The Problem With Free Email Providers
There are a number of different providers that allow you to send emails from your own domain for free. Most web hosts allow email hosting on your web server.
Then there are some dedicated email providers, such as Zoho Mail, who have free plans that works well. However, none of those free providers have a webmail interface that comes close to the beauty and usability of Gmail.
How To Use Gmail With A Custom Domain Name For Free
Gmail is amazing. But, it looks a lot more professional to send emails from instead of from . If only there was a way to continue to use Gmail while sending emails from your custom domain name.
It turns out there are two ways to easily accomplish this. One option is to .
But who needs another monthly payment? It would be a lot better if you could just use Gmail with your custom domain forFREE. In this post, Im going to show you exactly how to set it up.
How To Create A Custom Domain Email Address With Gsuite
Maybe you run a larger organization and would rather use GSuite to better manage your companies email. Or perhaps you want some of Googles excellent collaboration features to use within your team. If thats you, heres how to set that up.
Don’t Miss: How To Make Email From Domain
Forward Emails From Your Custom Domain
Now that youve got a domain name, youre going to route emails from your professional address to your Gmail address, so that you can continue to use the Gmail interface.
Below are the instructions for several different web hosts.
If your host isnt listed: Look at the HostGator instructionschances are you have the same cPanel admin interface.
If that doesnt work: Your provider might not include email forwarding. You can transfer it to Bluehost for a web hosting package that includes email forwarding. Just click Get Started on this link, and on the 3rd step or so put in your existing domain name rather than searching for a new one. Theyll guide you through the rest.
Gmail Domain Setup: A How
Many first-time domain owners are unfamiliar with the ins and outs of domains and their integration with other services, such as Gmail.
For example, did you know that you can link your domain to your Gmail account so that your business can take full advantage of G Suite services? Boiled down, this means that you can connect a Gmail address to your domain name, and then access it from just about anywhere in the world.
Lets say that you have a domain called golfbropros.com and your name is Tom. With Domain.com you can easily create Tom@golfbropros.com as the email, and then have that linked directly to a Gmail account. If you dont already own a domain, you can find one and complete the purchase process with Domain.com in minutes. This way, you get to keep a professional looking email and have the power of the G Suite at your fingertips as well.
Now, getting started can be a little daunting but finding a domain name and linking it to a Gmail is easy with Domain.com. Lets discuss the steps to take to setup a Gmail and domain, plus everything you need to know about Gmail for business.
Domain.com makes it easy to add G Suite for Business to your domain name.
Don’t Miss: Do You Have To Pay For Domain Names
Get G Suite For Free If You Qualify
Believe it or not, you may not even have to go through the trouble making a custom Gmail domain via our 3-step workaround. There are two instances when your company can get G suite for free:
- If your company is a non-profit, check out the Here, you can register as a non-profit, and get full access to G Suite Basic without paying a dime.
- Similarly, G Suite Education is available for schools, which includes the full product suite, video conferencing, and unlimited storage.
In both cases, its not only possible but incredibly easy to create free email addresses using your website domain through G Suite. Whats more, you can do this for each of your team members. Check out Googles documentation to get started.
Business Standard Package :
One last note if youre a registered nonprofit, you can get Google Workspace at a discounted rate, or even for free through . Regardless of whether youre nonprofit or for-profit, its best to take the long-term view and sign up to get all of Googles business productivity tools, especially given that can save a few extra dollars if when sign up with the promo codes. If you want to switch later, it will be a pain in the butt to transfer all your emails to Google Workspace. But if you still want a quick fix for the time being, heres a quick workaround to use Gmail with your own, custom domain email for free.
Don’t Miss: How Do You Register Your Domain Name
Some Important Notes About This Method
While the Gmail part of this method is 100% free, there are some caveats to this method in that youll need to already have email hosting to make it work. Typically, you would get this through your web host if you have a website.
For example, if you host your website with Bluehost, Bluehost also helps you create your own custom email address as part of its service .
If you dont own a domain, heres a quick tool you can use to find out if the domain name youre interested in is available:
Once you set up your email address with Bluehost, the method in this tutorial would let you use Gmail to send/receive those emails at no extra cost. Unfortunately, already having this email hosting is a basic requirement for the free method.
For both creating your website and setting up the custom email account to use with Gmail, we recommend Bluehost. Plans start at just $2.75 per month and that includes hosting your website, hosting your email account, plus a free domain name.
If you dont need a website, another option would be to purchase email hosting through your domain registrar. For example, if you registered your domain through Namecheap, Namecheap sells a cheap email hosting service starting at just $0.79 $0.46 per month.
For the rest of this tutorial, well use Bluehost for our example screenshots. However, the same basic principles will apply to any host the interface will just be a little different.
How To Use Gmail With Your Own Branded Domain
Securing a website with a domain branded to your business name helps you appear more professional and trustworthy, which can translate into more customers and improved sales figures. If you prefer the ease of use of your Gmail account and your domain provides POP3 access, you can use the Gmail Mail Fetcher to download all of your current messages into your Gmail account and continue to check for new mail messages. In addition, you can add your branded domain email as a sender for your account, which allows you to send emails from Gmail as well.
Recommended Reading: How Much To Purchase A Domain Name
Don’t Miss: What’s The Best Domain Host
How To Use Gmail With Your Custom Domain Name For Free
If you were wondering if its possible to use your own domain with Gmail, then we have your answer. In this article, well show you how to use Gmail with a custom domain for free.
As convenient as Googles email service is, sometimes you need something more to appear professional. A good way to do so is by attaching your own domain to your email. For example, instead of , you could use .
Not only does the latter look more professional, but it can also even help make your email address more memorable. If youre serious about your online business, then you have absolutely no reason to not use a custom domain for your business email.
Set Up Google Workspace With A Custom Domain
Working out how to get Gmail to use the businesss own custom domain name transforms the use of the entire Google Workspace group of Google apps which are all available in a free version.
Custom domain email addresses can then be used for the collaboration features, such as commenting and document sharing. The business will be able to communicate with suppliers and customers through Google Workspace without the need to use gmail.com business addresses. That will stamp the corporate brand on every communication through the use of custom email addresses.
The Gmail system can easily be set up to use a custom email address when it is accessed as part of a paid Google Workspace account.
However, most small business owners dont like to pay for a service if they can get it for free. That is particularly the case for startup businesses that need to save money whenever possible.
Here are the prices for the paid Google Workspace accounts.
However, Gmail is also a free email service and can be adapted to use a professional email account without having to pay any extra fees.
Check out our roundups of the Best Domain Name Providers and the Best Free Domain Name Registrars
Also Check: How To Transfer Godaddy Domain To Shopify
Forward Your Domain Email Address To Your Gmail Account
Go to the cPanel dashboard again and scroll down to the mail section. This time you will select Forwarders.
Type in your email address and select the correct domain address from the dropdown menu
Select Forward to email address and type in the gmail address where you want your domain email address to be forwarded. Then click on Add Forwarder.
All mail that you receive at your domain email address will now be forwarded to your chosen gmail account.
Learn how to use your domain email with gmail for free in 3 EASY STEPS!
Reap The Benefits Of A Professional Email Address
These steps might seem daunting to some of you, but trust me, it should only take about 15-20 minutes of your time. The benefits and rewards you will reap by investing these few minutes in creating your professional email address on Gmail are priceless.
I have personally benefited a lot from having a professional email address, and the benefits are innumerable. Get yourself a new professional email address right away and climb the ladder of professionalism and success!
We hope you like the items we recommend and discuss! MUO has affiliate and sponsored partnerships, so we receive a share of the revenue from some of your purchases. This wonât affect the price you pay and helps us offer the best product recommendations.
Don’t Miss: How Do I Redirect My Domain Name To Another Website
Bluehost Cpanel Email Settings
Lets go back to cPanel and find your email settings.
- Under Domain, choose the specific domain where you would like to create an email account.
- In the Username text box, type the user you would like to use.
- In the Password text box, type the password you would like for this email account.
- The Password StrengthMeter will tell if the password you have entered is strong enough. We highly recommend you use a strong password.
- The Mailbox quota text box is used to specify the amount of your overall hosting storage allocated for that specific email account. The default that should be listed is 500 MB. You can increase or decrease this number as you desire, depending on the hosting package that you currently have.
- Once the User, Password, and Quota are all accurate, click the Create button.
Youll need to have these settings in front of you to be able to configure Gmail to send and receive emails
Set Up A New Email Address In Bluehost
These instructions will work for any web hosting service that uses the cPanel control panel.
1. Log into your Bluehost web hosting account. If you have a WordPress account, dont go into the WordPress administration.
2. Select Advanced in the left-hand menu to get to the cPanel control panel and scroll down to the Email section.
3. Click on Email Accounts. This will open the Email Account Management screen.
4. Click on the blue Create button. This will open the email setup screen. Give the account a name, create a password, and then press the Create button.
5. Back in the Email Account Manager screen, you will see your new email account listed. Click on Connect Devices on that line.
6. In the Set Up Mail Client screen, scroll down to the Mail Client Manual Settings. Record the information is the SSL/TLS box for use in Gmail.
Don’t Miss: How To Find Your Domain
Set Up Your Email Hosting
To use Gmail with your own domain, youll first need a domain and subsequent email hosting in order to be able to use it. We highly recommend Bluehost for your hosting needs as they provide cheap web hosting and email hosting. They are also incredibly easy to use, and were going to show you how!
- Enter your custom email address
- Tick the box for Treat as an alias
- SMTP Server and Port
- Username
- Password
- Chose the Secured connection that Gmail recommends
- Click Add Account
Confirm
Obtaining A Domain Name
Before you can have a Gmail domain name, you first must register a domain. If that step is already completed, just skip this section and move on to the G Suite section. For those of you that have yet to complete this vital process, fear not, Domain.com has made domain registration cheap and easy.
In order to claim a domain name, it must be registered with ICANN, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, a nonprofit that keeps track of available, unused domain names. Because of regulations, a domain can only be registered with ICANN through a domain registrar such as Domain.com.
Domain registrars are afforded this privilege because:
- They have received accreditation through ICANN
- They have built up years of experience in the world of domains
- It helps centralize and track ownership and availability of names
Read Also: How To Get Net Domain For Free
Select A Basic Or Business Account
Unless you know that you need unlimited storage, I recommend starting out with the Basic G Suite account. It costs $5 per month and includes 30 GB of cloud storage, compared to $10 per month for the Business account. You can always upgrade later if you find that you need the additional cloud storage or other features that are included in the Business edition.
Both options include a 14-day free trial.
The Free Method: Use Your Personal Gmail Account
The first method, using your personal Gmail account, is free. Google has an option that allows you to check emails from other accounts within your Gmail account. This might be the right option for you:
- if you dont get many emails
- if you are super-organized about email
- if you know how to use tags in Gmail to distinguish between the different accounts
If you go this way, youll need to be mindful of which email account youre replying to.
However, if you do receive a lot of emails, using your personal Gmail account could quickly become cumbersome.
Which leads to the second way that you can use Gmail with your custom domain :
Read Also: What Does It Cost To Buy A Domain Name
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 email domain 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. Once youve done this, you can move on to setting up your custom domain with Gmail as described below.