How to Get an Email Address at Your Own Domain

Whether you're selling products, promoting services, or simply want an online presence for your company, having an email address at your own domain is important. Sure, email services like Yahoo, Hotmail, and Gmail can be used at no cost and are easy for beginners to set up. But free email services have their disadvantages:

• Advertisements -- in your inbox and, worse yet, in your outgoing emails.
• Unreliable -- there is no assurance that your email address will be supported in the long run.
• Unprofessional -- free addresses look cheap on brochures, websites, and business cards.

Acquiring your own domain email address is more dependable over the long term and it gives you more control over your email. And it definitely makes you look more trustworthy, dependable, and professional. If you want to get one, all you have to do is follow these quick steps:
Think of a good domain name
A domain name is the address of your online space. Yahoo.com is an example of a domain name. Brainstorm carefully for a name that's unique, easy to recall, and reflective of your brand, business, or personality. Try to avoid childish or unprofessional names; you should find a name that will last you a long time. Also take note of some second-choice names in case your preferred name has already been registered by another person.
Get your domain and web hosting
Register the domain name and sign up for web hosting. While your domain name is your online address, web hosting provides your online space. Think of it as the distinction between your home address and your actual house. You may opt to acquire your domain name and web hosting separately, but choosing just one company is suggested for beginners -- that way, you wouldn't have to configure them to work together.
If your preferred domain name has already been registered by someone else, you have the option to try another domain name, or to try a similar name with a different extension. Examples of extensions are.com,.net, and.org. If yourbusiness.com is taken, try registering yourbusiness.net.
As for web hosting, it's vital to find a quality web host. Below are some issues to consider when subscribing to email hosting:

• Email accounts. If you own a business, you're not the only one who's going to use this domain for your email address. Make sure that your web host provides sufficient email accounts to accommodate your business partners and employees so that they can enjoy the benefits as well.
• Email access. Ensure that you can log into your email through your medium of choice, whether it's through a web browser, a desktop application, or your mobile phone.
• Spam protection. A good spam protection system will save you a lot of time and frustration.
• Email features. You may decide to send a quarterly newsletter or occasional promotion announcements to your customers. Or you may want to have separate email addresses for your different business roles (such as customer feedback, support, and billing) -- all forwarded to one address for easier retrieval. Get email hosting that makes everything you need possible.
• The web hosting itself. Even if you simply want an email address now, you may want to use the same domain to set up a website in the future -- so pick a web host that will fulfill all of your potential needs.

Create and test your email address
Use your web host's control panel to set up your new email address. Once it's been created, figure out how you would like to access your mail. If you'd like to read email straight from your computer, use a desktop application like Outlook or Thunderbird. If you'd like to check your email on a web browser, ensure that your web host offers webmail access.
If you encounter any problems while setting up your account or configuring your email access, just be patient. Read your web host's instructions thoroughly and follow them to the letter. It really helps if your web host offers good technical support so you can have your email up and running quickly.
Once you've set up your email, test it thoroughly to see that it's working. Send some test emails to your new address. Use it to send outgoing emails as well.
Congratulations. You now have a unique and professional email address at your own domain name.

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