The quietest and costliest bug: the form says Message sent and you never receive it. Or a client orders and the confirmation never arrives. People think you are ignoring them.
Why it happens
By default WordPress sends via PHP mail() — a function that sends mail WITHOUT authentication. Gmail, Outlook and the rest treat that as suspicious: the message lands in spam or is dropped silently. Nothing is broken in your site — the sending method is just outdated.
The fix: SMTP (10 minutes)
- 1. Install WP Mail SMTP (free)
- 2. Create a mailbox on your domain in cPanel, e.g. info@yourcompany.mk (if you do not have one)
- 3. In the plugin pick Other SMTP and enter: SMTP Host (mail.yourdomain.mk), port 465 with SSL (or 587 with TLS), username = the full address, password = the mailbox password
- 4. From Email = the SAME address (not gmail — otherwise you land in spam again)
- 5. Send a test email from the plugin → it should arrive in seconds
If you want maximum deliverability
For stores sending hundreds of emails a day, a dedicated service (SendGrid, Brevo and similar) is more reliable than a shared server. For most sites, SMTP through your own domain is more than enough.
The details everyone misses
- SPF and DKIM records — they tell Gmail you are allowed to send from that domain; with us they are set automatically, just ask if unsure
- A From address that does not exist (noreply@some-domain) — a sure path to spam
- Test ALL forms, not just contact: orders, registrations, password resets
Help
If your site is with us, give us a shout — we set up and test SMTP for free, domain records included.