Contact Forms Aren't Being Delivered or Going to Spam

If your emails sent through any contact form are ending up in spam folders or not being delivered, the main culprit is likely the lack of email authentication. By default, WordPress attempts to send emails through your hosting server using its wp_mail() function, which relies on the PHP mail() function. However, these emails often lack proper authentication, making them prone to being flagged by spam filters of email clients.

With email providers like Gmail and Yahoo increasingly cracking down on unauthenticated emails, we've noticed a rise in support tickets from users experiencing WordPress emails being marked as spam or not being delivered at all.

As of February 2024, Google has implemented stricter anti-spam measures, meaning emails sent to Gmail addresses may not be received unless they comply with authentication standards. This change will impact many WordPress sites, as senders who fail to authenticate their emails could eventually be prevented from emailing Gmail recipients altogether.

Authenticating Your Email

Using a generic email address in your WordPress forms (e.g., youremail@gmail.com, youremail@yahoo.com) may sometimes trigger spam filters or cause recipients to be wary of the email's legitimacy. Because of this, I HIGHLY recommend setting up a professional, branded email. For example, my domain is heartenmade.com and my email address is hello@heartenmade.com.

*Note: If you want to continue to use a generic gmail address (e.g. youremail@gmail.com) you can create a free Google Cloud account and follow along to this Youtube tutorial

Once you have a branded email created, you can install an SMTP plugin which fixes your email deliverability by reconfiguring WordPress to use a proper SMTP provider when sending emails.

1. Set up a professional, branded email with Google Workspace and then follow their steps on how to verify your domain name. (Your website host may also offer free branded emails and be able to set this up for you as well so you can also check with them first!)
2. Install and activate the WP Mail SMTP plugin, choose your mailer, and then follow their instructions on how to set it all up.

After you've authenticated your new email, make sure to set up your Kadence contact form, or whichever contact form you're using, with the new email address and test it out. Be sure to add your new email address in the "Email Settings" field so that you are notified via email when you receive contact form submissions. Kadence also has instructions on how to set up their forms correctly here.

*Please note that because email deliverability is not a theme-related issue, I do not offer support for authenticating emails or DNS settings. If you continue to have issues with email deliverability, please reach out to your website host.