When we’re talking about sending emails via “SMTP,” we’re referring to how we’re going to send emails generated by a server. SMTP is the exact same “Simple Mail Transfer Protocol” as you use for Outlook. In this way, emails sent via SMTP look, for all intents and purposes, like normal emails–not server-generated suspicious emails.
You see, when some developers setup things to send server-generated notification emails through an unauthenticated protocol, like “PHP Mail,” they are using the same mechanism a lot of spammers do. The recipient’s email client (Outlook or whatever) knows that and tends to flag it as spam. AFter all, why didn’t they send it via SMTP?!
By sending notification emails via SMTP, which requires authentications, we can increase deliverability significantly and make those admin notification actually make it to your inbox.
It takes a little more work to get the credentials setup and emails flowing, but it’s well worth it to help make sure you actually get that next big deal from your Contact Us form.
It may sound like a bunch of abbreviated jargon, but aren’t you glad you read this post now? Sure you are.