How to Set Up and Use an SMTP Relay Server

Explore how SMTP Relay Server can improve your email deliverability and marketing efficiency.

An SMTP relay server is one of the powerful ways of routing email messages through a trusted third-party server. This method especially helps in sending bulk or transactional emails from applications, which would have high chances of getting delivered and will never get marked as spam against your emails. Here’s a guide to know about what an SMTP relay is, how to set it up, and how to use it.

SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) relay is the act of forwarding mail through an intermediate server so that it reaches the actual destination. Instead of trying to send emails straight out from your own mail server, SMTP relay makes room for a third party, which handles the transmission in return, offering benefits, such as:

Improve Deliverability: Trusted SMTP relays develop reputations with Internet service providers that can work toward avoiding spam filters.

Reduced Server Load: Since the process of sending emails is offloaded to an external server, your infrastructure is not burdened with this process.

Increased Security: Reputable SMTP relay services will have built-in security features such as encryption and authentication.

SMTP relays are often used for the following purposes:

Transactional Emails: Sending automated emails such as order confirmations, password resets, and notifications.

Bulk Email Campaigns: For marketing emails where you need to send emails to a large subscriber list.

Sending from Applications: An application needs to send emails on behalf of the users, for example, alerts or notifications.

Depending on your hosting environment, setting up an SMTP relay varies a little bit. The rest of this article includes general steps to set up an SMTP relay on your own dedicated server or from a service provider for using an SMTP relay.

In choosing an SMTP relay, here are some popular service providers:

Google SMTP Relay – this is if you will be using G Suite services

Choose an email relay whose feature and pricing is acceptable based on your volume, budget, and feature requirement.

After subscribing, you get the SMTP credentials that will have: