Begin email troubleshooting by identifying who receives mail for the domain and who sends each message. A working website does not prove its mail routing or authentication is correct. Hosting email and an external mail provider can require different settings.
Map the mail path
| Part | Evidence |
|---|---|
| Incoming mail | Authoritative MX records and mailbox provider |
| Website form or WordPress email | Sending plugin or SMTP service configuration |
| Authentication | SPF and DKIM records supplied by the sender |
| Failure | Bounce text or delivered-message authentication results |
SPF identifies authorized sending systems; DKIM uses a cryptographic signature published through DNS. Configure values from the actual mail service. Adding a record in your hosting panel has no effect if another provider hosts authoritative DNS.
Make a controlled delivery test
- Send one test from the mailbox and one from the website form.
- Record the timestamp, recipient and sending method.
- Check the sender logs or bounce rather than assuming every missing message went to spam.
- Compare the active DNS records with the sender’s required values.
- Check local versus remote mail routing if the domain uses an external mailbox service.
- Inspect the received message headers for authentication results after corrections.
Do not create several competing SPF records for the same name. Reconcile legitimate senders in the provider-supported configuration. Avoid copying another customer’s DKIM key or guessing a mail-server hostname from the website IP.
Authentication is one part of delivery
Successful authentication does not guarantee inbox placement. Recipient policy, message content and sending reputation also matter. Keep form recipients and sender identities intentional, and ensure staging copies cannot send real customer notifications.
If this began after a move, check the domain cutover checklist. Use staging safeguards before testing automated messages.
Sources and references
Hosting documentation. Publication and update dates reflect this edition.
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