Setting Up Email On WordPress.com

If you’re a marketer, you understand that sending and receiving emails is not something that can be taken for granted. With 45-50% of emails worldwide marked as spam, and email services constantly adjusting their filters and algorithms, it’s harder than ever for legitimate emails to reach the right inbox. Yet, despite new ways of contacting clients, dependable email service remains essential for every small business.

During the early stages of a website redesign, email needs are often overlooked, which could cause problems during the launch. However, with some simple steps, you can easily set up your website on WordPress.com to address these needs.

Considering Your Email Needs

• Existing Email Accounts: If you have existing email accounts with providers like Google or Outlook using your business domain, you already have DNS records set up. If you keep your current DNS, you can leave those records. If you’re migrating to WordPress.com DNS, make sure to copy these records during the launch to ensure email flow continues without interruption.
• Website-Generated Emails: WordPress.com enables SMTP by default for contact forms and other website-generated emails. However, it is necessary to properly configure your DNS records to ensure deliverability.

Simplifying Email Setup with WordPress.com Hosting

Your website typically needs to send emails for contact forms, order confirmations, and other notifications. By default, WordPress (the CMS) uses a PHP method to send emails, which isn’t dependable. WordPress cannot send emails reliably on its own without connecting to an SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) service, which requires the correct settings.

Many email services such as Amazon SES, Brevo, MailPoet and Postmark can help your website send emails reliably for a monthly fee. However, if your website is hosted on WordPress.com, SMTP email services are included in your business hosting package at no extra cost.

Will we have to move all of our DNS records to WordPress.com?

DNS records help your website and domain connect with other servers (like email) and allow people to access your site. Domains are usually bought from a domain registrar, where DNS records are also managed. However, many hosting companies prefer using their own nameservers instead. WordPress.com suggests migrating to their DNS as the most reliable option, but it’s not the only choice.

We’ve discussed this on multiple occasions with WordPress.com Support and it is perfectly acceptable to point your domain to their IP addresses. While it’s possible the IP addresses could change over time, we have been assured it would be a rare event and with their monitoring services, notifications would be sent if there were any disruption or impact. 

If you prefer to transfer your DNS to WordPress.com, you can either copy the necessary records manually or use a BIND file to import your DNS records to WordPress.com. The admin interface will guide you during the domain setup process.

Set Up Email Authentication

WordPress.com uses your administrator email to send emails on your behalf. So before you add or edit the required DNS records, make sure your administrator email matches your website domain. If that looks good and you are using your existing external DNS to point to WordPress.com IP addresses, you can improve email deliverability and avoid spam issues by setting up email authentication records like SPF and DKIM (and DMARC if it’s not already set up). WordPress.com also provides simple instructions and tools for this during your migration and setup.

Once these steps are done, you’re ready to launch, but make sure to test thoroughly first.

Don’t Overlook Email When Launching Your Website

Effective email communication is crucial for online businesses. By focusing on email early in your website project and using the tools from WordPress.com, it’s easy to ensure seamless communication and a good user experience for your visitors.