You’ve probably heard of SMTP before or even seen it if you have gone into your mail settings in your mail client, but you’re not sure what it stands for or what it even does. SMTP servers are complex, and if you’re new to the world of how email is transmitted, it’s easy to become overwhelmed. That is why at Hosting Australia we like to keep things simple and help provide support and knowledge with any and everything hosting. Find out all about the protocol in this helpful guide.
What is SMTP?
The acronym SMTP stands for “Simple Mail Transfer Protocol,” and it’s a system that sends emails from one server to another. It is the most widely used system for email transmission because it can be used with any type of mail client.
The address (or addresses) of an SMTP email server can be set by the mail client or application you’re using and is usually formatted as smtp.serveraddress.com. Gmail’s SMTP server, for example, is smtp.gmail.com, or if you have a domain name through Hosting Australia it will be mail.yourdomainname.extension. Your SMTP email server address is usually found in the account or settings area of your mail client, or you can find details in your cPanel.
How does SMTP work?
SMTP is used by most email clients and server systems. SMTP sends emails from one server system to another, but it’s not always the final delivery method. SMTP is used primarily as a “middleman” when sending messages between two servers. For example, when you send an email from your domain email account to someone else’s Gmail account, our server contacts the Gmail SMTP server to make sure that it can deliver your message there. Sometimes an email provider might reject a message because of spam filters or because it is too large or contains suspicious content (phishing). In this case, the sender’s server would contact a different SMTP server and try again.
Why is SMTP important?
Your email would not reach its intended recipient without the use of an SMTP server. When you press “send,” your email is converted into a string of code and delivered to the SMTP server. The SMTP server can decode that code and forwards the message. The message would be lost in translation if the SMTP server wasn’t present to process it.
Additionally, the SMTP server confirms that the outgoing email is from a valid account, serving as the first line of defence against spam in your mailbox. If the email cannot be delivered, it will be returned to the SMTP sender. This alerts the sender that they have entered the incorrect email address or that the receiving server has blocked their message.
Who uses SMTP, and for what?
SMTP is a protocol that sends emails from one server to another. It was originally developed in 1978 by Ray Tomlinson, and it has been the most widely-used system for email transmission since 1982. SMTP can be used with any type of mail client, and people around the world use it to send more than 98% of all email messages.
The protocol is widely used because it’s the only system that can be used with any type of mail client. Email clients like Microsoft Outlook or Apple Mail need an SMTP server address to transmit messages between inboxes, but what if you’re using a webmail service like Gmail? You won’t find an SMTP server setting as such on Gmail’s settings page.
Fortunately, Google will automatically connect your account to an SMTP server if you’re using GMX or Hotmail. This allows your webmail to send email messages just as quickly as those sent from desktop clients.
Why use SMTP?
You might be wondering, “Why bother with SMTP?” The answer is that SMTP is a tried-and-true standard for email transmission. It’s the most popular protocol because it can be used to send mail from any type of client. That’s why it’s often seen as the main competition to HTTP, which is a system for sending webpages over the internet.
It also ensures emails are delivered in a timely manner. A study by Mailchimp found that 89 percent of marketers were successful when using search engine optimization (SEO). In fact, PPC advertising increases brand awareness by 80 percent.
Additionally, many businesses rely on email as their main form of communication with customers or clients. If you want your business to thrive and grow, you need an effective email marketing strategy in place. SMTP provides an easy way to send and receive emails reliably and quickly.
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