Gravity Forms email validation

How to set up Gravity Forms

The first step is to install the Gravity Forms plugin. Follow the steps below to install it and create your first form.

1. Install Gravity Forms

Download the Gravity Forms plugin ZIP file directly from the Gravity Forms website. Then, navigate to your WordPress dashboard under Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin to install and activate it.

2. Create a new form

From the left sidebar on your WordPress dashboard, go to Forms → New Form.

3. Select a template and save it

You can customize a Blank Form or select a pre-made Template. Configure your desired fields (including an email field), and click Save to finalize your form.

All done. You’ve installed Gravity Forms and your first form is ready to go.

How to install the ZeroBounce plugin

ZeroBounce’s WordPress/WooCommerce integration (plugin) lets you validate single email addresses directly within WordPress/WooCommerce CRM, or via third-party plugins such as web forms. Once installed, the ZeroBounce plugin can automatically validate users’ email addresses when they post a comment, register, or place an order.

To add the ZeroBounce plugin, log in to your WordPress Admin and follow the steps below:

1. Navigate to Plugins → Add New.
2. Search for ZeroBounce, and click Install Now when it appears.

3. Once it’s installed, click Activate.

How to configure the ZeroBounce plugin

Once the ZeroBounce plugin is installed, here’s how to configure it:

1. Create and enter your unique API key

Navigate to the ZeroBounce Email plugin on your WordPress left menu and click Settings. Create and enter your API key. You can find your API key in your ZeroBounce dashboard.

2. Set API maximum timeout to seconds

Setting the API maximum timeout in seconds is important to ensure a smooth website flow/load time. This matters as some mail servers take up to 30 seconds to respond. In such a case, if your maximum API is 5 seconds, the system will return valid if it takes longer to respond.

3. Select the Gravity Forms hook in the plugin settings

Check the Gravity Forms option. Now, each time a user submits a form built with Gravity Forms, the email address is automatically validated to ensure its status meets your accepted criteria before the submission is processed.

4. Configure your email validation rules

Select which statuses should be accepted. Any statuses that aren’t accepted will display a message to the user saying the email address is invalid and action will NOT be performed. We recommend only accepting the following statuses: “Valid,” “Catch-All,” and “Unknown.” Check out our Status Codes documentation for a detailed explanation of statuses.

Customization is crucial for websites intended for non-English audiences, as the default error message may not be linguistically compatible. Communication should accommodate the needs of a diverse audience, which is key for a great user experience.

Important: If these steps are skipped, the plugin will have no effect. Emails won’t be validated.

How to validate an email address manually via the ZeroBounce plugin

If you want to validate an email address outside of Gravity Forms, you can do so directly from the ZeroBounce Plugin.

Here’s how:

1. Click Tools using the interactive email form.

2. Enter the email address you wish to check and click Validate. Both manual testing and automatic email validation cost one credit per email address validation.