Contact Forms Aren't Being Delivered or Going to Spam

Kadence Form Block Email Settings

First, make sure your Form block settings are set up correctly. You can adjust the email settings in the Form block under the General tab > Email Settings. Follow along to this Kadence guide to see how the Email Settings should be set up.

So if my form settings are correct, WHY is the form going to the spam folder or not being delivered at all?

If your emails sent through any contact form on your WordPress site are ending up in spam folders or not being delivered at all, the main culprit is likely the lack of email authentication.

Let's imagine you’re throwing a party and sending out the invites. But instead of using your real address, you scribble down some random address on the envelope. The post office sees this and thinks, "Hm, this looks fake, we're not delivering this!" That’s exactly what’s happening with your website’s contact form.

Your WordPress website is trying to send an email from example@gmail.com, but it’s not actually using Gmail’s mail system and lacks authentication. So Gmail looks at it and says, "This email looks super suspicious. I’m throwing this into the spam folder... or blocking it from sending completely!"

***I'm using Gmail as an example here, but this applies to other mailers like Yahoo, Outlook, etc.

So how can we fix these issues?!

1. First, you need a professional business email address

Using a free generic email address in your WordPress forms (e.g., example@gmail.com, example@yahoo.com) will almost always trigger spam filters or cause recipients to be wary of the email's legitimacy because it lacks authentication like we talked about above. Because of this, I HIGHLY recommend setting up a professional business/branded email.

For example, my domain is heartenmade.com and my email address is hello@heartenmade.com.

You can either create a business email address with your website host or with something like Google Workspace. It may be more simple to set this up with your host, so check with their support team first!

2. Then, use an "Official" Mail Carrier (SMTP) WordPress plugin

Right now, your website is like a kid trying to mail a letter by scribbling an address on a piece of paper and tossing it in a mailbox. No stamp, no return address, nothing official.

What you need is an official mail carrier (SMTP) to properly send the email so mailers trust it.

How to set up SMTP:

Install the WordPress plugin WP Mail SMTP (it’s like hiring a proper mail carrier!) You can search for this plugin in the Plugins page from your WordPress dashboard.

In the plugin settings, you'll choose how you want to send emails and then follow the setup wizard in the plugin to connect everything. This plugin also allows you to test your deliverability.

– If you set up an email with Google Workspace, you would choose Gmail’s mail system

– If you set up your business email address with your host, you will need to select "Other SMTP" and then ask your host what the SMTP information is. You can also Google the SMTP settings for host. For example, if Dreamhost is your host, you can Google "dreamhost smtp settings" to find settings you need here.

3. Add "proof" that your emails are real

This is a little techy, but you'll need to add special "stamps" (SPF, DKIM, and DMARC dns records) that tell mailers, "Hey, I promise these emails are real!"

– If you've created your business email address with your website host, tell your host you need to set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC records and they should be able to point you in the right direction. You can also Google "how to add spf dkim and dmarc records [insert your host here]" to find an article on how to do this.

– If you’re following along to the WP Mail SMTP setup wizard for Google, it should walk you through the steps on how to add these records.

All finished! After you've authenticated your new business email address, make sure to test your new form out to make sure it's being delivered!