A common WordPress problem: the host server won’t allow the site to send email via their normal default methods. Then we need to use SMTP. Sometimes a host like GoDaddy prohibits using an email from the site that is also the email used for GoDaddy account registration. Security overkill and a pain in the patootie. Then SMTP is the solution.

But a money problem is SMTP requires monthly SMTP service fees like SendInBlue or others. These services also slow down a site because of remote server requests and beacon pings (handshaking). They can cost $15 to $25 per month. Gak!

Sendinblue offers an SMTP relay service (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) on its forever free plan with a sending limit of 300 emails a day. But having experimented with this before, the setup is gross and tedious.

REFERENCE: https://www.sendinblue.com/free-smtp-server/

The problem we’ll solve is getting email responses from TheAnimalTest.com quiz. Right now, it’s ccing Matt. But fails to send to me using the Administration Email Address in WordPress (content@steveteare.com). He then has to forward the results to me. A hassle and a delay.

I’ve never been successful in changing the administrator email. Why? Web voodoo.

GreenGeeks, our host, recommends using a free Google Gmail account and a plugin solution: WP Gmail SMTP. It is already installed but not active.

The tutorial is here: https://www.greengeeks.com/tutorials/how-to-use-the-gmail-smtp-server-to-send-mail-from-wordpress/

And the plugin download and description here: https://wordpress.org/plugins/gmail-smtp/

zip file download size: Almost 1MB. So a heavy plugin.

The email we’ll be using is: theanimaltest5@gmail.com

The quiz plugin is Quiz And Survey Master.

https://wordpress.org/plugins/quiz-master-next/

We consider it a fat plugin (almost a 2MB download) but it’s an easy solution and the only database intensive plugin on the site.

We’ll need to login to the “Black Unicorn” Google account:

https://myaccount.google.com/

Let’s slay this dragon.