AI Summary
Would you like to know whether your site’s emails actually reach the inbox? A test email confirms your mailer accepted the message, but not whether Gmail or Outlook filed it under spam.
In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to test your email deliverability with Email Detective, a free tool in WP Mail SMTP that checks where your email lands and shows you exactly what to fix.
Requirements: Email Detective needs WP Mail SMTP 4.10 or later and a fully configured primary connection. It’s free in both the free and Pro versions of WP Mail SMTP.
Before getting started, make sure WP Mail SMTP is installed and activated on your WordPress site and that you’ve verified your license.
What Email Detective Checks
Email Detective is a free deliverability tool from SendLayer, built into WP Mail SMTP. Your site sends a real test email through your primary connection, and Email Detective checks everything that determines where it lands:
- SPF, DKIM, and DMARC: Whether your domain’s authentication records are in place and pass.
- Blocklists: Whether your domain or sending IP appears on email blocklists.
- Spam filter score: How a real spam filter scores your message.
You then get a free report by email with clear, prioritized fixes.
Running a Deliverability Test
To get started, go to WP Mail SMTP » Tools and click the Email Detective tab.
In the Send a Test Email box, enter the email address where you’d like to receive your report. WP Mail SMTP fills in your own email address by default, but you can change it to any address.
Then click the Run a Deliverability Test button.
Note: When you run a test, Email Detective emails your report to the address you entered and may send occasional deliverability tips. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Email Detective sends your test email and watches how the receiving server treats it. While it works, you’ll see the message Email Detective Is on the Case…. This usually takes less than a minute.
Note: The test sends one real email through your primary connection, so it counts toward your mailer’s sending limits.
Viewing Your Report
When Email Detective receives your test email, you’ll see Check Your Inbox! Email Detective emails your deliverability report to the address you entered. Open the email and click the link inside to see your full results.
If the email doesn’t arrive, check your spam or junk folder first. Then click Resend the Report Email to send it again.
If your report is unlocked right away, for example because you’ve used Email Detective with this email address before, you’ll see Your Report Is Ready! instead. Click View Your Deliverability Report to open it.
Reading Your Report
Your report opens with an overall score, like the example below, then lists what to fix, ordered by severity. Each item explains the problem and links to a guide on fixing it. For example, a missing DKIM signature shows as critical, while a missing DMARC record or a borderline spam score shows as medium.
Most fixes involve adding or updating DNS records for your domain. For step-by-step help, see our guide to adding your DNS records.
To test again after making changes, click Start a New Report.
Troubleshooting Email Detective
If a test doesn’t finish, Email Detective shows one of the messages below.
The Test Email Couldn’t Be Sent
Your primary connection returned an error before Email Detective could run its check. Email Detective shows the error your site reported. This means your mailer isn’t sending emails, so fix your mailer setup first. Click Read the mailer setup guide for help, then click Retry Test Email.
For more help fixing mailer errors, see our guide to troubleshooting WP Mail SMTP.
We Couldn’t Confirm Delivery
Your site sent the test email, but Email Detective never received it. This usually points to a deliverability problem, such as the receiving server rejecting or filtering your email. Click View the Report Page to see the verdict and what to try next.
Finish Your Connection Setup
Email Detective needs a fully configured primary connection. If you haven’t finished setting up your mailer, click Finish Primary Connection Setup and complete your mailer settings first.
Too Many Requests Right Now
You’ve run several tests in a short time. Wait until the time shown on screen, and the page picks up automatically.
Frequently Asked Questions
These are answers to some of the top questions we see regarding testing email deliverability.
How is Email Detective different from the Email Test tool?
The Email Test tool confirms that your mailer accepts and sends your email. Email Detective goes a step further and checks where that email lands, whether in the inbox or in spam, and why.
Why is my report sent by email instead of shown in WordPress?
Email Detective keeps your full report on SendLayer’s site and emails you a link to it. WP Mail SMTP doesn’t display the report inside your WordPress admin.
What information does Email Detective collect?
Along with the test email itself, Email Detective receives your site URL, your mailer name, the WP Mail SMTP version, and your license type, plus the email address you enter for the report. If the test email fails to send, it also receives the error your mailer reported.
That’s it! You now know how to test your email deliverability with Email Detective.
Next, would you like to keep an eye on your email performance over time? Check out our guide to using the WP Mail SMTP Dashboard.