Professional email settings: IMAP, POP3 and SMTP explained

The three protocols in plain language

Email uses separate systems for receiving and sending, and knowing which is which makes every setup screen far less confusing.

• IMAP receives mail and keeps it on the server. Every device sees the same inbox, the same folders and the same read or unread status. This is what you want in almost every case.
• POP3 receives mail by downloading it to one device, and often deletes it from the server afterwards. It suits a single computer and nothing else. It is the reason people find mail missing on their phone.
• SMTP sends mail. It has nothing to do with receiving. If you can receive but not send, the problem is always on the SMTP side.

Your settings

Replace yourdomain.co.za with your actual domain throughout.

If you specifically need POP3 rather than IMAP, the incoming port is 995 with SSL.

Which one should you choose

• Using your email on a phone and a laptop, or with more than one person: choose IMAP.
• Using one computer only, and you want mail stored locally: POP3 is acceptable, but back it up.
• Adding your address to Gmail's fetcher: Gmail only offers POP3 for this, so expect one way behaviour.
• Setting up a printer, booking system or website contact form to send mail: use SMTP with port 587.

Mailbox size and housekeeping

Because IMAP keeps everything on the server, your mailbox has a size limit set by your hosting plan. A full mailbox silently stops receiving new mail, which is one of the most common support issues we see.

• Empty Trash and Junk every month or two.
• Delete large attachments you have already saved elsewhere.
• Ask us to increase your quota if you genuinely need more space, rather than deleting things you may need.
• If mail suddenly stops arriving and nothing else changed, check the mailbox size first.

Using SMTP for websites, forms and printers

SMTP is not only for people. Contact forms, invoicing software, booking systems and office printers all need it to send mail.

Create a separate mailbox for automated sending rather than using your personal address. If something goes wrong or the credentials leak, you change one password and nothing else breaks.

The words you will see, explained

• SSL and TLS are encryption. TLS is the newer name for the same idea. Always use one of them.
• STARTTLS begins an unencrypted connection then upgrades it to encrypted. It is normal and safe on port 587.
• MX record is the DNS entry that tells the internet which server handles mail for your domain. Wrong MX records mean no mail arrives.
• SPF, DKIM and DMARC are DNS records that prove your mail is genuinely from you. Without them, your mail is far more likely to land in spam.
• Quota is the size limit on your mailbox. Hit it and new mail stops arriving.
• Alias is an address that forwards into an existing mailbox, without needing its own inbox or password.

A sensible mailbox setup for a small business

If you are starting from scratch, this structure works for most South African businesses and costs nothing extra to arrange.

• info@ or hello@ as your public address, shown on the website and business cards.
• accounts@ for invoicing and statements, so financial mail is separate.
• yourname@ for personal business correspondence.
• noreply@ for automated mail from your website and systems.
• Aliases rather than full mailboxes for anything low volume, since aliases do not use storage.

Tell us the addresses you want and we will create them on your hosting at no extra charge while you are on a care plan.

What to get right

• Use email on your own domain, never a free address, for business
• Choose IMAP so every device stays in sync
• Keep the mailbox under its size limit or mail stops arriving
• Set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC so your mail is trusted
• Keep hosting, SSL and email with one provider so there is one number to call

Work down that list in order. Each item makes the next one easier, and skipping ahead is what creates the messy situations we are usually called in to untangle.

How this usually works in practice

1. Start with the goal. Write down what you want to be true in three months. Almost every decision about professional email settings: IMAP, POP3 and SMTP explained follows from that.
2. Check what you already have. Existing registrations, domains, hosting logins and accounts. People often own more than they realise, and duplicating it wastes money.
3. Get a written price before committing. A verbal figure is not a quote. Ask for scope and cost in writing.
4. Do the compliance part first. Registration and tax basics unlock the bank account, the contracts and the tenders.
5. Then build the visible part. Website, professional email, listings and branding.
6. Only then spend on advertising. Sending paid traffic to a weak website is the most common way South African businesses waste a marketing budget.

Costs and timelines, honestly

Exact figures depend on your situation, but here is the shape of it so you can plan.

Every one of these prices is published on our pricing page, and you can build your own total in the quote builder without speaking to anyone.

Mistakes we see every week

• Missing the annual return. CIPC deregisters companies for this, and it takes weeks and money to reverse. Diarise it.
• Not owning the domain. If a previous developer registered it in their own name, you do not control your own website or email. Always check who the registrant is.
• Using a free email address on invoices. It costs you credibility on every quote you send.
• Paying for ads before the website converts. Fix the destination first, or you are paying to lose people.
• No written scope. Almost every dispute we hear about started with a verbal agreement about what was included.
• Letting the mailbox fill up. A full mailbox stops receiving mail silently, and people assume clients are ignoring them.

Where to go next

• See every price we charge on the pricing page
• Build your own total in the quote builder, no call required
• Read what we commit to in writing on the about page
• Browse the rest of the knowledgebase
• Or just send us a WhatsApp and ask

How Digitalx can help

Digitalx is a South African creative studio helping businesses launch, market and grow. WhatsApp us for a free consultation, or start a project.