
While most email services have come a long way in terms of interface and usability, the issue of using custom domains for email addresses still remains largely unresolved. More and more individuals are seeing the advantages of creating an email address that says more about them and their business, than about the service provider. Unfortunately, setting up such an account can often be difficult.
One of the companies that offer this feature is Google, and there are more than a few reasons for which setting up a custom domain email with them is useful, however, the three most important are:
- The advantage of having a custom email address that will allow you to appear more professional. Also, through this, you will be promoting your own brand, instead of that of the email service provider.
- Gmail allows you to connect to multiple accounts at the same time and will enable you to multitask without much effort. Furthermore, the interface is clean and crisp, and will not confuse you when attempting to process emails from multiple accounts.
- Google is well-suited for businesses and professionals, in terms of speed and responsiveness; the account can be secured with a two-step verification method, which will enable you to keep your data as safe as possible.
Creating a Gmail address with a custom domain is relatively easy:
The first step is to buy a custom domain name. You can look for services that sell domains, and choose the one that suits your goals or company.
Next, you should create an account for G Suite: This is Google’s business application package, and it features several tools that can increase productivity, as well as connectivity. In essence, it will allow you to create a custom domain email address. However, keep in mind that the package comes with a monthly fee, after a short free trial period.
The next step is to choose how you want to set up your account. You are offered a choice between “Custom” and “Express”. For general use, it is better to choose “Express”.
After this has been done, you will be asked to “verify” your domain name. This can be done by placing an HTML tag on your website’s homepage, which is basically a copy-paste job. You will be provided with a code that needs to be copied into the <head> section of your website. Most WordPress themes have a space designed specifically for this purpose. If your chosen theme does not have it, you can look for the “Insert Headers and Footers” plug-in and install it into your theme. Once this has been done, click “Verify”.
The final step is to add users: Go to your login page, in your Google Apps account, click “Users”, and add as many users as you’d like. These are actually custom email addresses. Keep in mind, however, that every user you add will set you back $5/month, or $50/year.
Once you’ve added the User, you’re done. You are now the proud owner of a custom domain Gmail address.