail or Spam folder.
This is great option. The Pro version includes these valuable features :
With email logging turned on, you’ll be able to:
- Check delivery status
- Resend emails
- Export email logs
- AND save attachments!
If you are frustrated with your emails hitting Junk or Spam folder, you should consider this. If you would like it added to your site, please contact us to get started.