Microsoft Outlook | The Blog Pros

September 28, 2023

What is Email Hosting and How to Find Best Email Hosting Service

Are you looking to get an email hosting service for your business?

Creating a custom email address for your website or organization with your brand helps build trust and credibility. With the right hosting service, you can easily manage and secure your emails.

In this article, we will show you what email hosting is and how to find the best email hosting service.

What is Email Hosting?

Email hosting is a service you can use to have your own domain names as for email addresses, with storage for email content and attachments. You can create business email addresses by subscribing to an email hosting provider.

The difference between using email hosting vs. free email providers like Gmail or Yahoo is that you get to use your brand name in the email address.

For instance, a free email service will use its own domain name in the email address. It will look like this: john.doe@gmail.com.

On the other hand, you can create branded email addresses using an email hosting service. Your emails will look like this: john.doe@example.com

Why Use an Email Hosting Service?

Using an email hosting service makes your emails look more professional. It helps build credibility and trust with your audience. A branded email address also leaves a lasting impression on your users and creates brand awareness.

Besides that, you get enhanced security with email hosting. Many providers offer 2-factor authentication (2FA), spam protection, anti-phishing and anti-spoofing features, end-to-end encryption, and more.

Another advantage of using an email hosting provider is that you get increased storage capacity. Standard email service would offer limited storage space, which can quickly run out. However, email hosting services can offer extended storage options.

Let’s see what factors you should consider when finding the best email hosting service.

How to Choose the Best Email Hosting Service?

When it comes to choosing the best email hosting provider, you should consider the following things:

Email Storage – Each email hosting service will allot a specific storage space for your mailbox. You should choose a service that offers flexible storage options to store attachments and other email content.
Email Protocols – There are different email protocols like IMAP, SMTP, and POP3. They help with email deliverability and accessing emails on different devices. When you’re selecting an email hosting service, see how the provider supports these protocols.
Email Security Features – One of the advantages of email hosting is the advanced security features it offers. The best services should offer end-to-end encryption, spam protection, scan attachments for viruses and malware, 2-factor authentication (2FA), and anti-phishing features.
Email Aliases – You can create additional email addresses or aliases without creating a new account. This allows you to forward emails addressed to the alias to your main account. When picking email hosting, check if the provider lets you create email aliases.
Pricing – An email hosting service will cost you money, so when deciding on a provider, you should take prices into consideration. Some services offer multiple pricing plans with different features and storage limits. We recommend choosing a host that fits your budget.

Now, let’s look at some of the best email hosting services you can choose.

Finding the Best Email Hosting Service

There are many email hosting providers in the market. Here are some of the best services you can choose from.

1. Google Workspace

Google Workspace, previously known as G Suite, is an email hosting service that offers a lot of value. It offers flexible plans that are great for all types of businesses and enterprises.

The best part about Google Workspace is that you can use Gmail for your custom-branded emails. You won’t have to map Gmail to other email hosting providers, which saves a lot of time and complexity.

At WPBeginner, we use Google Workspace and can honestly say it is the best email hosting provider.

Another benefit of using Google Workspace is that you get to use multiple Google products along with setting up a professional email address in Gmail. For instance, you get Google Drive storage, Google Docs and Sheets access, Google Teams, and more.

With Google Workspace, you get storage space from 30GB going all the way to 5TB. Plus, it offers up to 1000 participants in video meetings. Besides that, you’ll get tons of security features like 2 step verification, phishing and spam protection, an ad-free email experience, and more.

That said, Google Workspace can be expensive for startups or small businesses. It’s more suitable for organizations that don’t have budget limitations and can explore custom plans as well.

Pros:

Use a branded email address with Gmail
Get 30GB to 5TB of storage
Phishing and spam protection
Multiple security features
Access to different Google products

Cons:

Expensive pricing plans, especially for small businesses
It doesn’t offer an unlimited storage option

Pricing: Google Workspace prices start from $6 per user per month, and you get 30GB of storage. There are other plans that offer more storage, security options, and other features.

2. Hostinger

Hostinger is one of the fastest WordPress hosting services in the market. If you’re just starting a new WordPress website and selecting a web hosting provider, then Hostinger offers free email addresses with each pricing plan.

The best part, you don’t have to pay extra for email hosting, and you get to create up to 100 email addresses. Each mailbox also gets 1GB of storage space.

The web hosting plans also include free domain names, WHOIS protection, free SSL certificates, unlimited bandwidth, website backups, and more. This makes Hostinger great value for money.

That said, Hostinger also offers standalone email hosting plans, which are powered by Titan. This allows you to get more storage space, up to 50GB.

Other features include an inbuilt calendar and contacts, auto-reply, email templates, follow-up reminders, up to 10 email aliases, IMAP/POP3 support, spam and phishing protection, anti-virus and malware checker, and much more.

Pros:

Get free email hosting with web hosting plans
Fast performance and load times
Up to 50GB storage space
24/7 customer support
Free domain name and SSL certificate
Advanced security features

Cons:

High renewal costs

Pricing: Hostinger offers an exclusive 80% discount to WPBeginner users on web hosting plans, with prices starting from $1.79 per month. If you want more email addresses, then consider getting the WordPress starter plan for $2.69 per month.

3. Bluehost

Bluehost is the largest WordPress hosting company in the world that lets you create professional email addresses. You can use your domain name to set up domain-specific emails.

Just like Hostinger, you get email hosting included in the web hosting plan with Bluehost. Not to mention, you also get a free domain name, SSL certificate, and much more.

Bluehost email hosting offers a custom inbox and calendar. You can also schedule tasks and automatically save contact information. Depending on the plan you get, Bluehost offers up to 80GB storage and 50 email aliases.

Besides that, you get different security features like spam filters, antivirus, safe unsubscribe service, real-time anti-phishing, file encryption, and more. Bluehost also supports different email protocols, including IMAP and POP.

Bluehost is the best solution if you’re looking to purchase a hosting plan or already using Bluehost for your WordPress website. Its email hosting plans are affordable and offer tons of features for businesses of all sizes.

Pros:

Free domain name, CDN, and SSL certificate
3-month free trial for email hosting
Advanced email security options
Up to 80GB storage space & 50 email aliases
Quick and easy setup
Great customer support
Officially recommended by WordPress

Cons:

High domain renewal prices

Pricing: Bluehost offers an exclusive 73% off for WPBeginner users on hosting plans, with prices starting from $2.95 per month. You can use our Bluehost discount coupon to get started.

4. Microsoft Office 365

Microsoft Office 365 is another popular email hosting service that is similar to Google Workspace. You can easily set up a professional business email using Office 365 and get access to a bunch of tools offered by Microsoft.

Microsoft 365 offers up to 50GB of storage with each mailbox. Plus, you get advanced security features like spam and malware cloud-based email filtering, multifactor authentication, custom permissions, password policy creation, and more.

Aside from that, you can use other tools like Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, OnePoint, Publisher, SharePoint, and more. You also get up to 1TB of cloud storage and real-time monitoring of online threats for your mailboxes.

Microsoft Office 365 is a great solution for sites or organizations that are looking to use Microsoft Suite for their operations. If you’re confused about whether to pick Google vs Microsoft, then please see our comparison between Google Workspace and Office 365.

Pros:

Create branded emails using Outlook
Get 50GB of storage for mailboxes
Access powerful Microsoft tools with a professional email address
1TB of cloud storage
Advanced security features

Cons:

Expensive pricing plans
It can be tricky to use, especially for beginners

Pricing: Mircosoft Office 365 prices start from $6 per user per month. There are higher pricing plans that include more features and advanced security options.

5. Namecheap

Namecheap is one of the cheapest email hosting providers on our list. It’s also a popular domain registrar and helps you find custom domain names for your business.

With Namecheap email hosting, you get up to 15GB of email storage and up to 30GB of file storage space. It also lets you create unlimited aliases in the highest pricing plan, along with mobile sync support.

Other than that, Namecheap supports SMPT, IMAP, and POP3 email protocols. It also offers decent security features like 2-factor authentication, anti-spam protection, and email storage security.

Namecheap is an excellent option for startups and new website owners who are looking for a cheap email hosting service.

Pros:

Affordable pricing plans
Unlimited aliases with the Ultimate plan
Offers document viewer, calendar, contacts, and other tools
Supports SMTP, IMAP, and POP3 protocols
Mobile sync support

Cons:

Basic security features
Limited storage size, even in the Ultimate plan

Pricing: Namecheap email hosting plans start from $1.24 per month for 1 mailbox. You also get a 60-day free trial to try the service.

6. Rackspace Email

Rackspace Email is the next email hosting service on our list. It offers a lot of solutions to SaaS companies, including an email hosting solution for small businesses.

The service offers a 100% uptime guarantee, which means it is highly reliable. It has data centers spread across the world and you get 24/7 support in case anything goes wrong.

Besides that, Rackspace offers 25GB mailbox storage space and up to 30GB file storage space. You also get unlimited aliases, group lists, and email forwarding rules. It even offers free email migration from another provider.

Pros:

A reliable email hosting solution
24/7 customer support
25GB mailbox storage
Easily integrates with Microsoft Office 365 tools
Spam and virus protection

Cons:

Requires a high learning curve to use the service
You’ll need to pay extra for email archiving
Limited additional features

Pricing: Rackspace email prices start from $2.99 per user per month. You also get a 14-day free trial to try the service.

7. Zoho Mail

Zoho Mail is one of the most popular email hosting services in the market. It offers a secure platform to host emails and create a branded email address.

With Zoho, you get dedicated apps for desktop and mobile to manage and organize your emails. Other than that, it offers up to 50GB of mailbox storage, domain aliases, email forwarding, and offline access.

One of the standout features of Zoho Mail is its SecurePass email. This allows you to send confidential information over emails using a passcode.

Besides that, it supports IMAP and POP3 protocols, up to 1GB of email attachment options, anti-spam and malware protection, email encryption, and more.

Pros:

Easy-to-use email hosting platform
Dedicated apps for mobile devices
Strong security features
Send password-protected emails with SecurePass

Cons:

Pricing per user can be expensive for small businesses
Integration with third-party tools is tricky

Pricing: Zoho Email prices start from $1 per user per month and you get 5GB of mailbox storage.

Which Email Hosting Service Should You Choose?

After reviewing multiple email hosting services, we believe that Google Workspace is the best solution for your email needs.

For starters, it lets you use Gmail with your custom-branded email domain name. Plus, you get access to other powerful tools included in the Google Workspace suite.

At WPBeginner, we also use Google Workspace and highly recommend it.

That said, if you’re looking for a more affordable email hosting service, then you can give Hostinger and Bluehost a try. Both are perfect if you’re just starting a new website since they include email hosting in their web hosting plans.

We hope this article helped you learn what is email hosting and how to find the best email hosting service. You may also want to see our guide on the best email marketing tools and the ultimate guide to boost WordPress speed.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post What is Email Hosting and How to Find Best Email Hosting Service first appeared on WPBeginner.

June 22, 2021July 10, 2023

How to Connect Microsoft Outlook to WordPress (Step by Step)

Are you looking for a way to connect Microsoft Outlook to WordPress and send emails from your WordPress site?

Connecting Microsoft Outlook with WordPress helps improve email deliverability by making sure that your emails reach your subscribers’ inboxes, even if you are sending a lot of them.

In this article, we will show you how to connect Microsoft Outlook to WordPress, step by step.

Why Use Microsoft Outlook to Send WordPress Emails?

Microsoft Outlook is a great option for business owners who regularly use Office 365.

You can use your existing Microsoft Outlook account to send emails to your subscribers from your WordPress website.

The best thing about using Outlook is that it allows you to send a lot of emails at once. You can send up to 10,000 emails per day, which is a much higher limit than other mailing services.

If you have a busy online store, this will help you send receipts, tracking info, and abandoned cart emails to all your customers.

Another benefit that Microsoft Outlook provides is that you don’t have to use the default WordPress PHP mail() function to send emails.

There are many issues with the default mailing method. Plus, many WordPress hosting services don’t have PHP mail properly configured, which leads to email deliverability problems.

Your emails can end up in the spam folder because email service providers like Gmail can’t detect the email sender.

However, you can easily overcome this issue using an SMTP service provider to send emails in WordPress through your Outlook account.

What Is SMTP?

SMTP, or Simple Mail Transfer Protocol, is an industry-standard technology for sending emails.

It uses proper authentication, ensuring that your emails reach your users’ inboxes and don’t end up in the spam folder.

To send your emails, you can connect popular services like SendLayer, SMTP.com, Brevo (Previously Sendinblue), Office 365 / Outlook, Gmail, Amazon SES, and more.

That being said, let’s see how you can connect your Microsoft Outlook account to WordPress.

Video Tutorial

If you prefer written instructions, just keep reading.

How to Connect Outlook to Your WordPress Site

The easiest way to add Microsoft Outlook to WordPress is by using the WP Mail SMTP plugin. It lets you securely use the Microsoft API to authenticate your site’s emails.

We will use the WP Mail SMTP Pro version for this tutorial because it includes an Office 365 / Outlook.com integration.

There is also a free version of WP Mail SMTP with multiple integrations, but it doesn’t let you connect your Outlook account with WordPress.

Set Up WP Mail SMTP

First, you will need to install and activate the WP Mail SMTP plugin on your WordPress website. You can refer to our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Note: It’s important to remember that the Outlook mailer will only work if you have an SSL certificate on your website. You can check out our guide on how to set up SSL on a WordPress site.

Upon activation, you can connect your Outlook account by going to WP Mail SMTP » Settings from your WordPress admin area.

On the settings page, you will see the ‘From Email’ and ‘From Name’ settings. You can skip these settings because your Outlook account’s settings will override them.

From Email and Name in WP Mail SMTP settings

Below that, you will see different options next to the Mailer settings.

Go ahead and select ‘Outlook’ as your Mailer option.

Next, WP Mail SMTP will show a new section with settings for your Outlook account.

It will look like this.

To find the Application ID, Application Password, and Redirect URI, you must create a web application within a Microsoft Azure account. Don’t worry; we will walk you through how to do this step by step.

We recommend keeping the WP Mail SMTP Outlook settings open in a separate tab or window, as you will need to return to this page to enter the information.

You can use your existing Microsoft email account (Live, Outlook, Hotmail, Office 365, etc.) to log in to Microsoft Azure. Keep in mind that if you do so, then all your WordPress emails will be sent from that email address.

If you don’t have a Microsoft Outlook account or prefer to send messages from a different email address, you can go to the Microsoft Azure website and create your account. Just make sure that the account you create includes the permissions to send emails.

The account is free to create, and you don’t need any paid services to set up the mailer. However, Microsoft will ask you to enter your credit card information to reduce spam signups.

After that, you can log in to the Microsoft Azure Portal using the email address you want to use.

Create an Application ID

Once you have opened the Azure Portal, go ahead and click the ‘All services’ option from the sidebar on your left.

Click All Services option in Azure Portal

On the next screen, you will see different services offered by Microsoft Azure.

You can scroll down to the ‘Identity’ section and click on the ‘App registrations’ option.

After that, you will need to click the ‘+ New Registration’ button.

This will create your application.

Now, you need to enter a name for your application. This is for your own use, so you can change the name whenever you want.

For example, you can name it something like ‘WP Mail SMTP: yourdomain.com.’

As for the ‘Supported account types’ section below, it is a best practice to select the ‘Accounts in any organizational directory (Any Azure AD directory – Multitenant) and personal Microsoft accounts (for example, Skype, Xbox)’ option.

However, if you don’t see this option in your account types, then you can also select the ‘Accounts in any organizational directory (Any Azure AD directory – Multitenant)’ option.

Enter a name and select supported account types

After that, scroll down to the Redirect URI settings.

You can leave the dropdown settings to ‘Web’ for the first field in the form.

For the second field, you will need to enter the redirect URI address given in the WP Mail SMTP Outlook settings.

To find the Redirect URI, simply return to the WP Mail SMTP settings tab or window from your browser. Then copy the web address that is given in the ‘Redirect URI’ field.

You must paste the URL into the Microsoft Azure app registration form.

Next, just click the ‘Register’ button.

Microsoft Azure will now take you to another screen where you will see the Application (client) ID.

Simply click the ‘copy’ icon to copy your application ID.

After that, you can enter the application ID into the WP Mail SMTP settings.

To do that, you need to head over to your WP Mail SMTP settings window and paste the value into the ‘Application ID’ field.

Paste the copied Application ID in WP Mail SMTP settings

Create an Application Password

Once you have entered the application ID, the next thing you need to do is create an application password.

You can start by clicking the ‘Certificates & secrets’ option in the sidebar on your left.

Click the Certificates and Secrets option

On the next screen, you can skip the Certificates section and scroll down to the Client Secrets section.

Then, just click the ‘+ New client secret’ option to add a client secret.

You will now see a new overlay window slide in from the right. In this window, you can enter a description and select a time period for the app password to expire.

Microsoft Azure lets you select a preset expiry time (3 months, 6 months (recommended), 12 months, 18 months, and so on), or you can set a custom timeframe.

We recommend selecting one of the preset settings when you are first starting out. You can always change the password expiry time to custom settings in the future.

Enter a description and set password expiry time

When you are happy with the settings, just click the ‘Add’ button.

Then, Microsoft Azure will generate an application password. You can click the ‘Copy to clipboard’ trigger to copy the password under the Value column.

Copy the application password under the Value column

Next, you will need to enter this password in your WP Mail SMTP settings.

To do that, return to the WP Mail SMTP settings and then paste the password into the ‘Application Password’ field.

Paste the value in the Application Password field

Set Up API Permissions

After setting up the Application ID and Application Password in WP Mail SMTP, the next step is to add API permissions.

To get started, you can click on the ‘API permissions’ option from the menu on your left.

Next, go ahead and click the ‘Add a permission’ button.

You will find it in the top-left corner.

When you click the button, a new window will slide in from the right to request API permissions.

You will have to select the ‘Microsoft Graph’ option to set up API permissions.

On the next screen, Microsoft Azure will ask what type of permissions your application requires.

You can select the ‘Delegated permissions’ option.

Next, you will see multiple options to select permissions.

However, an easier way to find the right settings is by entering the term ‘send’ in the search bar under the ‘Select permissions’ heading.

After that, you will have to select the ‘Mail’ tab from the options that appear and then click the checkbox for ‘Mail.Send.Shared’.

Search send in the search bar and go to the Mail tab

When you are ready, simply click the ‘Add permissions’ button at the bottom.

You will have to repeat the API permission steps by clicking on the ‘+ Add a permission’ button and selecting ‘Microsoft Graph’. However, this time, you need to select the ‘Application permissions’ option.

Now, you can enter the same search term, ‘send’, in the ‘Select permissions’ search bar.

When you see the Mail tab, click on it and then select the checkbox for ‘Mail.Send’.

Search for send and select mail send option

Next, go ahead and click the ‘Add permissions’ button.

After setting up the API permissions, you will have to go back to the WP Mail SMTP settings and click on the ‘Save Settings’ button to finish the Outlook mailer configuration.

When you save the settings, you will have to scroll down to the Authorization section in the WP Mail SMTP settings.

Then, click the ‘Allow plugin to send emails using your Microsoft account’ button.

Allow the plugin to send emails using your Microsoft account

As soon as you click on the button, you will be redirected to the Microsoft permissions form.

All you have to do is click the ‘Yes’ button at the bottom. This will allow WP Mail SMTP to connect to your Microsoft account.

Give permission to connect to your Microsoft account

After that, you will be redirected back to the WP Mail SMTP settings page.

A notice will appear at the top showing that you are ready to send emails through Outlook.

Notice for successfully adding Microsoft API

You can now send a test email to check if everything works properly.

To send a test email, simply go to WP Mail SMTP » Settings and then click on the ‘Email Test’ tab at the top.

When you are happy with the settings, just click the ‘Send Email’ button at the bottom.

After sending the email, you must go to your inbox.

Here, you can check whether you received the test email.

We hope this article helped you learn how to connect Microsoft Outlook to WordPress. You may also want to check out our comparison of the best email marketing services for small businesses and our complete guide on how to add web push notifications in WordPress.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post How to Connect Microsoft Outlook to WordPress (Step by Step) first appeared on WPBeginner.