Summary
To ensure reliable delivery of messages from website contact forms, experts widely recommend using specialized transactional email service providers rather than relying on default shared hosting SMTP. Services such as SendGrid, Mailgun, Postmark, Amazon SES, SMTP.com, MailJet, PostageApp, SparkPost, and Brevo are frequently highlighted for their superior performance. These platforms are purpose-built for sending high-volume, automated transactional emails, offering enhanced deliverability, robust infrastructure, and advanced features that surpass standard hosting environments. By utilizing these dedicated services, businesses can ensure that critical communications, like contact form submissions, reliably reach the inbox and are not lost or marked as spam.
Key findings
- Top Tier Services: SendGrid, Mailgun, and Postmark are consistently recommended by experts as leading choices for managing website contact form emails due to their specialized focus on transactional email delivery.
- Reliable Alternatives: Other highly reliable options frequently cited include Amazon SES, SMTP.com, MailJet, PostageApp, SparkPost, and Brevo, all of which offer robust solutions for automated form submissions.
- Ensured Deliverability: These dedicated SMTP services are engineered for high deliverability, drastically reducing the chances of crucial contact form messages being flagged as spam or failing to reach their intended recipients.
- Robust Infrastructure: Providers like these boast robust infrastructure, impressive scalability, and the capacity to handle large volumes of transactional emails, making them essential for websites with frequent form interactions.
- Integration and Analytics: Many of these services offer detailed analytics for tracking email performance and provide versatile integration options, including traditional SMTP interfaces, comprehensive APIs, and user-friendly WordPress plugins.
Key considerations
- Avoid Default Hosting SMTP: It is strongly advised to avoid relying on default shared hosting email functions or generic email service providers for contact form submissions. These often suffer from deliverability issues, poor IP reputation, and unreliability, leading to lost messages.
- Prioritize Transactional Specialists: For contact forms, prioritize services explicitly designed for transactional emails. These providers are optimized for the quick, reliable delivery of automated, system-generated messages, ensuring they reach the inbox.
- WordPress Integration: For WordPress websites, these specialized SMTP services typically integrate seamlessly, often through popular plugins like WP Mail SMTP, which can significantly enhance email reliability for form submissions.
- Evaluate Cost and Scale: When choosing a service, consider factors such as cost-effectiveness, especially for smaller sites where Amazon SES might be a good fit, and scalability based on the anticipated volume of form submissions.
What email marketers say
8 marketer opinions
The consensus among email marketing experts for ensuring reliable delivery of website contact form submissions is to leverage dedicated SMTP services. These specialized providers, including popular choices like SendGrid, Mailgun, and Postmark, alongside robust options such as Amazon SES and SMTP.com, are engineered for transactional email. They consistently outperform generic shared hosting email solutions by offering superior deliverability, scalable infrastructure, and the assurance that critical messages reach their intended recipients without falling into spam folders. This approach is vital for any website aiming for consistent communication through its forms.
Key opinions
- Leading SMTP Solutions: SendGrid, Mailgun, and Postmark are consistently cited as top-tier choices for website contact forms, often recommended for their focus on transactional email.
- Diverse Reliable Providers: Beyond the top three, Amazon SES, PostageApp, and SMTP.com are also highlighted as highly dependable SMTP services suitable for handling website form emails.
- Superior Deliverability: These specialized services are built to ensure high deliverability rates, preventing contact form submissions from being marked as spam or lost, a common issue with standard hosting.
- Optimized for Transactional Use: Providers like SendGrid and Mailgun are specifically designed for transactional emails, making them ideal for the automated, system-generated messages from contact forms.
- Robust and Scalable Infrastructure: Many recommended services, including Amazon SES, offer robust infrastructure capable of handling varying volumes of emails efficiently and affordably, even for smaller sites.
Key considerations
- Avoid Shared Hosting Email: Experts strongly advise against using default shared hosting SMTP for contact forms due to its inherent unreliability, poor deliverability, and higher risk of messages being missed or spammed.
- Focus on Transactional Specialists: Opt for SMTP services specifically built for transactional emails, as they offer the dedicated infrastructure and features necessary for reliable and timely delivery of form submissions.
- Integration Ease: Evaluate services based on their ease of integration, including traditional SMTP interfaces and APIs, which simplify connecting them with website forms or WordPress installations.
- Cost-Effectiveness and Volume: Consider the cost structure and scalability, especially for smaller or medium-sized sites where services like AWS SES are noted for being highly reliable and cost-effective once configured.
Marketer view
Email marketer from Email Geeks recommends Amazon SES as another reliable SMTP service for website forms, in addition to MailGun and SendGrid.
18 Jun 2024 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
Email marketer from Email Geeks suggests PostageApp or Postmark for pure transactional emails, noting they offer both traditional SMTP interfaces and APIs for easy integration with website forms.
19 Apr 2022 - Email Geeks
What the experts say
3 expert opinions
For dependable delivery of website contact form submissions, experts strongly advise using specialized transactional email service providers instead of default web host mail functions. Services like MailGun, SendGrid, MailJet, and Postmark are frequently highlighted as reliable choices due to their focus on high deliverability and robust IP reputation management for automated messages. Integrating these services, often via plugins like WP Mail SMTP for WordPress sites, ensures that critical communications from forms consistently reach inboxes and are not lost or marked as spam.
Key opinions
- Top Recommended Services: MailGun, SendGrid, MailJet, and Postmark are consistently recommended by experts as highly reliable SMTP services for managing website contact form emails.
- Superior Deliverability: These specialized providers offer superior deliverability compared to general email service providers or web host mail, ensuring that form submissions reliably reach their intended recipients.
- Strong IP Reputation Management: Transactional email services are adept at managing IP reputation, which is crucial for preventing automated messages from being flagged as spam.
- Integration with WordPress: Several recommended services, such as MailJet, offer specific WordPress plugins or integrate seamlessly with general SMTP plugins, simplifying their setup for website forms.
Key considerations
- Avoid Default Web Host Mail: It is critical to avoid relying on default web host mail functions for website contact forms, as they frequently suffer from poor deliverability and IP reputation issues.
- Prioritize Transactional Providers: Always choose transactional email service providers, as they are specifically designed for the high deliverability and reliable sending of automated, system-generated messages like form submissions.
- Leverage WordPress Plugins: For WordPress users, utilizing dedicated plugins like WP Mail SMTP in conjunction with a transactional email service significantly enhances the reliability of contact form emails.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks shares reliable SMTP service recommendations for website forms, including MailGun, SendGrid, and MailJet, noting MailJet's WordPress plugin.
21 Sep 2024 - Email Geeks
Expert view
Expert from Spam Resource explains that for reliable email delivery from WordPress contact forms, it is best to use a transactional email service provider like SendGrid, Mailgun, or Postmark, often in conjunction with plugins like WP Mail SMTP, rather than relying on default web host mail functions, due to deliverability issues and IP reputation concerns.
3 Apr 2022 - Spam Resource
What the documentation says
6 technical articles
Leading SMTP providers like SendGrid, Mailgun, Postmark, SMTP.com, Brevo, and SparkPost are consistently highlighted as highly reliable choices for website contact form submissions. These services are purpose-built for transactional emails, prioritizing exceptional deliverability, speed, and comprehensive analytics to ensure critical messages reach their intended recipients without fail. Their robust infrastructures and ease of integration make them superior to generic hosting solutions for automated notifications.
Key findings
- Top Transactional Providers: SendGrid, Mailgun, Postmark, SMTP.com, Brevo, and SparkPost are consistently highlighted as reliable SMTP services specifically designed for website contact form submissions.
- Designed for Reliability: These services are purpose-built for sending critical transactional emails, ensuring high deliverability rates and reliable message arrival to the inbox.
- Focus on Speed and Efficiency: Providers like Postmark and Brevo prioritize rapid message delivery, ensuring that crucial contact form submissions reach recipients promptly.
- Robust Analytics and Tracking: Many of these services, including SendGrid, Mailgun, Brevo, and SparkPost, offer comprehensive analytics and real-time tracking for monitoring email performance.
- Scalable Infrastructure: Services such as SparkPost and SMTP.com emphasize their scalable infrastructure, capable of reliably handling various sending volumes for automated notifications.
Key considerations
- Prioritize Transactional Focus: Choose services that explicitly focus on transactional emails, as their infrastructure is optimized for speed, reliability, and deliverability of critical messages like form submissions.
- Evaluate Deliverability and Speed: Select providers that emphasize high deliverability rates and prompt message arrival, crucial for ensuring contact form submissions are not delayed or lost.
- Consider Analytics and Tracking: Look for services that offer robust analytics and real-time tracking, providing insights into email performance and ensuring messages are successfully delivered.
- Assess Ease of Integration: Opt for services with straightforward API or SMTP relay integration, simplifying the process of connecting them with your website's contact form.
- Scalability for Volume: Consider providers with scalable infrastructure capable of handling current and future volumes of contact form submissions reliably.
Technical article
Documentation from SendGrid explains their service is designed for sending transactional emails, which includes contact form submissions. They emphasize reliable delivery, scalability, and robust analytics, making it suitable for ensuring critical messages like form submissions reach their destination.
13 Jan 2024 - SendGrid
Technical article
Documentation from Mailgun details its capabilities for sending transactional emails, such as those from contact forms. They state their API and SMTP relay are built for high deliverability, real-time analytics, and ease of integration, ensuring reliable delivery of automated notifications.
4 Nov 2024 - Mailgun
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