How To Setup Email For Getting Notifications

Why This Is Important?

Before you can send email notifications, or auto-responders, you need to configure the email settings, in Options -> Email -> Email Setup. With incorrect or incomplete setup the emails will never reach your inbox.

Email Methods

  1. WP Mail

    This method uses your server settings for sending emails.
    The Good Part: This method requires little configuration. Easy to setup.
    The Bad Part: This method is unreliable. This method is the most likely reason your emails are in SPAM, or not reaching your inbox at all.

  2. SMTP Method

    The Good Part: This method is reliable for sending emails, and is recommended.
    The Bad Part:     This requires some configuration. Don’t worry – scroll down to see how to configure it.

Configure WP Mail

  1. Sender Name
    Type in something like MyBlog
  2. Sender Email
    Type in something like dan@myblog.com. Any email address works. If your domain is myblog.com, it’s better to use a Sender Email like dan@myblog.com, rather than myblog@yahoo.com.

Configure SMTP Method

These settings here would depend on your email provider.

Settings for Gmail, or a Google Apps account can be found here. For Yahoo, try this. If you are using Google Apps, you may need to enable the option ‘Enforce Less Secure Apps’. You can read about it here.

If you are using GoDaddy, set the SMTP Host to localhost, and leave the Username, Password and Port as blank.

If you are using an email provided by your web host, you would find the settings with them.

  1. Sender Name
    Type in something like MyBlog
  2. Sender Email
    Type in something like dan@myblog.com.
  3. Username
    The username that you use to login to this email account.
  4. Password
    The password of the account
  5. SMTP Host
    For Gmail / Google Apps, this would be smtp.gmail.com.
  6. Port
    For Gmail / Google Apps, use port 465 with SSL, or 587 with TLS

I Am Not Getting Emails. Help!

In 90% of the cases, this is because your web host (GoDaddy, and most other shared hosting platforms) are not equipped to send emails.

  1. If you are using WP Mail method, and it says ‘Email(s) Sent‘ when sending test email, but you don’t get the emails, it’s because your email service is filtering out emails. Please check the SPAM folder.
  2. If you are using WP Mail method, and it says ‘Email Setup Error‘ when sending test email, your web host isn’t configured to send emails. Please create a ticket with them.
  3. If you are using SMTP Method, and it says ‘SMTP Error‘ or ‘SMTP connect() failed‘ when sending test email, your web host has probably blocked outgoing SMTP. Please check with them.
  4. Check the ‘From’ address, and see it matches your domain. If your domain is myblog.com, use a ‘From’ address like dan@myblog.com, rather than using myblog@yahoo.com.