SMTP is a technology in charge of sending and receiving emails. There is no guarantee that the email will reach its intended recipient without the SMTP server. When an email is sent, it is turned into a string of codes and transmitted to the internet. The SMTP server reads, analyses, and processes that code before forwarding the message to the appropriate client; however, if there is no SMTP server, the news is at risk of being lost on the internet during the translation step.
Furthermore, the SMTP checks and ensures that the email sent is from an active account. This is a handy tool for safeguarding the inbox from emails created by bots or computers. If the email is not delivered to the recipient because the recipient’s email address is incorrect or deleted, the recipient has blocked the sender, or the recipient’s server is not responding. The SMTP server returns the email to the sender as to why it could not transmit the email.
SMTP is a sophisticated email marketing automation technology that functions similarly to a mail carrier. The structure of a functional SMTP server is shown below. Mail User Agent (MUA) connects to a domain server of any type, such as SendGrid or mailgun. If the connection is successful, it is referred to as an SMTP handshake. The link is usually made via port 25. However, this can be altered.
The client must now provide the server with the sender and recipient email addresses and the main text, topic, and attachments.
SMTP servers, also known as Mail Transfer Agents (MTA), compare the sender and the receiver (e.g., @gmail, @yahoo, @hotmail). The email is sent immediately to the recipient’s POP3 or IMAP server if the domains are the same. If the part is different, the server will contact the Domain Name Server (DNS). DNS will supply the server with the recipient’s IP address.
The sender’s SMTP server connects to the receiver’s SMTP server and sends the email. If the recipient’s server is offline or overloaded, the email will be queued in an SMTP server. This is a buffer that holds emails before sending them to the endpoint.
The recipient’s SMTP server verifies the inbound email. If the server recognizes the domain and user name, the email is sent to the POP3 or IMAP server.
Before allowing anyone to connect to the server, ensure that it is up and running and accepting connections. This is possible on all operating systems using Web-based tools, Telnet software, or internal commands from command-line terminals.
Go to the mxtoolbox.com diagnostic page (see Resources).
Then, in the Mail Server text box, type the name of your SMTP server. The title will be formatted as “smtp.servername.com,” with “server name” being the server’s name. A new screen will appear.
Examine the server’s response messages for functionality. It should answer with an OK if your server is up and running
To connect to Telnet using a DOS command on a Windows computer, start a DOS prompt by selecting the “Start” menu and then the “Run” command. In the Run program prompt, type the command “cmd.”
And, to create a Telnet connection, you can also use the PuTTY application in Windows. Install and start PuTTY. Now select the Telnet radio button in the main PuTTY window, enter port 25 in the port text box, and enter “smtp.servername.com” into the address.
There are various ways to check and monitor the success of an SMTP server. Like, the open rate compares the total number of emails delivered to the number of emails opened by recipients. Click rate displays the proportion of total receivers that clicked on any monitored link in the campaign. When a contact clicks on a link, it means they are interested in the material. Bounces happens when a server rejects an email. This information is essential for organizing your audience and tracking deliverability.
Unsubscribe rate indicates who has opted out of your audience. Although consumers will always opt to unsubscribe, analyzing data provides you a sense of whether or not you’re distributing meaningful information to your audience.
Device statistics tells you which devices your audience uses to view your emails, beneficial information. And, different devices show the material differently; therefore, while developing content, it’s critical to optimize for the most probable device. If specific devices can be extensively matched to certain segments, this might significantly impact how these segments interact with the provided material. For example, if younger populations are more likely to check emails on their smartphones, material for this demographic should be written with smartphones in mind.
Spam score metric assesses the frequency with which contacts label your emails as spam. A high spam score indicates that your audience does not appreciate what you send them. So, this signals to internet service providers (ISPs) that they are no longer interested in hearing from your brand. Therefore, this can affect your sender’s reputation, which in turn affects deliverability.
