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Chapter 4 · Email that reaches your clients

Install FluentSMTP and connect your email

About 15 minutes

Email that your website sends by itself often lands in spam, or never leaves at all. FluentSMTP is a free plugin that sends it through your real email account instead, so invoices, contracts and gallery links reach your clients.

You install FluentSMTP first, then connect the email account you already use. You only do this once.

Have this ready

  • An email address at your own website domain, such as hello@yourstudio.com.
  • The login for that email account, or for your web host's email settings.

Step by step

Get there

  1. In the WordPress menu, press Plugins.

  2. Press Add Plugin.

Install the plugin

  1. Type FluentSMTP in the Search Plugins box. It is the first result.

  2. Press Install Now on FluentSMTP.

  3. When the button changes, press Activate.

  4. In the yellow box at the top of the Plugins page, press Configure FluentSMTP.

    FluentSMTP opens a welcome screen with a row of email services. Choose yours in the tab below.

Which email do you use?

Gmail or Google Workspace

Google wants you to make a free key before FluentSMTP can send from your address. FluentSMTP's own guide shows every Google screen, so this tab covers the FluentSMTP side.

Choose Google

  1. Press the Google Workspace logo. It is the one for Gmail too.

  2. Open FluentSMTP's guide for Google in a new tab and follow its Google steps. You will bring back a Client ID and a Client secret.

Fill in the connection

  1. In From Email, type the address clients will see, such as hello@northlight.test. In From Name, type Northlight Photography.

    For Google, the From Email must be the account you sign in with in a moment.

  2. Paste the Client ID into Application Client ID and the Client secret into Application Client Secret.

Sign in to Google

  1. Press Authenticate with Google. A Google page opens.

    Leave Authorized Redirect URI as it is. It is the address you gave Google in the guide.

  2. On Google's page, sign in with the same account as your From Email and press Allow. Copy the code it shows you.

  3. Back in FluentSMTP, paste the code into Access Token.

  4. Press Save Connection Settings.

Outlook or Microsoft 365

Microsoft wants you to register a free app before FluentSMTP can send from your address. FluentSMTP's own guide shows every Microsoft screen, so this tab covers the FluentSMTP side.

Choose Microsoft

  1. Press the Microsoft logo.

  2. Find App Callback URL and copy it. You give it to Microsoft in the next step.

    Yours is your own website's address, so it differs from the one in the picture.

  3. Open FluentSMTP's guide for Microsoft and register the app, pasting your callback address when asked. You end with an ID and a secret.

Fill in the connection

  1. In From Email, type the address clients will see, such as hello@northlight.test. In From Name, type Northlight Photography.

    The From Email must be the Microsoft account you sign in with in a moment.

  2. Paste the Application (client) ID into Application Client ID and the secret into Application Client Secret.

    Paste the secret's Value, not its Secret ID.

  3. Leave Directory (tenant) ID (Optional) empty, unless the guide told you to fill it in.

Sign in to Microsoft

  1. Press Authenticate with Office365. A Microsoft page opens.

  2. Sign in with the account that sends your email and accept. Your own website then shows Your Access Code. Copy it.

  3. Back in FluentSMTP, paste the code into Access Token.

  4. Press Save Connection Settings.

Other SMTP (your host)

Use this when your email comes with your web hosting, or from a service such as Zoho or Fastmail. Your host lists the server details under a heading such as SMTP settings or Mail client settings. Keep that page open. FluentSMTP's guide explains each value.

Choose Other SMTP

  1. Press Other SMTP.

Who the email comes from

  1. In From Email, type the address clients will see, such as hello@northlight.test. In From Name, type Northlight Photography.

    The From Email must be a mailbox on your host.

  2. Leave Force From Email (recommended) ticked, so every email goes out from this address.

Your host's mail server

  1. In SMTP Host, type your host's mail server, such as mail.northlight.test. In SMTP Port, type 587.

    Your host may give you port 465 instead.

  2. Under Encryption, choose TLS for port 587, or SSL for port 465.

  3. Leave Use Auto TLS and Authentication switched on, unless your host tells you otherwise.

Your mailbox login

  1. In SMTP Username, type the mailbox name your host gave you, usually the full email address. In SMTP Password, type its password.

    If your host uses two-step login, make an app password in its settings and use that.

  2. Press Save Connection Settings.

  3. FluentSMTP lists your connection under Active Email Connections, tagged Default.

You're done when

Your connection is listed in FluentSMTP under Active Email Connections. Next, send a test email from Mankai to check that it arrives.

If something's not right

My host or email service has its own logo, such as Brevo or SendGrid

Pick that logo instead of Other SMTP. FluentSMTP then asks for a key from your service. It has a short guide for each one, such as Brevo.

Which address should I use as From Email?

Use an address at your own website domain, like hello@yourstudio.com. Clients trust it, and it reaches inboxes more reliably than a free Gmail address. With Google or Microsoft it must be the account you sign in with.

Saving shows an error

Check the host, port and encryption against what your host told you, and type the password again. A wrong port, or SSL chosen on port 587, causes most errors.