How Does SMTP Relay Work?

Email is an important day-to-day communication tool all sorts of businesses use. In most cases, a regular email provider isn’t able to provide the power needed to mass send emails to prospects and clients. So you need to look to a third party for that.

By gaining a basic understanding of how SMTP relay works, you’ll be better able to choose the right SMTP service provider for your organization.

outbound smtp port

What is an SMTP?

An SMTP is a “Simple Message Transfer Protocol.” Your email client uses this protocol to send your emails out. But how does it get delivered? Through your organization’s SMTP server. These servers are similar to ordinary ones in that they provide the power to get emails from one inbox to another.

MORE: About email pricing

How SMTP relay works

If you’re planning on sending bulk and transactional emails, you’ll need to utilize SMTP relay. As the name implies, this process works like a relay race.

When you send emails from your domain name to another one, those emails can’t be delivered on the same SMTP server. Yours needs to communicate with the recipients’ SMTP servers to “relay” the information.

Because of this logic, you won’t need SMTP relay service if you’re only planning on sending emails to people within your business. Emails will be delivered through the same SMTP server.

MORE: Get free SMTP server

outbound smtp settings
commercial smtp server

SMTP relay service from a third party

Although email providers allow for SMTP relay service, it’s most likely not enough for your email marketing needs. When you’re working with a cap, it can be hard to accomplish your goals.

Also, if you try to send marketing emails from your organization’s domain, they can quickly get marked as spam, which hurts your sending reputation. A third-party SMTP relay server provider can ensure that your protection is unharmed and that you get good deliverability.

Some even come with domain name anti-spoofing within an email protection suite. This extra bit of security won’t just protect your company, but also your customers.

So when you’re searching for the best SMTP as a service, keep in mind that you need a provider that’ll maintain your sending reputation so you can maximize your email marketing efforts.

MORE: Know SMTP Pricing

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