Adding DNS Records for WP Mail SMTP in cPanel

Would you like to add DNS records for your WP Mail SMTP mailer connection in cPanel? Most mailers require users to add DNS records to their domain host during setup to verify domain ownership and improve email deliverability.

In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to add DNS records for WP Mail SMTP if your domain host uses cPanel.

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Before getting started, make sure WP Mail SMTP is installed and activated on your WordPress site.

Understanding How DNS Records Work in SMTP

The Domain Name System (DNS) is like the internet’s address book. DNS provides a means to map a domain name (e.g., example.com) to its corresponding IP address (e.g., 123.123.80.20). Just like how you store a person’s phone number with their name on your smartphone to easily remember them.

DNS records act as a storage system for the settings needed to map a domain name to its corresponding IP address. This means each domain has its unique set of DNS records.

Most mailers in WP Mail SMTP use DNS records as a means to verify your domain on their platform. In some cases, it can be used to improve email deliverability, as in the case of adding SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records.

In the next sections, we’ll cover the steps for adding DNS records for sites hosted on cPanel.

Accessing the DNS Settings in cPanel

To start, you’ll first need to log in to your hosting dashboard.

Once you’ve logged in to your cPanel dashboard, scroll down to the Domains section and select the Zone Editor option.

This will direct you to a page where you can manage DNS records for all the domains on your account.

Alternatively, you can access this page by entering ‘zone editor’ in the search box and selecting the Zone Editor option.

On the Zone Editor page, you’ll see your domain(s) listed under the Domains section.

Adding Your DNS Records

Under the Actions column, you can quickly create an A Record, CNAME Record, or MX Record from the Domains overview page.

To do this, locate the domain you want to add DNS records for and select the record type you’d like to add. As an example, we’ll add one of the CNAME records SendLayer provides.

In the overlay that appears, enter your DNS record values. The Name field in cPanel corresponds to the Hostname, while the CNAME field corresponds to the CNAME Value generated by your SMTP service provider.

Once you’ve entered the details, click the Add A CNAME Record button to save your changes.

If you want to add other DNS records, such as TXT records, click the Manage button to view the DNS settings page for your domain.

In this Manage Zone page, you’ll see all the DNS records specific to your domain. To add a new record, click the + Add Record button.

This will open up the form where you can add the DNS record value. Start by selecting the record type you’d like to add from the Type dropdown.

After that, you’ll need to copy the hostname and record value from your mailer and paste each value into its corresponding field. The hostname corresponds to the Name field in cPanel.

The Value from your mailer should be added in the Record field in cPanel.

If your mailer provides a Time To Live (TTL) value, you’ll need to enter the corresponding value in cPanel. You can use the default value if your mailer doesn’t provide TTL for the DNS record.

Once you’ve finished entering the values for the DNS record, go ahead and click the Save Record button.

You’ll need to repeat this process until you’ve added all the DNS records provided by your mailer.

Verifying Your DNS Records

After adding DNS records to support WP Mail SMTP, we recommend verifying that they’ve been implemented correctly. This step helps ensure optimal email deliverability by confirming that your outgoing emails are authenticated.

There are a couple of ways to verify your DNS records:

• Sending a test email: Utilize WP Mail SMTP’s built-in tool for sending a test email. If there’s an issue with your DNS records, an error notification will pop up.
• Using the Site Health tool: The WordPress Site Health tool can help identify any DNS verification problems. If there’s a verification issue with your DNS records, you’ll see a message that provides actions you can take to help resolve it.

For a thorough walkthrough on how to use these tools, be sure to check out our complete guide to verifying your DNS records.

That’s it! Now you know how to add DNS records on domains hosted in cPanel.

Next, would you like to set up a backup connection that will be a fallback if your primary mailer connection fails to send emails? See our guide on configuring a backup connection for more details.