Knowledgebase

Sending WordPress Emails via SMTP (Firstserv Guide)

By default, WordPress sends emails using the server’s PHP mail function. While this requires no setup, it is not authenticated, which means emails may:

• Be flagged as spam
• Be blocked entirely
• Fail to reach recipients

To improve email delivery, we recommend sending emails via SMTP (authenticated email) using a cPanel mailbox.

Why Use SMTP?

SMTP authentication ensures your emails are:

✅ Verified as legitimate
✅ Less likely to be marked as spam
✅ More reliably delivered

What You’ll Need

Before starting, make sure you have:

• Access to your WordPress admin dashboard
• A cPanel email account (this will be used to send emails)
• The mailbox’s:
  • Email address (username)
  • Password
  • Mail server details

Step 1: Install WP Mail SMTP Plugin

1. Log in to your WordPress dashboard
2. Go to Plugins → Add New
3. Search for “WP Mail SMTP”
4. Click Install Now, then Activate

Step 2: Configure SMTP Settings

1. Open the plugin settings (via Settings or the WP Mail SMTP menu)
2. In the General tab, scroll to Mailer
3. Select Other SMTP

Enter Your Mailbox Details

Use your cPanel email account information:

• SMTP Host:
  mail.yourdomain.com (or your server hostname)

• Encryption:
  TLS (recommended) or SSL

• SMTP Port:
  587 (TLS) or 465 (SSL)

• Authentication:
  ON

• SMTP Username:
  Your full email address (e.g. info@yourdomain.com)

• SMTP Password:
  Your mailbox password

1. Click Save Settings

Step 3: Test Your Email Setup

1. Go to the Email Test tab
2. Enter a test email address
3. Click Send Email

✅ Success:

• You’ll see a confirmation message
• The email should arrive in your inbox

❌ Errors:

• Review the error message shown
• Check your SMTP settings and try again

Step 4: Secure Your SMTP Password (Recommended)

By default, the SMTP password is stored in your WordPress database in plain text. To improve security, you can move it to your wp-config.php file.

Update wp-config.php

1. Open cPanel → File Manager
2. Locate and edit wp-config.php
3. Add the following lines above:

Replace your_password with your actual email password.

Final Steps

1. Return to WP Mail SMTP settings
2. Remove the password from the plugin interface
3. Save settings

✅ The password will now be securely read from wp-config.php

Re-Test Email

• Go back to the Email Test tab
• Send another test email to confirm everything still works

Important Notes

• All WordPress emails (including contact forms) will now be sent via authenticated SMTP
• cPanel mailboxes are not designed for bulk or mass emailing

⚠️ For sending large volumes of email (newsletters, campaigns), use dedicated platforms such as:

• Mailchimp
• Constant Contact
• iContact

These services are built for bulk email and help with deliverability and compliance (e.g. GDPR).

Summary

Switching to SMTP improves email reliability by:

• Authenticating outgoing messages
• Reducing spam filtering issues
• Ensuring consistent delivery

If you need help configuring SMTP or troubleshooting email delivery, the Firstserv support team is always available to assist.