How To Get A Free Email Domain
If youre running a business, its smart to obtain an email domain thats consistent with your branding. Using a personal address to communicate with your customers doesnt look professional and might undermine your credibility. However, finding a free email domain can be tricky.
Many web hosting companies offer free email domains if you purchase one of their plans. Some of them are a real bargain, and you can easily connect them to your Gmail account. Alternatively, if you dont want any associated costs, there are other solutions that might better suit you.
In this article, well discuss three methods you can use to create a free email domain, with or without purchasing web hosting or your own domain name. Lets dive right in!
How To Create Your Own Email Domain Free Of Charge
Everything you need to know about setting up a free email domain.
Did you know your business email address is part of your online brand identity? If an accountant hands you their business card, what information do you look at first?
Chances are youre looking at the email address before you even glance at their name or title. Email changed business communications forever, putting us in contact with anyone, anywhere on the globe.
Lets say you meet an accountant. They look the part, professionally dressed and well-spoken. At the end of the meeting, they hand you their business card with their details.
What impression does that give you about this person, their firm, and services?
Most of us might see red flags start popping up, especially if it involves giving someone your financial information.
Its surprising how many companies and entrepreneurs make this simple branding mistake. Its even more astonishing when you consider free service providers are offering you a custom domain and custom email domains.
Sure, you might be trying to bootstrap your company in the startup phase we can understand the need to cut costs anywhere you can until things pick up.
What if we told you there was a way to create a free email domain?
This post unpacks everything you need to know about setting up a free email domain. Well give you four email providers that are waiting for you to sign up for a free email domain right now.
Getting Pop3 And Smtp Details
Before we can set up a Gmail account to work with a custom domain, first you need to create a domain-based email. In case you havent made one, refer to our tutorial to know how to do so.
After creating the email, you need to collect its POP3 and SMTP details. To locate the email protocols in Hostingers hPanel, do the following:
Recommended Reading: How To Find Who Owns A Domain
How To Get An Email Address On Your Custom Domain Name
You probably have Gmail or some other free email account already. While that email is perfectly fine, it might not look very good when used for any sort of professional purpose.
Were going to show you two ways to do that:
- Option A). Involves handling everything within your user panel at Bluehost one of the leading web hosting firms on the web, famous for its low prices and good beginner-friendly approach.
- Option B). Involves connecting your domain name to Gmail as in, yes, you will be interacting with your email through a Gmail-like panel, but youll be doing so in a way that lets you use your custom domain email instead of a standard address @gmail.com.
Something we need to admit right up front is that path is much more beginner-friendly. Wed give it 5/5 on the ease of use scale. Path is a moderate 3/5.
Option A) Create Email Accounts for Your Domain Name with Web Hosting Provider
Many top web hosting companies offer free email accounts for their customers. Bluehost, Hostgator, Dreamhost just to name a few.
In this example, well show you steps to create email accounts for your domain name with Bluehost:
First, log in to your Bluehost panel and then go into the Advanced tab from the main sidebar.
From there scroll down to the Email section and click on Email Accounts.
From there click on the Create button.
Heres how to fill that out:
Once you have the fields filled in, click on Create again.
Option B) Create Email Accounts for Your Domain Name with Gmail
Enable Gmail To Work With Your Custom Domain Email
This option allows you to enjoy all the great features that come with a regular Gmail account while sending emails from your custom domain email address for free. Before you can do this, youll need to first have email hosting from a provider that allows email forwarding . Once youve done that, youll sign up with Gmail, forward the emails to that account, and enable Gmail to send as your custom domain email address.
You can then immediately start using your new, professional email address for your startup, blog, business website, or nonprofit. Without a doubt, this is your best option for setting up a custom domain email address for free. This process may sound complicated, but its really not, and I will walk you through it below, step-by-step.
What if you dont have an email hosting plan? In this case, you can move on to option 2 below, which will cost you a few dollars each month for email hosting, or you can transfer your domain to a web hosting provider that offers free email hosting and lets you forward your emails. I personally recommend Bluehost web hosting since theyre inexpensive and make it really easy to transfer your domain to them from another provider. They are offering huge sales for Black Friday so this is a good time to sign up. Once youve done this, you can move on to setting up your custom domain with Gmail as described below.
You May Like: How Much Does It Cost To Buy A Domain
What Should A Custom Domain Email Look Like
You might have used numbers in your personal email before, especially if youre called Bob, but your custom domain email is a different story. Too many numbers can cause confusion and make your email address look messy. Ditch the numbers and keep it simple with your name. You want it to be recognizable, not difficult to remember.
Youll want to avoid writing in all CAPS. Stick to lowercase characters when creating your email domain to avoid confusion.
Provides Your Business With An Extra Layer Of Security
Youll already be taking steps, like ensuring youve got an SSL certificate, to enhance the security of your website, and choosing a custom domain email can add an extra layer of protection.
Public email addresses are always a little more susceptible to security breaches and cyberattacks. Pairing up a registered provider and a custom domain is a great investment.
The chances of getting hacked or having your data leaked are much lower with a custom domain email than a public one. This is because all providers integrate their domains with high levels of encryption and security, making it difficult for outsiders to break in. Your company data and information is important dont let it get into the wrong hands.
Recommended Reading: Transfer Domain From Shopify To Wix
Custom Domain Email Marketing Ideas
Email marketing has shown to be one of the most effective ways to nurture your business leads and encourage repeat business. You can use your professional email to market in earnest to potential customers and contacts to form longstanding relationships.
Not sure how? Here are some examples to get you started:
- Free eBooks or whitepapers are great incentives to get folks to sign up for your mailing list. Make sure the information is something that subscribers can use, and dont be over-promotional. Let your knowledge and experience be your sales pitch.
- Offer exclusive Subscribers Only discounts and sales. Include a promo code just for your email marketing list subscribers.
- Share tips or FAQ that you know your site visitors are hungry for. Include a how-to guide or list of tips targeting what your customers want to know. Of course, also incorporate to your website.
- Include exclusive content that is not posted publicly on your blog or site. Maybe a special how-to or downloadable PDF that only email newsletter subscribers can access.
- Provide a customer survey. The survey can ask about anything from newsletter content to product offerings. Include an incentive, such as the subscriber being entered in a drawing for a gift certificate or gift card for your products or services. What do you want to know? Just ask your subscribers will pipe in!
Quick email marketing tips
Now that youve got some ideas brewing, youll want to keep these tips in mind:
Login Email Using Your Mobile Phone
You may be looking to set up email on android or ios phone for instant access when you are away from your work desk.
Here are the easy step to connect your smarter mail using mobile phone
Hope you can get more ideas on how to create multiple domain email accounts and manage your email content better.
Cheers!
Read Also: Transfer Shopify Domain To Another Host
Why You Need A Business Email Address
Here are the important reasons for using the business email address:
- It is a custom business email address and thereby is more professional.
- Business email address is short and can be remembered easily.
- You can ensure that every email you send has a standard format and therefore maintain consistency.
- Sending emails with a business name enables you to promote your brand.
- Professional email addresses are less unlikely to be marked as spam by customers.
Is Gmail A Professional Choice For Business
Some countries, like China, revere a Gmail address for business. The business culture there is different from the Western world.
In China, they view Gmail and Hotmail accounts as branding, kind of like online fashion for your emails. However, China banned its netizens from accessing Google accounts back in 2014.
Owning a Google account is forbidden, and communication through Gmail accounts is illegal.
However, having a Gmail address for your business email account is tacky and unprofessional in the Western world.
That said, many small businesses and freelancers rely on gmail.com for its free webmail services. If you want to take your Google account to the next level, consider signing up with G Suite for a $6 monthly subscription.
With G Suite, you have the option of connecting custom domains, replacing the @gmail.com with your custom variant.
You also get access to plenty of inclusions, such as the built-in inbox security features and productivity and collaboration tools like Google Sheets, Docs, and Slides.
Check out YouTube for a tutorial explaining the advantages of using G Suite and Gmail for business.
You May Like: Can I Transfer My Wix Website To Shopify
How To Make A Free Business Email Address Using Google Workspace
Step 1) Go to this link. To start off, it is recommended that you choose the smallest plan. It is easy to upgrade the plan later based upon your usage needs.
Step 2) will ask you the basic information about your company. The most important field in this section is the country of your business location, which cannot be changed later.
To begin with, in the number of employee section, you can choose Just you.
Step 3) Since you are creating Google Workspace account for the first time, an administration must be assigned to your business email domain. This information can be changed later.
Step 4) You have an option to use an existing professional domain name. In this guide, we will register a new domain with Google.
In the next screen, click on NO I NEED ONE button.
Step 5) allows you to search your desired custom email domain.
Many a times, your desired domain may not be available. Google Workspace will display alternative domains that can be booked. You can also use domain name generator tools to come up with unique domain name ideas.
Once you have confirmed the availability of the domain, click on Next button. The domains are privacy protected.
In the next screen,
Do I Need A Com Domain Extension For My Business
The .com domain is the original extension for e-commerce companies, and its still the leading domain extension today.
However, the dot.com domain doesnt have the same effect it used to in search queries. Today, Google prioritizes local searches to local domains.
Therefore, if youre running an accountancy business in New York, you dont need to go with the .com or .org extension.
Choosing a local domain extension, like .nyc, is a better option, especially for rising through search and SERP rankings.
These custom domain extensions look great on your business card and online, adding more value to your brand identity.
One of the biggest issues with choosing a .com domain is the cost. Some premium domains sell for thousands of dollars. If youre bootstrapping your startup, you cant afford that expense.
A local custom domain like .nyc is more affordable, and youll probably find what youre looking for, and it costs you less than $10.
Recommended Reading: Finding Out Who Owns A Domain
Microsoft 365 Exchange Online
When you want to host more than 6 email accounts at Outlook.com or want it to handle all the emails for your entire domain, add aliases, distribution groups and shared mailboxes, then switching to Microsoft 365 Exchange Online might be the better solution even though this isnt free .
When you choose to go this route, you dont have to configure Outlook.com to collect your mail via POP3 or configure any forwarder Mail is then being received instantly as if it was a native domain of Outlook.com itself.
The costs depend on the country that you live in but currently a single mailbox costs $4 per month. As the domain owner, this also provides you with lots of management options and you have the additional benefit of being able to share email, calendar and contact folders between your colleagues as well as creating shared mailboxes. You can find out more here: Compare Microsoft Exchange Online plans.
A better deal might be the Microsoft 365 Business Basic subscription for $5 per month. In addition to the above benefits, it will also grant each user with 1TB of online storage , Office Online, Teams and a collaboration website . The Microsoft 365 Business Standard subscription for $12.50 per month also includes the Office apps for Windows 10 and Mac.