What you're actually doing when you "connect" email to a contact form

When you connect Siteground email to a contact form, you're telling your website where to send the messages people submit through that form. The form itself lives on your website. The email account lives on Siteground's servers. You're creating a bridge between them so that when someone fills out a "Contact Us" form on your site, their message lands in your Siteground inbox instead of disappearing into nothing.

This is different from using a third-party service like Mailchimp or Zapier, which would sit in the middle and add extra steps. You're connecting directly from your website to your email host. The message goes: visitor fills form → website sends to Siteground → your inbox.

Most contact forms ask for two pieces of information to make this work: the email address where messages should land, and sometimes the server details that prove you own that email account. Siteground makes this straightforward because you control both the website and the email on the same hosting account.

Key Takeaways

  • Your contact form needs to know the Siteground email address where messages should arrive, which you set up in your form's settings, not in Siteground itself.
  • If your form asks for SMTP details (server address, username, password), you can find these in your Siteground control panel under Email Accounts.
  • The simplest setup uses your Siteground email address as the "to" address in the form, with no authentication required if the form is on the same Siteground account.
  • If messages aren't arriving, check that the email address in your form settings matches exactly what you created in Siteground, including spelling and capitalization.

Finding your Siteground email details in the control panel

Log into your Siteground account at siteground.com. Click on the domain name where your website lives. In the left sidebar, look for "Email" or "Email Accounts" — the exact label varies slightly depending on which Siteground plan you have, but it's always in that left menu.

Click on Email Accounts. You'll see a list of any email addresses you've already created for that domain. If you haven't created one yet, click "Create Email Account" and choose a name (like "contact" or "info"), then set a password. Siteground will show you the full email address — something like contact@yourdomain.com.

Write down the full email address exactly as it appears. This is what you'll put into your contact form. You don't need to write down the password unless your form specifically asks for SMTP authentication, which most straightforward forms don't.

Connecting the form if you built it with a website builder

If you're using Siteground's website builder, WordPress, or another platform that comes with built-in contact form tools, the process is usually just entering the email address. Open your contact form settings — this is typically under "Forms," "Contact," or a similar label in your site's admin area.

Look for a field labeled "Send to email," "Recipient email," "Email address," or "Notification email." Paste the Siteground email address you just created. Save the form. Test it by filling it out yourself and checking that the message arrives in your Siteground inbox.

If the form has an option for "From" email (the address that appears as the sender), you can use the same Siteground email or leave it blank — most forms will handle this automatically. Do not use a Gmail address or other external email here; stick with your Siteground email to avoid delivery problems.

Connecting the form if you're using a plugin like WPForms or Contact Form 7

If you're running WordPress and using a contact form plugin, the setup is similar but happens in a different place. Open the plugin's settings — for WPForms, this is under WPForms → Settings. For Contact Form 7, edit the form and look for the "Mail" tab.

Find the field for "To Email Address" or similar. Enter your Siteground email address. Most WordPress plugins will send the message directly without needing your password, because they're already running on your Siteground server.

Save the form and test it. If messages don't arrive, check that you spelled the email address correctly and that the email account actually exists in your Siteground control panel. A common mistake is typing "contact@yourdomain.com" when you actually created "info@yourdomain.com."

When your form asks for SMTP settings

Some contact forms — especially older ones or ones you're moving from another host — ask for SMTP server details. SMTP is the protocol that sends email. You only need this if the form specifically asks for it. If your form just has a straightforward "email address" field, skip this section.

If you do need SMTP details, go back to your Siteground control panel, find your email account, and look for a button or link labeled "SMTP Details" or "Mail Server Settings." Siteground will show you something like this:

  • SMTP Server: mail.yourdomain.com (or sometimes smtp.siteground.com)
  • Port: 465 or 587 (Siteground usually recommends 465 for SSL)
  • Username: your full email address (contact@yourdomain.com)
  • Password: the password you set when you created the email account

Enter these details exactly as shown in your form's SMTP settings. Use SSL encryption if the form offers that option — it's more find. Test the form again.

Troubleshooting when messages don't arrive

If you've set everything up but messages aren't reaching your inbox, start with the obvious: check your spam or junk folder. Contact form messages sometimes get filtered there, especially if they come from a domain that's brand new.

Next, verify the email address in your form matches exactly what you created in Siteground. Capitalization doesn't matter for email, but spelling does. If you created "contact@yourdomain.com" but your form says "contacts@yourdomain.com," nothing will arrive.

If you're using SMTP settings, double-check the port number and encryption type. Port 465 with SSL is the most common combination for Siteground. If you used port 587, try switching to 465. If the form gives an error about authentication, make sure you're using the full email address as the username, not just "contact."

If you're still stuck, send a test message from your Siteground webmail to yourself to confirm the email account is working. Log into webmail.siteground.com, use your Siteground email address and password, and send a test message. If that works, the problem is in the form configuration, not the email account.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use a Gmail address instead of my Siteground email?

You can, but it's not recommended. If you use Gmail as the recipient, you'll need to set up an app password in Gmail and configure SMTP settings in your form, which adds complexity. Stick with your Siteground email — it's simpler and more reliable since everything is on the same server.

What if I don't have a Siteground email account yet?

Create one in your Siteground control panel before you set up the form. Go to Email Accounts, click Create Email Account, choose a name like "contact" or "info," set a password, and save. Then use that address in your form settings.

Will people see my Siteground email address when they submit the form?

No. Your Siteground email is where the message lands — it's not visible to the person filling out the form. They see whatever you've labeled the form fields (like "Your Email" or "Message"), but not where it's being sent.

Do I need to do anything in Siteground after I set up the form?

No. Once you've created the email account in Siteground and entered it in your form settings, Siteground handles the delivery automatically. You just check your inbox for incoming messages.

What if my form is on a different host but I want to use my Siteground email?

You'll need SMTP settings. Get them from your Siteground control panel (SMTP Server, Port, Username, Password) and enter them in your form's mail settings. This works, but it's slower than having the form on the same server, so consider moving the form to Siteground if possible.