When initially setting up this website, I was unable to receive the verification email for the admin account. It turns out that the default method of sending emails, the mail() function in PHP, is often not supported by the servers hosting the website or that the mailing service receiving the emails, such as Gmail, is refusing to accept them thinking they’re spam.
To get around this, you can install a plugin to replace the default mail sender with SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol). I installed the WP Mail SMTP plugin which alters the functionality of the wp_mail() function to use Gmail/Mailgun/SendGrid/SMTP allowing the emails sent by your site to actually be received by others.
You’ll need to choose a service to send the emails. Using the recommended option, SendLayer, allows you to have a free account capable of sending up to 200 emails total before requiring you to pay. This option is great for when you’re getting started out and setting up your site.
Whatever you choose for your mailing service, you’ll need to add DNS records to your domain manager so that the mailing service can verify that you are the owner of the site in question.
After you do this, you’ll need to add the API key that SendLayer gives you to the WP Mail SMTP -> SendLayer -> Settings -> API Keys to link your SendLayer account and WordPress site.
Once this is all done you should be able to send emails via your WordPress site!