How to Get a Notification When Someone Submits a Form in WordPress?

Introduction

Imagine this: you have spent hours building a beautiful contact form or inquiry form on your WordPress website. A visitor fills it out and clicks Submit. But you have no idea it happened. Hours pass. Maybe days. By the time you see the message, the visitor has already moved on to a competitor. That is the cost of missing a form notification.

Form submission notifications are one of the most important features for any WordPress site owner. Whether you run a business website, a blog, an e-commerce store, or a service platform, staying on top of form submissions in real time can be the difference between winning a customer and losing one.

In this guide, we will walk you through everything you need to know about setting up WordPress form notifications. We will cover how notifications work, which plugins support them, how to configure them step by step, and how to troubleshoot common problems. By the end, you will have a fully working notification system so you never miss a form submission again.

Why Form Submission Notifications Matter

Before diving into the technical setup, it helps to understand why these notifications are so valuable. When someone fills out a form on your website, they are taking an active step to reach out. They might be asking about your services, submitting a support ticket, requesting a quote, or simply saying hello. Each of these interactions deserves a timely response.

Here are the main reasons why form notifications are critical for any WordPress website:

• Real-Time Awareness: Notifications let you know the moment a form is submitted, so you can respond quickly without checking your WordPress dashboard constantly.
• Better Customer Experience: A fast response to an inquiry or support request builds trust and leaves a positive impression on your visitors.
• Avoid Missing Leads: For business websites, every missed form submission could be a lost sale or lead. Notifications ensure nothing slips through the cracks.
• Organized Workflow: Email notifications help you and your team stay organized by alerting the right person when a form is submitted.
• Confirmation for the User: Along with notifying you, form plugins can also send a confirmation email to the person who submitted the form, reassuring them that their message was received.

How WordPress Form Notifications Work

WordPress does not come with a built-in form system that sends notifications. However, the WordPress ecosystem has many powerful form plugins that handle everything for you. These plugins add a form to your site and include a notification engine built right in.

When a visitor submits a form, here is what typically happens behind the scenes:

1. The visitor fills out the form fields and clicks the Submit button.
2. WordPress processes the form data through the plugin.
3. The plugin checks which notification rules have been set up.
4. An email (or other notification) is sent to the address or addresses you have configured.
5. The form data is also saved in your WordPress database so you can review it later.

The email that gets sent is typically generated using WordPress’s built-in wp_mail() function, which relies on your server’s mail system or an SMTP plugin. This is an important detail to keep in mind, especially if your notifications are not arriving, which we will cover in the troubleshooting section later.

Best WordPress Form Plugins for Notifications

Several excellent WordPress form plugins support email notifications out of the box. Each one has its own strengths. Here is a detailed look at the most popular and beginner-friendly options.

1. WPForms

WPForms is one of the most popular WordPress form plugins, known for its drag-and-drop interface and beginner-friendly design. It is an excellent choice for users who want powerful features without a steep learning curve.

Key notification features include:

• Multiple email notifications per form
• Conditional logic for notifications (send emails based on what the user selected)
• Smart tags to include form field values in the email body
• Confirmation emails sent to the person who submitted the form
• HTML email support

WPForms has a free version (WPForms Lite) that covers basic notification needs, while the paid version adds advanced features like conditional notifications and integrations with email marketing tools.

2. Contact Form 7

Contact Form 7 is one of the oldest and most widely used WordPress form plugins in the world. It is completely free and handles email notifications through a simple mail template system.

Key notification features include:

• Configurable mail templates for admin and user notifications
• Support for mail tags that pull values from submitted fields
• Secondary mail option for sending a confirmation to the submitter
• HTML email support through additional configuration

Contact Form 7 requires more manual setup than plugins like WPForms, but it is highly flexible and free. It is a great option for those comfortable with basic editing.

3. Gravity Forms

Gravity Forms is a premium plugin aimed at more advanced users and developers. It offers highly detailed notification settings and integrates with hundreds of third-party services.

Key notification features include:

• Unlimited notifications per form
• Advanced conditional logic for routing notifications
• Support for merge tags, HTML templates, and attachments
• Delayed notifications (useful for payment forms)
• Integrations with Slack, Zapier, and CRM tools

Gravity Forms is a paid plugin but offers exceptional power for complex notification workflows.

4. Formidable Forms

Formidable Forms is a versatile plugin that caters to both beginners and advanced users. It supports detailed notification configurations and is especially popular for data-heavy forms.

Key notification features include:

• Multiple notification emails per form
• Conditional notifications based on field values
• Dynamic field values inserted into email content
• Built-in confirmation emails for users

5. Ninja Forms

Ninja Forms offers a modular approach to form building. Its core plugin is free, and you can add paid extensions for more advanced notification features. The interface is clean and easy to navigate.

Key notification features include:

• Email action module for sending notifications
• Merge tags to include form data in emails
• Multiple email actions per form
• Add-on for conditional email routing

Step-by-Step: Setting Up Notifications in WPForms

Let us walk through a complete, step-by-step guide for setting up form notifications using WPForms. This is one of the most beginner-friendly plugins available and is a great starting point for anyone new to WordPress forms.

Step 1: Install and Activate WPForms

6. Log in to your WordPress dashboard.
7. Go to Plugins > Add New from the left sidebar.
8. Search for WPForms in the search bar.
9. Click Install Now next to the WPForms plugin, then click Activate.

Once activated, you will see a WPForms menu item in your left sidebar. If you are using the free version (WPForms Lite), the basic notification features are available at no cost.

Step 2: Create a New Form

10. Click on WPForms in the left sidebar.
11. Click the Add New button at the top of the page.
12. Give your form a name, such as Contact Form or Inquiry Form.
13. Choose a template. The Simple Contact Form template is a great starting point.
14. The form builder will open. You can add, remove, or rearrange fields using the drag-and-drop interface.

At minimum, make sure your form has a Name field and an Email field. These are typically included in most templates by default.

Step 3: Access the Notifications Settings

15. In the form builder, click on Settings in the left panel.
16. Select Notifications from the sub-menu.

You will see a default notification called Admin Notification. This is automatically set up to send an email whenever someone submits your form. Let us go through each setting.

Step 4: Configure the Admin Notification

You will see several fields in the Admin Notification panel. Here is what each one means:

• Send To Email Address: This is where the notification email will be sent. By default, it is set to {admin_email}, which is a smart tag that automatically uses your WordPress admin email address. You can replace this with any email address you like, or even add multiple addresses separated by commas.
• Email Subject: This is the subject line of the notification email. By default it shows something like New Entry: Contact Form. You can customize this to be more descriptive, for example New Contact Form Submission.
• From Name: This is the name that appears in the From field of the email. By default it uses the site name. You can change this to your business name or keep it as is.
• From Email: This is the email address that the notification appears to come from. It defaults to the WordPress admin email. For best deliverability, it is recommended to use a noreply address at your own domain, such as [email protected].
• Reply-To: This is very useful. If you set this to {field_id_1} or the smart tag for the submitter’s email field, then when you hit Reply in your email client, it will automatically reply to the person who submitted the form rather than to the noreply address.
• Message: This is the body of the notification email. By default it shows all form fields using the {all_fields} smart tag. This means the email will automatically include everything the visitor submitted, such as their name, email, and message.

Step 5: Use Smart Tags to Personalize Your Notification

Smart tags are one of the most powerful features in WPForms notifications. They allow you to dynamically insert form data into your email. Here are some commonly used smart tags:

• {admin_email} – Inserts your WordPress admin email address
• {all_fields} – Inserts all submitted form fields and their values
• {field_id=1} – Inserts the value of a specific field by its ID number
• {form_name} – Inserts the name of the form
• {entry_id} – Inserts the unique ID number of the form entry
• {date format=”m/d/Y”} – Inserts the date of submission
• {page_title} – Inserts the title of the page where the form was submitted
• {page_url} – Inserts the full URL of the page

You can click the Show Smart Tags link next to any field in the notification settings to see a full list of available tags for your specific form.

Step 6: Save and Test Your Form

17. Click Save in the top right corner of the form builder.
18. Go to the page on your website where the form is embedded.
19. Fill in the form with test data and click Submit.
20. Check the email inbox you configured. You should receive the notification within a few seconds to a few minutes.

If you do not receive the email, do not worry. We cover troubleshooting steps in detail further in this guide.

Step-by-Step: Setting Up Notifications in Contact Form 7

Contact Form 7 is one of the most installed plugins in WordPress history. Its notification system works through mail templates. Here is how to set it up.

Step 1: Install Contact Form 7

21. Go to Plugins > Add New in your WordPress dashboard.
22. Search for Contact Form 7.
23. Click Install Now, then Activate.
24. A Contact menu item will appear in your WordPress sidebar.

Step 2: Open Your Form

25. Click on Contact in the sidebar.
26. You will see a default form called Contact form 1. Click Edit to open it.
27. You will see several tabs at the top: Form, Mail, Messages, and Additional Settings.

Step 3: Configure the Mail Tab

Click the Mail tab. This is where you configure your notification email. You will see the following fields:

• To: Enter the email address where you want to receive notifications. You can hard-code an address here, such as [email protected].
• From: Set the From field. It is best practice to use an email at your own domain. For example, [email protected].
• Subject: Set the subject line of the email. You can include form tags here, such as [your-subject] to pull the subject entered by the user.
• Additional Headers: You can add a Reply-To header here using the format Reply-To: [your-email]. Replace [your-email] with the mail tag that corresponds to the Email field in your form. This way, replies go directly to the submitter.
• Message Body: This is the content of the notification email. By default it includes all form fields as mail tags such as [your-name], [your-email], and [your-message]. You can rearrange or add to these as you wish.

Click Save to preserve your settings.

Step 4: Set Up a User Confirmation Email (Mail 2)

Contact Form 7 also supports a second email, called Mail (2), which you can use to send a confirmation email to the person who submitted the form. To enable it, scroll down below the Mail section and check the box labeled Use Mail (2). Then fill in the fields similarly to Mail (1), but this time set the To field to the mail tag for the submitter’s email address, such as [your-email].

How to Set Up Conditional Notifications

Conditional notifications are an advanced but incredibly useful feature. They allow you to send different notification emails depending on what the user selected or entered in the form. For example:

• If a visitor selects Sales Inquiry, send the notification to your sales team.
• If a visitor selects Technical Support, send the notification to your support team.
• If someone selects Urgent, send an extra notification to the manager.

This feature is available in WPForms (Pro version), Gravity Forms, and Formidable Forms.

Setting Up Conditional Notifications in WPForms

28. Open your form in the WPForms editor.
29. Go to Settings > Notifications.
30. You will see the existing Admin Notification. Click Add New Notification to create a second one.
31. Give the new notification a name, such as Sales Team Notification.
32. Set the Send To Email Address to your sales team’s email.
33. Scroll down and enable the Conditional Logic toggle.
34. Set the condition: Send this notification if Inquiry Type is equal to Sales.
35. Click Save.

Now repeat this process to create another notification for your support team, this time setting the condition to Inquiry Type is equal to Technical Support. You can create as many conditional notifications as you need.

Sending Notifications to Multiple Email Addresses

Sometimes you need to alert more than one person when a form is submitted. Most form plugins support this in a couple of ways.

Method 1: Multiple Email Addresses in One Notification

In WPForms and most other plugins, you can add multiple email addresses to the Send To field by separating them with commas. For example: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]. All three addresses will receive the same notification email each time the form is submitted.

Method 2: Separate Notifications for Different People

You can create multiple notification blocks within the same form. Each one can have its own email address, subject line, message body, and conditional logic. This gives you granular control over who gets what information and when. For example, you could have one notification that sends a detailed summary to the admin and another that sends a simpler alert to a team leader.

Setting Up User Confirmation Emails

In addition to notifying yourself or your team, it is good practice to send a confirmation email to the person who submitted the form. This reassures them that their message was received and provides a record they can refer back to.

How to Set Up a Confirmation Email in WPForms

36. Open your form and go to Settings > Notifications.
37. Click Add New Notification.
38. Name it User Confirmation.
39. In the Send To Email Address field, click Show Smart Tags and select the smart tag for the email field. This will automatically use the email address the submitter entered.
40. Set the Subject to something like Thank you for contacting us!
41. In the message body, write a warm, personalized message. You can use smart tags like {field_id=X} to include their name or other details.
42. Click Save.

Now, every time someone submits your form, they will automatically receive a friendly confirmation email while you or your team receive the full notification.

Improving Email Deliverability with SMTP

One of the most common issues with WordPress form notifications is that emails end up in the spam folder or do not arrive at all. This is because, by default, WordPress uses the PHP mail() function to send emails. This method is unreliable and often flagged as spam by email providers.

The solution is to use SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol), which is the same technology used by professional email services like Gmail, Outlook, and SendGrid. SMTP authenticates your emails properly and greatly improves delivery rates.

Using the WP Mail SMTP Plugin

WP Mail SMTP is the most popular solution for fixing WordPress email issues. It reconfigures the wp_mail() function to use SMTP instead of PHP mail. Here is how to set it up:

43. Go to Plugins > Add New and search for WP Mail SMTP.
44. Install and activate the plugin.
45. Go to WP Mail SMTP > Settings from the sidebar.
46. Choose your mailer. Popular options include Gmail / G Suite, SendGrid, Mailgun, and SMTP.com.
47. Enter your SMTP credentials (these are provided by your email service provider).
48. Save the settings and use the built-in email test tool to send a test message.

Once configured, all WordPress emails, including form notifications, will be routed through your SMTP provider, significantly improving deliverability.

Using a Free Transactional Email Service

If you need a reliable email delivery service without paying for a premium plan right away, there are excellent free options:

• Brevo (formerly Sendinblue): Offers 300 free emails per day and excellent deliverability.
• Mailgun: Provides 5,000 free emails per month for the first three months.
• Gmail SMTP: You can use your own Gmail account as an SMTP server using an App Password, which is especially convenient for personal websites.

Getting Notifications Beyond Email: Slack, SMS, and More

Email is the traditional way to receive form notifications, but it is not the only option. Depending on your workflow, you might find it more convenient to receive alerts through other channels.

Slack Notifications

If your team uses Slack for communication, you can set up form notifications to be sent directly to a Slack channel. Gravity Forms has a built-in Slack add-on. For other plugins like WPForms or Contact Form 7, you can use Zapier or Make (formerly Integromat) to connect your form to Slack. Simply create a Zap that triggers on a new form submission and sends a message to the Slack channel of your choice.

SMS Notifications

For urgent forms, such as a booking request or emergency contact form, receiving an SMS can be more effective than email. You can connect your WordPress form to Twilio (an SMS gateway service) through Zapier. When someone submits the form, Twilio sends a text message to your phone number. WPForms also has integrations for SMS notifications through third-party services.

Push Notifications

Push notifications can alert you via your browser or mobile device when a form is submitted. Tools like OneSignal can be integrated with WordPress to send push alerts, and automation platforms like Zapier can connect your form to these services.

CRM Notifications

If you use a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system like HubSpot, Salesforce, or Zoho, you can route form submissions directly to your CRM as new leads or contacts. Most premium form plugins offer CRM integrations. You can also use Zapier to create these connections automatically.

Troubleshooting WordPress Form Notifications

If your form notifications are not working as expected, do not panic. This is a common issue and usually has a straightforward solution. Here are the most common problems and how to fix them.

Problem 1: Notification Email Not Arriving

Possible Causes and Fixes:

• Check your spam folder: The email might have been filtered as spam. Check your spam or junk mail folder and mark it as Not Spam.
• Wrong email address in settings: Double-check the Send To field in your notification settings. Make sure the email address is correct and has no typos.
• PHP mail not working: Install WP Mail SMTP and configure a proper SMTP provider. This is the most effective fix.
• Hosting server restrictions: Some hosting providers block the PHP mail function. Contact your host and ask them to enable outgoing email or use SMTP instead.

Problem 2: Emails Going to Spam

Possible Causes and Fixes:

• No SPF or DKIM records: These are DNS records that authenticate your email and prevent it from being flagged as spam. Ask your hosting provider or domain registrar to help you add these records. Most SMTP services like SendGrid and Mailgun will give you these records automatically.
• From address mismatch: Make sure the From email address in your notification settings matches your domain. Using a Gmail address or a generic noreply that does not match your domain can trigger spam filters.

Problem 3: Smart Tags Not Working

If smart tags are showing up as plain text instead of being replaced with actual form data, check the following: Make sure you are using the correct syntax for the tag. In WPForms, tags look like {field_id=1}. Make sure the field ID number in the tag matches the actual field ID in your form. You can find field IDs by clicking on each field in the form builder.

Problem 4: Conditional Notifications Not Triggering

If a conditional notification is not sending even when the condition should be met, verify that the condition values exactly match what appears in the form field. For example, if your dropdown has the option Sales Inquiry, the condition value must be written exactly as Sales Inquiry with the same capitalization and spacing.

Using the WP Mail SMTP Email Log

WP Mail SMTP Pro includes an email log feature that records every email sent through WordPress. This is extremely helpful for troubleshooting. You can see whether the email was sent successfully, what the recipient address was, and whether there were any errors. Even the free version provides basic email testing tools.

Best Practices for WordPress Form Notifications

Now that you know how to set up form notifications, here are some best practices to ensure your system is reliable, professional, and easy to manage.

• Always Use SMTP: Never rely on PHP mail for production sites. Configure an SMTP provider from day one to ensure reliable email delivery.
• Use a Dedicated Sending Email: Create a dedicated email address like [email protected] for sending notifications. This keeps your main inbox clean and helps with spam filtering.
• Always Set Up a Reply-To Field: Point the Reply-To field to the submitter’s email address. This makes responding to inquiries much faster and more natural.
• Test Every Form Before Going Live: Submit a test entry for every new form you create. This ensures notifications are working and the email content looks correct.
• Keep Notifications Concise: Your notification email should show the most important information clearly. Do not overwhelm it with unnecessary content. Include the submitter’s name, email, and message as a minimum.
• Send a User Confirmation Email: Always set up a confirmation email for the person who submitted the form. It is professional, reassuring, and builds trust.
• Use Conditional Routing for Teams: If your site handles multiple types of inquiries, use conditional notifications to route submissions to the right person automatically.
• Back Up Your Form Settings: Export your form configurations periodically. Most plugins allow you to export form settings as a JSON file. This way, if you ever need to rebuild or migrate your site, you can import everything quickly.

Advanced: Using Zapier and Make for Custom Notification Workflows

For users who want to go beyond basic email notifications, automation platforms like Zapier and Make (formerly Integromat) open up a world of possibilities. These tools connect your WordPress forms to thousands of other applications and services.

What Is Zapier?

Zapier is a no-code automation tool that connects different apps together using triggers and actions. A trigger is the event that starts the automation, and an action is what happens as a result. In our case, the trigger is a new form submission, and the action could be sending a Slack message, creating a Google Sheet row, adding a contact to Mailchimp, and much more.

Example Zapier Workflows for Form Notifications

• WPForms + Slack: When a form is submitted, post a message in a specific Slack channel with the submitter’s details.
• WPForms + Google Sheets: When a form is submitted, add a new row to a Google Sheet with all the form data. This creates a live log of all submissions.
• Gravity Forms + HubSpot: When a form is submitted, create or update a contact in HubSpot CRM automatically.
• Contact Form 7 + Trello: When a form is submitted, create a new Trello card in a designated board for your team to review and action.

These integrations require a Zapier account (which has a free tier), plus the appropriate Zapier add-on for your form plugin. WPForms, Gravity Forms, and Ninja Forms all have official Zapier integrations.

How to View Form Submissions in WordPress

Notifications are only half the story. You should also have a way to review and manage form submissions directly inside your WordPress dashboard. Most form plugins save entries in the database, allowing you to search, filter, and export them.

Viewing Entries in WPForms

49. Go to WPForms > Entries in your WordPress sidebar.
50. Select the form you want to view.
51. You will see a list of all submissions with columns for each field.
52. Click on any entry to see the full details.
53. You can also export entries as a CSV file for use in Excel or Google Sheets.

Viewing Entries in Gravity Forms

Gravity Forms has a powerful entries system. Go to Forms > Entries and select your form. You can search, filter by date, star important entries, mark entries as read or unread, add notes to entries, and export entries to CSV.

Contact Form 7 and Entry Storage

By default, Contact Form 7 does not save entries to the database. It only sends emails. This means that if your notification email is lost or goes to spam, you cannot retrieve the submission. To fix this, you can install the Flamingo plugin, which is a free companion plugin made by the same developer as Contact Form 7. Flamingo saves all Contact Form 7 submissions in a contacts database within WordPress.

Conclusion

Setting up form submission notifications in WordPress is one of the most important things you can do to stay connected with your website visitors. Whether you are running a simple contact form or a complex multi-step inquiry system, the right notification setup ensures you never miss a message.

We have covered a lot of ground in this guide. You now understand why notifications matter, how they work, and how to set them up in the most popular WordPress form plugins including WPForms and Contact Form 7. You have also learned about smart tags, conditional routing, user confirmation emails, SMTP configuration for reliable delivery, and advanced automation workflows using tools like Zapier.

The key takeaways are straightforward: always use SMTP to ensure email delivery, use smart tags to make your notifications informative and personalized, send confirmation emails to your users for a professional touch, and test every form before it goes live.

With these tools and techniques in place, your WordPress site will respond to visitors faster, your team will stay better informed, and your overall user experience will improve significantly. Start with the basics, then gradually explore the more advanced features like conditional notifications and multi-channel alerts as your needs grow.

About the Author

Jay Patel is the Founder of XSquareSEO, a full-service SEO agency with experience in on-page SEO, eCommerce SEO, link building, technical SEO, SaaS SEO, and local SEO. For more information, feel free to contact us. 

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