Email forwarding to a Google Groups distribution list

  • cjmcqueen · Member ·

    I am trying to have a WordPress Domain forward emails that can post to a Google Groups account. I can get emails to work with the Google Groups email, but when I use the email address that I’m forwarding from WordPress Domains, the email bounces saying that it’s been rejected by Google Groups. Is there something that WordPress is doing that is causing Google Groups to reject the messages?

    The blog I need help with is: (visible only to logged in users)

  • staff-totoro · Staff ·

    Hi there, I’m not sure I understood your question so it may help to have more specifics. Can you share the email address you are using for your forwarding, and how you are trying to connect to Google Groups? You are using the group email address?

    Please note that our forums software will automaticall redact email addresses so that only staff can see them. They are not displayed for the public and cannot be found in the post source code.

    Thanks for the additional info!

  • cjmcqueen · Member ·

    Thanks for the response Staff-Totoro.

    I have a WordPress Domain (foo.org) that is hosting/connected to a Google Site. I want to forward emails sent to the domain address through Google Groups. So, I created on the WordPress Domain forward dashboard an email address ((email visible only to moderators and staff)) that should forward to a Google Groups email address, which would be something like “(email visible only to moderators and staff)”.

    Again, the goal is WordPress Domain email forwarding to Google Groups, so (email visible only to moderators and staff) –> (email visible only to moderators and staff) –> to group.

    My goal is to be able to have a person’s email be sent through WordPress’s Email forwarding to the Google Group. So, something like (email visible only to moderators and staff) can email (email visible only to moderators and staff) and I receive an email at (email visible only to moderators and staff)

    I can email from my business account to the Google Group account and it works. So, if I use (email visible only to moderators and staff) to email (email visible only to moderators and staff), I receive the message at (email visible only to moderators and staff).

    But, if I try to use (email visible only to moderators and staff) to send a message to (email visible only to moderators and staff) ( the WordPress forwarding email) the message bounces and I get an error from Google saying,

    “Message not delivered
    There was a problem delivering your message to (email visible only to moderators and staff). See the technical details below.”

    And, it links to this article: https://support.google.com/mail/answer/188131?hl=en

    I’ve signed up for Gmail’s Postmaster Tools and been verified there, but it doesn’t seem to help.

    I’m guessing that there’s an issue with DKIM / SPF or something like that, but I’m not really familiar with those standards and systems, so I’m not sure what I can do to make this work.

    Appreciate any help or insights into the issue

  • jmills39 · Staff ·

    Hello there!

    Since the domain and site for foo.org are with other companies, the issue falls outside our scope of support. However, here are some suggestions based on the error you’re seeing:

    Of course! Here’s how I’d address the user directly:

    Hello,

    I understand the challenges you’re facing with email forwarding from your WordPress domain to Google Groups. Let’s try to address this step by step:

    • Verify Your WordPress Settings: First, please double-check your email forwarding settings on the WordPress domain dashboard. Ensure that emails from (email visible only to moderators and staff) are set to forward correctly to (email visible only to moderators and staff).
    • Google’s Support Article: I noticed you mentioned a Google support article. It might be beneficial to go through it, as it could provide specific reasons and solutions for the “Message not delivered” error you’re encountering.
    • Email Authentication Considerations:
    • SPF: This helps in preventing email spoofing. Please ensure your WordPress domain’s DNS settings have an SPF record that authorizes your email forwarding service.
    • DKIM: If your email service supports DKIM, it’s worth ensuring it’s set up correctly. This adds a digital signature to your outgoing emails.
    • DMARC: If you have a DMARC policy, please double-check its settings. It should be configured in a way that doesn’t block your forwarded emails.

    Review Google Groups Settings:

      • Make sure your Google Group is set to accept emails from external addresses.
      • Check if there might be any filters or settings in place that could be blocking or rejecting the forwarded emails.
      • Test with Different Senders: Try forwarding from a different email address to see if the issue is specific to one email or domain.
      • Examine Email Logs: If you can access email logs (from your WordPress hosting or email service), they might provide more clarity on why the email is bouncing.
      • Reach Out for Support:
      • WordPress Hosting: Your hosting provider’s support team might have insights or solutions specific to email forwarding issues.
      • Google Support: Since the bounce-back error is from Google, their support team might offer more specific details or solutions.

      Consider Alternatives:

      • You might want to think about using a dedicated email forwarding or transactional email service for better reliability.
      • If your main goal is to get emails at your personal address, perhaps set up direct forwarding to that address, bypassing Google Groups.

      Email deliverability can be a bit tricky, and sometimes it requires a bit of trial and error to pinpoint the exact issue. I recommend making one change at a time and testing after each to identify the root cause. I hope these suggestions help, and I’m here if you have any further questions!

    1. cjmcqueen · Member ·

      Just to be clear, the domain is with WordPress. I moved the Google Site registration over to WordPress when Square acquired Google Domains. I’ll look into the SPF/DKIM/DMARC settings, but any guidance there would be appreciated.

      I would hope that WordPress Domains would be as helpful and capable with with any customer, even if they’re not using WordPress as the CMS for a website.

    2. deancroyal · Staff ·

      Hi @cjmcqueen – As a customer of ours, you have several sites and domains, but “foo.org” is not a domain you have on your account here with us at WordPress.com. Whois shows the domain has Google Domains DNS and is registered with Squarespace. This is the reason for our desire to help you communicate your intentions to the correct party based on your thorough input above, our research into your issue, and what we feel is the next best step. We do hope it helps.

      Before we go any further with this, does this information match your current expectations for foo.org and where it’s registered? I want to be sure we are on the same page regarding this domain first, because you mention WordPress, but not WordPress.com (there’s a difference). We look forward to your reply.

    3. cjmcqueen · Member ·

      foo.org is an example domain. Actual domains include:

      woodfieldiowahoa.org and I’m trying to forward messages to (email visible only to moderators and staff)

    4. supernovia · Staff ·

      Thanks, I recognized the foo as filler, but knowing the actual domain really does help us check what you’re seeing. Would you like us to redact that and just have it in our staff notes?

      Here’s what we know:

      • This domain is registered through us and uses our name servers and our email forwarding.
      • You’re hoping to have anyone send an email to a forwarding address here, have that forward to a Google Groups address, and then have that address forward to all the subscribers.
      • Google is rejecting it as spam — I’m guessing because it’s just so much forwarding; that article even links to another about forwarding.

      So:

      • To test my theory, if you use one of the forwarders to send to just your own gmail address, does it go through?
      • Also: did you have this forwarding situation working prior to transferring the domain here, or is this a new thing you’re attempting?
    5. cjmcqueen · Member ·

      thanks supernova, what you outline there is correct. And, I can forward emails directly as you asked in the second bullet. And yes, I was able to do this when the domain was under Google domains. Not specifically with this domain. But with other domains registered through google domains. I was able to do forwarding. Obviously that might be easier to do all within Google’s ecosystem. But I’m hoping that WordPress can make it possible as well.

    6. supernovia · Staff ·

      Thanks. It sounds like Google is fine with our forwarders for receiving mail, until you use a forwarder to forward to a bunch of other people, then they block it.

      Obviously that might be easier to do all within Google’s ecosystem. But I’m hoping that WordPress can make it possible as well.

      Exactly. I’d be curious to see how they set up verification for their own forwarders, or whether they gave themselves a pass. Just to confirm, you only used a forwarder before, not a real email inbox, right? Did you ever have to set up DKIM or SPF records for your address?

      For what it’s worth, I’m fairly sure this would work fine for a real email address, especially if you can get the security records they’ll typically look for from an email sender. Google Workspace email would work well, as would our professional email through Titan, and there are a number of other options out there, too.

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