Why should I use my email account's SMTP settings for email delivery? Print

Because message delivery is reliable, fast, and far less likely to be flagged as spam. Also, messages sent via the sender's SMTP, use the sender's address. Therefore, the recipient can reply to the sender and an email conversation can ensue.

Your website offers two email send methods, SMTP and Default.

• SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) is the most reliable method for sending email since it requires a valid login to the sender's outgoing (SMTP) mail server. When this happens, the mail headers match the reverse DNS records allowing near-flawless delivery.

• The Default method is used if you don't setup SMTP. Messages sent this way may not get to their intended recipients. Many email providers and internet service providers (ISPs) block messages, delay messages, or flag messages as spam if they are not sent via SMTP. In some cases, messages are delayed for hours or days. Even worse, some messages disappear altogether with no bounce or non-delivery report.

There are (3) three separate places on your site that may require SMTP to be setup.

1. [Sitewide SMTP] for Administrator accounts
   Login (as administrator) -> Preferences -> Sitewide Settings -> Email/SMS
   Step-by-step instructions for setting up Sitewide SMTP
   Used for:
   
   1. [Lost Password] emails
   2. [Tell a Friend] emails
   3. [Custom Form Auto Responder] emails
   4. [New User Welcome] emails
   5. A fallback SMTP send method if 2 or 3 below doesn't have SMTP setup
2. [My Email Integration] SMTP for Administrator accounts
   Login (as administrator) -> Preferences -> My Email Integration
   Step-by-step instructions for setting up SMTP for Administrator accounts
   Used for:
   
   1. [Canned Email Template] emails
   2. If enabled, the sender's address will be the administrator's address
   3. If not enabled, [Sitewide SMTP] is used as a fallback send method.
      • The sender's address is the [Sitewide SMTP] sender's address. Since this address probably isn't yours, email conversations are improbable.
   4. If not enabled and [Sitewide SMTP] is not enabled, the "Default" email send method will be used.
3. [My Email Integration] SMTP for Agent accounts
   Login (as agent) -> My Email Integration
   Step-by-step instructions for setting up SMTP for Agent accounts
   Used for:
   
   1. [Canned Email Template] emails
   2. If enabled, the sender's address will be the agent's address
   3. If not enabled, [Sitewide SMTP] is used as a fallback send method.
      • The sender's address is the [Sitewide SMTP] sender's address. Since this address probably isn't yours, email conversations are improbable.
   4. If not enabled and [Sitewide SMTP] is not enabled, the "Default" email send method will be used.