An email address that ends in your own domain, such as info@yourcompany.co.za, tells customers you are a real business. It also gives you control: you decide who has an address, and you keep the address when staff change. Here is how it works and what to set up.
Why it is worth having
- Customers trust it more than a free webmail address
- It matches your website and your brand
- You can create addresses for roles, such as accounts@ and support@, and pass them on when staff change
- You are not tied to a free service that can close your account
What you need
You need a domain name that you own, and an email service for that domain. The service can come with your web hosting or be a separate mailbox service. You create the mailboxes, give each person a password and connect their phone or computer.
How people read it
Webmail works in a browser. Mail apps on a phone or computer connect with IMAP, which keeps the same messages on every device. Avoid POP if you use more than one device, because it can move messages off the server.
The settings that keep you out of spam
- SPF lists the servers allowed to send mail for your domain
- DKIM signs your messages, so receivers can see they were not changed on the way
- DMARC tells receivers what to do with messages that fail those checks, and sends you reports
- Start DMARC in monitoring mode, then tighten it once the reports look clean
Moving from free email
Set up the new mailboxes first, then copy your old messages across, then tell your contacts about the change. Keep the old address forwarding for a few months. Update your website, invoices, social profiles and Google Business Profile with the new address.