Email plugins for WordPress are aplenty. It makes choosing the right one difficult. So in this article we will discuss the factors you should consider before choosing an email plugin for WordPress. 

Let’s start by understanding the purpose of email plugins. 

What are email plugins used for? 

Email subscriptions 

Email plugins provide you with tools that will help you create and embed subscription forms on your website. Visitors on your website can use these forms to subscribe to your email list, newsletters, updates and more. 

Help with email campaigns

Email plugins are useful for designing and sending newsletters that look professional. They also help in customizing your email templates, scheduling email campaigns, email automation and more. 

Create contact forms for lead generation 

Contact forms can be created using email plugins. These forms allow visitors to reach out to you or inquire about your products or services. Some other functions of contact forms are to capture leads and gather information. 

Email Marketing Integration

Email marketing services or customer relationship management platforms can be integrated with your email plugins. This allows you to combine subscriber lists, email campaigns and analytics between your website and the email services. 

Send Transactional Emails and Setup Automated Email Sequences

A few of the email plugins allow you to send transactional emails such as order confirmations, password resets, or accounts notifications. Specific actions such as purchase completions or an update in user information triggers these emails. 

Plugins with automation features help you set up automated email sequences. These sequences deliver a series of emails that are pre- scheduled such as welcome emails, abandoned cart reminders etc. 

Improve Email Deliverability and Prevent Spam

Some email plugins help you improve email deliverability rates and prevent your emails from being marked as spam. Such plugins often offer features like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC authentication. They also integrate with spam protection services to increase deliverability. 

Help with Analytics and Reporting

Analytics and reporting features keep track of your email campaign performance. Email plugins with such features gather information like open rates, click-through rates, subscriber growth, bounce rates, and conversions to help you improve your campaigns. 

How to choose the best WordPress Email Plugin 

1. Determine your email marketing goals 

Before you look for an email plugin for your WordPress website, it is important to determine your email marketing goals. There are different types of email marketing strategies.

If you have a clear understanding of your goals then you can look for email plugins with the specific features that will help you achieve these goals. 

2. Check for compatibility 

Since WordPress is updated regularly it is important that you make sure that your WordPress version is compatible with your plugin. Check whether your plugin will be compatible with other plugins and themes in your website.

This is to avoid any conflicts and errors while displaying your page. To know if your website and the plugin are compatible go through the documentation or plugin description.  

3. Ease of Use 

Email plugins are used to make your email marketing process much easier and time efficient. So, look for the plugins that have a user- friendly interface. Plugins that come with an intuitive and well- organized dashboard are good.

If the interface is clean and well- organized it saves you time by offering a reduced learning curve so that you can use the plugin better. 

Plugins that offer a quick and easy setup will help you achieve your marketing goals efficiently. If the setup process is clearly documented with step- by- step instructions then you are in good hands.

The plugin should integrate well with your WordPress website without the need for extensive technical knowledge. 

Email creation and editing are among the most important uses of an email plugin. So it is absolutely essential that this process is made easier by the plugin. The email editor should be easy to use, intuitive and should let you insert different media types. 

Features like live preview, drag-and-drop elements, and an undo/redo function simplify the email creation process and make it more efficient.

These features are discussed in depth because they are related to email marketing. 

4. Features of the Email Plugin 

A good email plugin would have features that help you to create subscription forms, manage email campaigns, has advanced automation and personalization features and it can integrate with other services. 

Features to create subscription forms 

Look for email plugins that offer customizable and easy to use subscription form builders. The plugin should help you to create visually attractive forms and embed them anywhere on your website to help you grow your subscriber list. 

The customization options should help you use a variety of  colors, designs and there must be a good collection of layout options that can reflect your brand styles. 

When it comes to embedding the forms, you should be able to place the forms in different locations like sidebars, pop- ups, inline within the content or as a sticky bar. 

The idea of using plugins is to make your work easy and save time. So look for those email plugins that come with pre- designed form templates that make your form look professional with minimal effort from your side. 

The subscription form should have enough options to create basic fields as well as additional fields that can allow you to gather information specific to your business. Similarly, you can opt for those WordPress email plugins that lets you define triggers for the forms to appear. 

The ideal email plugin would help you streamline your email marketing efforts by providing you with tools that create, manage and send the emails.

Aside from scheduling and automating your emails, some plugins allow you to send personalized messages to a specific set of subscribers. 

Features to manage email marketing 

The first thing you need to look for in the plugin when looking for features related to email marketing management is its ability to schedule email campaigns. The plugin should help you schedule the campaign for the date and time specified by you.

With this feature you can automate the email marketing activities making sure that the messages are sent to the right recipients at the right time. 

With email automation you can easily set up triggered campaigns (also known as drip campaigns). This feature allows you to send personalized emails based on specific triggers or actions, such as welcome emails, abandoned cart reminders, or birthday greetings.

Personalized messages are great for email marketing campaigns. This is because such content is more relevant to the recipients.

Check if your plugin offers you help with personalization tags. These tags allow you to insert specific information related to the subscribers into the email content. 

It is also important to test your strategies. So look for a plugin that provides the A/B testing functionality. This type of testing helps experiment with a variety of email subject lines, different content types and also helps you with the CTA buttons.

The results from these tests should be clearly reported so that you can easily understand its effectiveness. 

Integration with other services 

When selecting your email plugin, look for the ones that are capable of integrating with other services such as email marketing. Plugins that can integrate with email marketing services make your email campaigns more efficient and organized. 

You should also check whether the plugin is compatible with the email marketing services or CRM platforms that you use. Most plugins can work well with services like Mailchimp, Constant Contact, AWeber, GetResponse, or Campaign Monitor. 

The plugin should be able to automate workflow between WordPress and email marketing services. This automation could include adding new subscribers to specific lists, triggering automated email sequences and updating subscriber information. 

Apart from automated workflows, consider if your email plugin allows two- way data syncing between your WordPress website and the marketing services.

This is really helpful because any change that is made in either of the systems will be reflected in the other system. This avoids data discrepancies. 

Tagging and segmentation is another feature you should consider before choosing an email plugin for your website. It helps you plan out a more targeted and personalized email marketing campaign. These segments are created based on specific actions taken on your website. 

Verify if you can access the email marketing reports and analytics within the WordPress dashboard itself. Analysis of your campaigns is important to plan further. 

5. Deliverability and Spam Protection 

There are several issues related to email delivery that can harm your campaigns. It is important that your emails are reaching your target audience. To ensure this, email plugins with strong deliverability features are desired.

Such plugins use a number of techniques to ensure that your email is reaching the inbox and getting dumped into the junk or spam folder. 

Spam protection helps your emails avoid getting flagged as spam. This ensures that your emails are recognized as legitimate and reach the target recipient’s inbox. 

To ensure that your emails are delivered properly and not marked as spam, the email plugins use authentication protocols such as SPF (Sender Policy Framework), DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail), and DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance). 

These protocols check the authenticity of your emails and provide proof that is originating from a trusted source. This increases the trust between your email server and that of your recipient’s as well. 

Apart from this, optimized sending infrastructure is employed by your email plugins to increase the chances of your emails getting delivered properly. Emails are sent through trusted channels to reduce the chances of your emails getting marked as spam. 

Another great feature that a good email plugin would offer is the ability to manage your subscriber list in a way that the emails are only sent to those recipients who are engaged with your content. This helps in improving your deliverability rates by removing unsubscribers and spam complaints. 

Make sure that your email plugin adheres to the anti- spam regulations as well. Options like unsubscribe links and managing user consent should be present. 

6. Paid or free email plugin? 

Depending on your requirements and marketing budget, evaluate the price structure of the email plugin. There may be plugins that offer one- time payments, others might offer monthly or annual subscriptions. 

Freemium plans are also available for some email plugins. It may be a good idea to take up a free trial for your email plugin before making a commitment. Free versions help you test the features. 

Opt for paid WordPress email plugins if you require advanced features, better functionality and dedicated customer support. 

7. Documentation and support 

It is necessary to have good documentation and support for your email plugin. This is because it helps in the set up process and also explains how the features of the plugin work.

You can also rely on the instructions whenever you face an issue with your email plugin. 

Check if there are support channels made available by the developers and see how responsive it is. There are different types of support channels like email support, live chat, or community forums.

Depending on your analysis, select the email plugin that provides the type of support best suited for you. 

Final thoughts 

A good email plugin is the one that suits your needs and email marketing goals. By clearly understanding the direction of your marketing and its targeted audience, you can easily select the best email plugin for WordPress website. 

Make sure that the email plugin you choose is compatible with your WordPress version, the theme you use in the website and other plugins installed. 

Email plugins should be easy to learn and use. Check if it has a user- friendly interface and the learning curve of the plugin. The easier it is to learn how the plugin works the easier it is to use. 

The features of your email plugin are very important. Check if the plugin offers the features that you require to run your campaign effectively. It should offer features that help you create subscription forms easily and manage your marketing campaigns. The plugin should also integrate well with other services that help you with your marketing strategies. 

Ensure that the email plugin you choose has the right features to guarantee the delivery of your email and offer spam protection. Your carefully planned emails should reach your intended recipients. A good email plugin will help you with that. 

The choice of paid and free email plugin depends on your goals and budgets. You can always try a free version and analyze its features before making a purchase. Invest in a paid email plugin if your requirements are highly advanced. 

Well documented email plugins help you with the setup process and guide you. Check if you are getting good support from the developers of the plugin who you can rely on in times of crisis. 

Keep these tips in mind when you select your email plugin for your WordPress website.