Contact Forms Aren't Being Delivered or Going to Spam

Kadence Form Block Email Settings

First, double-check your form block email settings. Follow along with my Form Guide to confirm how the email settings should be set up.

Why emails are not being delivered at all or going to spam

Even if your form settings look correct, emails can still end up in spam or fail to deliver. The main reason is that WordPress is trying to send email without proper authentication. Free email addresses (like Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook) almost always get flagged as suspicious when sent through WordPress.

So if you're using an email address like myemailaddress@gmail.com, you're most likely getting flagged.

"But my form used to work before?"

Email providers are constantly tightening their security standards. What used to pass as “okay” can now get rejected or filtered into spam. If your form stopped working, it likely means your website emails are no longer being trusted without proper authentication.

How to fix these deliverability issues

1. Step one: Create a professional, branded, business email address

   Set up an email that matches your domain, such as hello@yourwebsite.com . You can usually create one through your website host so check with them first. You can also use a service like Google Workspace.

2. Step two: Use SMTP to send emails

   Install the free WP Mail SMTP plugin and follow the setup wizard.

   **Some hosts (like BigScoots for example) provide their own SMTP service, so you may not need this plugin. Check with your host first!

3. Step three: Add authentication records (SPF, DKIM, DMARC)

   These records tell mail services your emails are legitimate.

   ⠀⠀‣ If you’re using Google Workspace (or another similar provider), the WP Mail SMTP setup wizard will guide you through adding the correct records.

   ⠀⠀‣ If your email is with your host, contact them again for help setting these up.