As a website owner, you know how important it is to have a reliable email system in place. Whether you’re sending newsletters, sending transactional information, or just checking in with users, emails are a big part of your online presence. But setting up an email system for your website isn’t as simple as just creating a Gmail account. That’s why you need a dedicated email service. It’s like having your own personal email concierge, taking care of everything for you. And to make sure everything runs smoothly, your website agency and your oranisation need to work together, making sure your brand, domain name, and IT services are all in sync. It’s a team effort, but the end goal is a seamless email system that helps you transact, connect with your audience and grow your sales and/or online presence.
Why do I need one of these email services?
It is technically possible to send emails from a website or web application using a personal email service like Gmail or Yahoo, but it is highly discouraged for several reasons:
- Email Deliverability: Personal email services like Gmail or Yahoo have strict email-sending limits and anti-spam filters, which can result in your emails being marked as spam or not being delivered at all.
- Reputation: Using a personal email service for sending emails from a website or web application can harm your domain reputation and IP reputation, as well as the reputation of your email service provider.
- Scalability: Personal email services are not designed to handle the high volume of emails that are generated by websites and web applications. As your website grows, you may hit sending limits or face other delivery issues.
- Lack of Analytics: Personal email services lack the advanced analytics and tracking features offered by dedicated email service providers. This can make it difficult to measure the success of your email campaigns and optimize your email strategy.
It is therefore highly recommended to use a dedicated SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) email service provider, such as Sendinblue, Mailjet, or Sendgrid when sending emails from a website or web application. These services provide the necessary infrastructure, security, and deliverability to ensure that your emails are delivered to your audience and that your online presence remains professional and effective.
By using a dedicated email service provider, websites and web applications can greatly improve the successful delivery of emails and avoid the potential for abuse, which can result in a poor sender reputation and reduced deliverability. Most providers offer a free membership option for sending low volumes of emails, which is really useful for many small businesses in New Zealand, but these can still be susceptible to IP blacklisting, as with these low-cost options, you are generally sharing a server/IP address with many other organisations. The only way to reduce or avoid getting blacklisted by email providers is to use a paid account (even if you don’t need the send volume allowance) or use an email service that has a dedicated IP address.
The top 3 SMTP email services for websites (in my opinion) are:
- Sendinblue: Sendinblue is a cloud-based marketing automation platform that offers a full-featured SMTP service. It’s suitable for small businesses and startups and provides a user-friendly interface for sending and tracking emails.
- Mailjet: Mailjet is another cloud-based email marketing platform that offers SMTP services. It’s best suited for larger organisations and enterprises that require a more robust email solution.
- SendGrid: SendGrid is a cloud-based email delivery platform that offers a flexible SMTP service. It’s ideal for developers who want to send large volumes of emails and need a reliable and scalable solution.
Things to ensure and avoid when setting up a connection
- Ensure you have the correct SMTP settings for the service you are using. Most email services provide detailed instructions on how to set up an SMTP connection.
- Ensure that the from address is valid and belongs to your domain. This helps to ensure deliverability and maintain a good sender reputation.
- Avoid sending spam or unsolicited emails. This can result in your email account getting blocked or blacklisted.
- Ensure that your email content complies with email marketing laws and regulations, such as the CAN-SPAM act.
- Avoid using a free email service like Gmail or Yahoo for sending emails from your website or web application. These services have strict sending limits and can result in your emails getting marked as spam.
When it comes to sending emails from your website, having a dedicated email service provider is a must. No one wants to send an important email, only to find out it got lost in cyberspace. By using a dedicated email service, you can ensure that your emails always make it to their destination, without getting marked as spam or blocked. It’s like having your own personal postman to make sure your messages are delivered right to the doorstep. Do your research and choose an email service that fits your needs, and make sure to follow the guidelines when setting it up. By doing so, you’ll be able to send emails with confidence, knowing that they’ll get where they need to go.