Post SMTP is a plugin for WordPress that allows you to send emails via a Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) server instead of the default PHP mail function. Using a SMTP server can improve the deliverability of emails sent from your website by using a more reputable server and providing authentication information. This can help to ensure that your emails are not flagged as spam and are more likely to reach the intended recipient.
The plugin allows you to configure different SMTP server settings, including the server address, port, and login credentials. It also has options for specifying the “From” name and email address and the “Reply-To” email address. Additionally, it provides features like email logging, test email sending, and email resending.
It’s an efficient way to improve the deliverability of emails sent from your website, and also it helps to ensure that your emails will not be flagged as spam and reach the intended recipient.
What Is Email Delivery Failure
Email delivery failure refers to an email’s inability to reach its intended recipient. This can occur for various reasons, including issues with the recipient’s email address, problems with the email server, or issues with the email’s content.
Some common causes of email delivery failure include:
- Invalid or non-existent email address
- The recipient’s email server is down or unavailable
- The email’s content is flagged as spam or contains malicious attachments
- The email’s size exceeds the recipient’s email server’s limits
- The recipient’s email server has blocked the sender’s IP address
- The recipient’s email server is using DMARC policy and the email failed the check
In some cases, the sender will receive a bounce-back message indicating the specific reason for the delivery failure. However, in other cases, the sender may not receive any notification of the failure. It’s important to note that an email that has failed to deliver once, doesn’t mean it will fail again. Some of the causes are temporary and can be fixed.
What Is The Importance Of Email Delivery Failure Notification
Email delivery failure notifications are important because they allow the sender to be aware that their email was not delivered and take action to resolve the issue.
Without delivery failure notifications, the sender may not be aware that their email has not been delivered and may continue to send emails to an invalid or undeliverable address, which can waste time and resources. With notifications, the sender can quickly correct the issue and resend the email, improving the chances of successful delivery.
Additionally, delivery failure notifications can provide valuable information about why the email was not delivered. This can help the sender identify and address any issues with their email content, server settings, or other factors affecting deliverability.
Moreover, Email delivery failure notifications can also help to protect the sender’s reputation. Suppose the sender is unaware that their emails are failing to deliver and continues to send to invalid or undeliverable addresses. In that case, it can damage their reputation as a sender and be blocked by the recipient’s email server.
In summary, email delivery failure notifications are important because they allow the sender to be aware that their email was not delivered, take action to resolve the issue, provide valuable information about why the email was not delivered and protect the sender’s reputation.
There are several options for email delivery failure notifications, including:
Bounce messages: These are messages sent back to the sender when an email cannot be delivered. They usually include an error message and a reason for the failure.
Non-delivery receipts (NDRs): These are similar to bounce messages, but they are sent to the sender when an email has been successfully delivered to the recipient’s email server, but not to the recipient’s inbox.
Delivery status notifications (DSNs): These are messages sent to the sender when an email has been successfully delivered to the recipient’s inbox. They can also include information about any delays or issues that occurred during the delivery process.
Email tracking and analytics: Some email services provide detailed information about the delivery status of an email, including whether it was opened, clicked, or marked as spam.
Email API: Some email service providers also offer APIs that can be used to track delivery status of an email and get failure notification, this can be integrated with your application.
Email delivery software: Email delivery software that can be integrated with your application to track the delivery status of an email and notify you of any failures.
SMTP Plugins: A WordPress SMTP plugin connects your site to an SMTP server, allowing you to relay and send emails from your domain.
How Post SMTP Plugin Notifies About Failed Email Delivery
Post SMTP is a WordPress plugin that enables you to send email over an SMTP server rather than the conventional PHP mail function. This can increase the deliverability of emails sent from your website by utilising a more trustworthy server and giving authentication information. Post-SMTP provides five services for notifying users of a failed email delivery. It helps you maintain track so that, if necessary, you may resend emails from the log section.
Admin Email : Admin email services are easily accessible by using a valid admin email account.
Slack : Enter your Slack webhook to set your email delivery notification.
Pushover – (Push notifications): Choose pushover for push notifications. Pushover user key and app token are required for configuration.
Twilio : Get SMS alerts when your email fails using Twilio. Setup requires Twilio SIDr key, token key, send-to number, and messaging service SID.
Chrome extension: Post SMTP allows users to receive browser notifications in the event of an SMTP failure by enabling push to the extension and providing the extension’s UID.
Setup A Fallback Email
To set up a Fallback email with Post SMTP, you can configure a backup email server to send messages through in case the primary server is unavailable. Here are the steps to set up a Fallback email with Post SMTP:
Install and activate the Post SMTP plugin on your WordPress site.
Go to the plugin settings and configure the primary email server. This will be the server that Post SMTP will use to send messages by default.
Under the Fallback tab, you will find the option to add a Fallback email server. Fill in the details of the backup server, including the mail server, port, and credentials.
Save the settings.
Note: Now, whenever the primary server is unavailable, Post SMTP will automatically switch to the backup server to send messages.
It’s important to test the Fallback email server to ensure that it’s configured correctly and that the message is sent to the correct email address.
When setting up a Fallback email with Post SMTP, it’s important to have a backup plan in place in case the primary email server goes down or is experiencing issues. This ensures that your emails are still being sent and received, even if there is a problem with your primary email server.
The Post SMTP plugin allows you to configure a secondary email server as a Fallback option. This means that if the primary server cannot send an email, the plugin will automatically switch to the fallback server and send the message through that instead. This process is transparent to the user, and the email will be sent as if it were sent through the primary server.
In addition to configuring a fallback server, the Post SMTP plugin also provides several other advanced features to help improve the reliability and deliverability of your emails. These include options for customizing the sender name and address, setting up custom SMTP headers, and enabling SSL/TLS encryption for added security.
It’s also important to test the fallback server to ensure that it’s configured correctly and that messages are being sent to the correct email address. This can be done by sending a test email through the fallback server and checking that it was received correctly.
Setting up a Fallback email with Post SMTP is an important step in ensuring the reliability and deliverability of your emails. It allows you to have a backup plan in place in case of any issues with the primary email server and ensures that your emails are still being sent and received, even if there is a problem with the primary server.
Configure Fail Email Delivery Notifications
To configure fail email delivery notifications in POST SMTP, you will need to do the following:
Install and activate the POST SMTP plugin on your WordPress site.
Go to the plugin’s settings page and navigate to the “Notifications” tab.
Under the “Notification Service” section, select your preffered service. Post SMTP provides 5 services including
- Admin Email
- Slack
- Pushover
- Twilio
- Chrome
Admin Email
With a verified admin email account, admin email services are easily available.
Slack
By providing your Slack webhook and slack credentials, you may set up email notifications to be sent directly to Slack.
Pushover – (Push notifications)
Send push notifications using pushover. For setup, you’ll need a pushover user key and app token.
Twilio
Twilio may send SMS notifications if your email fails. Twilio SID, token, send-to number, and messaging service SID are needed for setup. Learn more about Twilio notification setup here.
Chrome Extension
You can get failure notifications on Chrome browser using Post SMTP chrome extension by enabling push to chrome extension and providing chrome extension UID.
Conclusion
In conclusion, email failure delivery notifications in Post SMTP can be a useful tool for identifying and addressing issues with email delivery. These notifications can alert the sender to issues such as invalid recipient email addresses, full mailboxes, or blocked domains, allowing them to take steps to resolve the issue and ensure successful delivery in the future. Additionally, by providing detailed information on why an email was not delivered, Post SMTP can help organizations improve their email delivery processes and ensure better communication with their customers or clients.