So, you launched your website on WordPress. It was a wise move as WordPress is used by 43.2% of all websites. Among those created with a known CMS, the market share is even higher — 62.8%! The reality is that when it comes to your business, your website is virtually the only thing that brings in work. People come to verify that your company is what it says it is. They look for things such as photos of you and your Team and previous projects you have completed on your About Us page. The second most important thing to ensure is working is the Contact Us page. Why, you might ask? Most initial contacts are email based and if your website is not properly set up to dispatch email to you, well you have no work!
Earlier this month, I had a Client reach out to me on Digital Matrix Group, where I do most of my web development from for both for profit and non profit firms. They had asked me to investigate why they had not been receiving any emails from their Contact Us page. When I solved their issue, I decided to write a post on the issue.
Last week, we discussed how to access Amazon AWS Lightsail from the command line in order to fix a collapsed critical error. Today, we are going to walk through how to fix email issues. First, we need to find out what your MX records are. Your host will provide them or you may simply check your website’s DNS. These are the IP addresses to where your email comes and goes from. The MX records are going to define whether or not you are using Google Workspace, Microsoft Outlook, or your host’s email servers. We are going to go with the scenario where your host’s email is used, but the solution we will discuss works regardless. You will need to set up an email address through cPanel.
You will need to set up an email address through cPanel. Then, you will need to reach out to your host and obtain the following information: SMTP Host Name, is the Encryption SSL or TLS, SMTP Port, Email Address and Password.
Now, we are going to upload a WordPress plugin called WP Mail SMTP. Simply go to your WordPress admin dashboard, select Add New Plugin, type in the title above, install and activate. It will begin a wizard for installation. When it asks you for SMTP provider, simply select Other SMTP and the bottom. Then proceed to enter the information you obtained from your host. That’s it! There is no need to buy the paid version unless you are running Google Workspace or Microsoft Outlook. In that case, you will have different MX records and information to enter into WP Mail SMTP.