An email address on your own domain, such as hello@yourbrand.com, looks more trustworthy than a free one. Customers take it more seriously, and it stays yours if you change providers. It can cost very little to set up.
What you need
- A domain name, such as yourbrand.com. This is the main cost, usually a yearly fee.
- Access to the domain's DNS settings, where you add a few records.
- A way to receive email, and a way to send it.
You do not need a website. The email works on the domain alone.
Option 1: a full mailbox
Services such as Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 and Zoho Mail give you a complete inbox on your domain, with a monthly fee per user. You receive and send from the business address, with calendar and storage included.
Best for: businesses with a team, or anyone who wants everything in one place.
Option 2: free forwarding to your existing inbox
Some services forward email sent to your domain into an inbox you already use, such as your personal Gmail. Cloudflare Email Routing and ImprovMX are two examples with free options. Check each service's current limits.
You can create a few addresses, such as hello@ and support@, that all arrive in one inbox.
The catch: forwarding only receives. To reply from the business address, you add one more step.
Sending from the business address
If you use forwarding, set up sending through your email app. In Gmail, for example, the "Send mail as" setting lets you add your business address and send through an outgoing mail server (SMTP). Email sending services such as Resend, Brevo or Mailgun can provide that server, often with a free tier for low volumes.
After setup, you choose which address to send from in the "From" line, and replies can go out from the address they were sent to.
Option 3: your domain or hosting provider
Many domain and hosting companies include basic email with the domain or the hosting plan. It is often simple and cheap, but check the inbox size and the spam filtering.
Do not skip the security records
To stop your emails landing in spam, and to stop others pretending to be you, your domain needs three records. Your email provider gives you the exact values.
- SPF lists who is allowed to send email for your domain.
- DKIM adds a signature that proves an email really came from you.
- DMARC tells other servers what to do with email that fails those checks.
Most problems with business email come from these records being missing or wrong.
Which addresses to create
Start small. hello@ for general contact, and maybe support@ for customers. Use the same addresses everywhere: website, invoices, email signature and profiles. Add more only when you have a real reason.
Then use it everywhere
Switch your website, invoices, social profiles and Google Business Profile to the new address, so customers see the same one wherever they find you.