If you run a WordPress website, email is mission-critical. 

Order confirmations, password resets, contact form submissions—these are not just emails; they’re lifelines for your business. 

But what happens when an email isn’t sent? What happens if your SMTP provider is down? Or if your sending limit for the hour is reached?

That’s where SureMail’s Auto Retry comes in.

We built this feature so your website never silently fails at email delivery. If something goes wrong, SureMail retries sending—intelligently, systematically, and without you having to lift a finger.

Let’s break it down.

How SureMail Knows an Email Failed

The first step in any retry system is detecting failure. SMTP providers always return a response—either a success confirmation or an error message. SureMail reads that response in real-time. 

If the provider confirms the email was sent successfully, great! 

If not, SureMail knows the email didn’t go through and immediately kicks off the Auto Retry mechanism.

What Happens When an Email Fails?

When an email fails, SureMail doesn’t just shrug and give up. 

It executes a systematic retry process to make sure that email has the highest chance of getting delivered.

Here’s how:

1. SureMail checks the “From” email in the email headers.
2. If multiple SMTP connections are associated with that email, SureMail tries each one in order of the Connection Sequence set for each one of them.
3. If the email is successfully sent using any connection, the job is marked as Successful, and the process ends.
4. If none of the connections work, SureMail marks the email as In Progress and schedules a retry in 30 minutes.
5. When retrying, it attempts to send the email again using all available connections for the same “From” email, following the same sequence.
6. If the email still fails to be sent, SureMail finally marks it as Failed.
7. Once the status changes to Failed, you can receive a notification via SureTriggers, alerting you that something is wrong and requires attention.

Why This Matters

In most WordPress setups, if an email fails to send, that’s it—it’s gone. 

No retries. No second chances. 

If your SMTP provider is down for even a few minutes, that could mean lost orders, missed inquiries, and frustrated customers.

SureMail eliminates that risk. It works behind the scenes, ensuring that emails are always retried using every possible connection before giving up.

This means:

• If your primary SMTP provider is down for a short time, SureMail automatically switches to another.
• If other connections fail temporarily, SureMail waits and retries instead of failing outright.
• If it still fails, it can alert you requesting your attention.

The SureMail Auto Retry Algorithm (Simplified)

Here’s a simplified version of how the system works:

1. Send email.
2. If successful → Done.
3. If failed:
   • Try other SMTP connections associated with the “From” email.
   • If all fail, schedule a retry in 30 minutes.
4. After 30 minutes, retry all SMTP connections again.
5. If still unsuccessful, mark as Failed.

How This Compares to Other Plugins

Most WordPress SMTP plugins simply log failed emails. 

That’s it. 

They don’t retry. They don’t intelligently attempt alternate SMTP connections. You either have to manually resend the email or hope it wasn’t something important.

SureMail does this automatically, ensuring higher email delivery rates without you ever needing to intervene.

Final Thoughts

If you’re running a WordPress website, email delivery is not optional. 

You can’t afford to let emails slip through the cracks just because an SMTP provider went down for a bit. Auto Retry in SureMail ensures your emails have the highest chance of reaching their destination.

It’s not just about reliability; it’s about peace of mind.

Your WordPress site should never lose an email. And with SureMail, it won’t.