How to configure SendGrid as SMTP on WordPress with WPMasterToolKit

Sending emails is a critical part of any WordPress site: order confirmations, password resets, admin notifications, contact forms... Yet, by default, WordPress relies on the mail() from PHP, often unreliable and a source of deliverability problems.

SendGrid is one of the world's most widely used transactional emailing services. It offers an excellent sender reputation, a robust infrastructure and advanced tracking tools, making it an ideal choice for secure and reliable email delivery from WordPress.

To simplify this configuration, WPMasterToolKit integrates a SMTP Mailer with a native SendGrid provider. The aim: to enable you to connect SendGrid to WordPress cleanly, securely and without any DIY, while complying with SendGrid's recommended best practices.

In this tutorial, we'll take a step-by-step look at how to configure SendGrid as an SMTP service with WPMasterToolKit, from the creation of the SendGrid API key to the final settings in WordPress, to ensure reliable, professional email delivery.

Setting up your SendGrid account

To connect your WordPress site to SendGrid, you must first create a SendGrid account, and then define a SendGrid password. sender identity (sender identity).

Create your SendGrid account

If you haven't already done so, start by creating a SendGrid account on their website. " Pricing page" . Here you can choose the type of subscription best suited to your site's needs.

In our example, we will use the free trial plan (limited to 60 days and 100 emails per day).
That said, the configuration process remains strictly the same, regardless of the plan chosen.

Next, SendGrid will ask you to set the username and the Password your account.

SendGrid may then ask you a few more questions about your business, in order to customize your account configuration.

Fill in all required fields, then continue.

Creating your Sender Identity

To be able to send emails with SendGrid, you need to configure a sender identity. You have two options: create a single sender identity or authenticate the your site's domain.

We recommend that you authenticate your domain, as this method offers better deliverability and ensures more reliable email delivery over time.
That said, we've detailed both methods below so that you can choose the one that best suits your situation.

Add a Single Sender to your SendGrid account

In SendGrid, you can create a single sender to define an approved sender email address.

To do this, go to the SendGrid dashboard menu, then go to Settings " Sender Authentication.

Next, locate the Single Sender Verificationthen click on the "Get Started.

A panel then appears, asking you to enter the sender's namehis email address as well as its postal address.
Once you have completed all the required fields, click on the "Create.

A confirmation email will be sent to the address you provided.
Click on the link contained in this message to verify your email address and finalize the configuration of your single sender identity.

Authenticating your domain in SendGrid

Authentication allows you to prove that the emails you send actually come from a domain you own. This helps reinforce your domain's reputation as a legitimate and reliable source of emails.

As a bonus, this step also allows you to remove the words " via sendgrid.net " that would otherwise be added to your emails.

To get started, go to the SendGrid dashboard menu, then select Settings " Sender Authentication.

On the next page, locate the Domain Authenticationthen click on the "Get Started to access the necessary parameters.

On the first authentication configuration page, you will be asked two questions:

• Which Domain Name Server (DNS) host do you use?
  Select your DNS provider from the list. If your provider does not appear, choose "Other Host (Not Listed).
• Would you also like to brand the links for this domain?
  We recommend that you select "Yes. This allows the links in your e-mails to use your own domain rather than SendGrid's. Visit branded links improve deliverability by associating all links to your site.

Once you have completed these two questions, click on the "Next to continue.

After entering your domain, click on "Advanced Settings.
You will then need to make a few adjustments:

• Uncheck the "Use automated security.
• Check box "Use custom return path.
• Add a subdomain to the "Return Path (see below for details).

A subdomain replaces the "www" part of your site address (for example : subdomain.example.com). Subdomains can be used to create separate sections of a site, such as a blog accessible via blog.example.com.

In this case, this sub-domain will only be used by SendGrid to send emails and will not be visible on your site.

Unless you already have a specific sub-domain in mind, we recommend using sg. This is the one we'll use in our example.

Note: the sub-domain can be the one of your choice. However, SendGrid recommends :

• Not to include underscores (_), which may not be supported by some DNS providers.
• Not to use "mailThis sub-domain is often already in use by hosting providers and can lead to conflicts.

Click on the "Next to continue.

The next page will display the list of DNS records which you'll need to add to your domain's DNS settings.

Once you've opened your domain's DNS settings, you should see an option to add a new registration.

To enable SendGrid to authenticate your domain, you'll need to add these records to your site's DNS configuration. Be sure to copy them precisely, as verification requires using exactly the values provided by your SendGrid account.

Note: some domain hosts automatically add your domain name when you enter the Hostname provided by SendGrid.
If this is your case, you'll need to remove the main domain when entering it.

For example, instead of indicating sg.example.com for the Hostname of the first TXT record, all you need to do is enter sg.

You may also see a TTL (Time To Live) in your domain's DNS settings. If you have the option of changing it, we recommend that you set it to one day (i.e. 86400 secondsdepending on the unit used by your DNS provider).

Once all DNS records have been added, check the "I have added these records in your SendGrid dashboard, then click on the "Verify.
DNS changes can take up to a few minutes to take effect. 48 hoursYou may therefore need to check back at a later date.

If the check is successful, a confirmation message will be displayed to indicate this.

Generate an API key

Once you have created your account sender identity configured, you can generate a API key to connect your site to SendGrid and start sending emails.

From your SendGrid account dashboard, click on Email API " Integration Guide in the menu on the left.

Next, you'll be asked to choose a configuration method.
Click on the "Choose below the SMTP Relay.

You will then need to enter a name for the API keythen click on "Create Key.

This will generate your API key. Make sure you keep this page open, as you'll need this key later on.

Sender configuration on the WPMasterToolKit side

Back in the WPMasterToolKit plugin, you must configure the Sender Config as am:

1. Sender Email You must enter the email address configured on SendGrid.
2.  Force the usage of the sender name/email defined above. It will override those set by other plugins Must be activated

Then select "Twillo SendGrid :

Finally, fill in :

1. API Key The password retrieved from SendGrid in the last step.
2. Sending Domain the sending sub-domain we configured earlier (the domain must be the same as the mail).

Then save the settings.

Verify / test configuration

Once you've saved your settings, you can now run an email test to make sure everything's OK.

Go to the E-mail testthen enter an e-mail address to which you would like to send your test, then click on Send Now.

If you receive an error message, go back and check the previous steps.

If you get a confirmation message and receive the email, you've finished configuring.

Conclusion

You now have a SendGrid fully functional with WPMasterToolKitThis allows you to send emails that are reliable, secure and compliant with good deliverability practices.

By using domain authentication and a SendGrid API key, you avoid the limitations of the mail() of PHP and benefit from a professional sending infrastructure, capable of handling both transactional emails and critical notifications for your WordPress site.

Thanks to the SMTP Mailer of WPMasterToolKit and its native SendGrid provider, integration remains clear, clean and centralized, without depending on complex external solutions or fragile configurations.

If you run into any problems during the sending tests, take the time to check each step (API key, sender identity, DNS records, subdomain used). Once validated, this configuration guarantees a solid foundation for all emails sent by your WordPress site.