Why Use Gmail with Your Own Domain?

I remember when I purchased my domain name, tomphotography.co.uk, I’ve created an email address through my web hosting. It was something like office@tomphotography.co.uk. Just a regular email, but the problem was that the email interface (gui) was just awful. I couldn’t get used to that, it was very difficult to organize emails, things got lost all the time and it looked like it was from the 90’s. So I quickly configured this email address in my Mac Mail. That was a pain too, some weird smtp/pop3/imap server names, problems with a secure connection, ports blocked or not working – what a mess!!! Then I moved to Gmail and ended up losing the professional “@tomphotography.co.uk” part of my email address. That’s it!

A Business Email Through Gmail

After some time I realized I could have both, the Gmail and the one I had with Mac Mail! I’ve also found out that it was possible to use Gmail with a custom domain name! You can have your email like hello@tomrobak.com in Gmail within minutes. Brilliant solution for every business. That’s why I introduce you to G Suite or you can call it Google Apps for Work (old name).

G Suite is a set of intelligent apps including Gmail, Docs, Drive, Calendar, Hangouts, and more — designed to bring people together, with real-time collaboration built in from the start. And there’s a lot more on the way. When organizations break down silos, connect people and empower them to work together, they get the speed, agility and impact needed to compete in today’s market. When your business is powered with G Suite, information can flow easily between apps, devices, people and teams. Imagine the future of your business, if this was how it could be… But lets focus on Gmail in your domain.

5 Reasons to Use Gmail with Your Custom Domain

1. Security and SPAM protection. Yes, this is what I love the most in Gmail. Let’s be honest, how many times you hear from your clients that they didn’t receive your email, huh? Or how many people filled out a contact form on your website, which you haven’t receive (this you won’t actually know unless your contact form saves enquiries into a database). This is my biggest WHY use Gmail in your domain.
2. Having your own domain in the email address makes you appear more professional. I used to use “tom.robak@gmail.com,” which gets the point across, but doesn’t execute the same level of professionalism that a branded email address offers. I mean, you’re promoting your business, not Gmail’s. 
3. Let’s face it, most of the email software included in your web hosting really sucks. It appears to have been built in the 90’s.
4. Gmail is kind of awesome. I’ve tried several other email providers like outlook.com, Yahoo, HotMail, ZOHO and I always go back to Gmail. I appreciate its clean interface and the way it’s organized. I also love that I can use Google Drive 30GB, which really helps when working with clients. Plus, the configuration in Mail App is so easy. Just Add Email, enter your email address and password – most softwares recognize it as Gmail and do all the configuration for you. The easiest setup ever.
5. Built-in chat: text, voice, or video. With just one click, you can chat in Gmail with the people you already emailed or reply to their emails through chat. You can even have a video chat. All you need is a webcam and mic.

How to Configure Gmail with Your Domain

1. I reckon you have your domain already, if not, purchase one. I purchased all of mine from GoDaddy.com.
2. Go to G Drive website.
3. Click “Get Started” and enter your information to create your account.
4. Once your account will be created you need to sign into your new email.
5. Follow the steps on the screen
6. Verify your domain. You have some options here. In my opinion the easiest one is to upload an HTML file to your hosting. However, for you, the easiest way might be adding a meta tag to your WordPress via your theme or the plugin called Head Meta Data. It’s easier than it sounds, I promise!
7. Now you can confirm this step and go to editing MX records. This is also an easy step. Here is the manual how to setup MX records for specific hosts. You could always ask your hosting support to do that for you.
8. Last configuration step – Verify our domain and set up your email
9. Once you are done, login to G Suite Admin and update your billing details.

That’s it! You’re done! Wahoo!
If you have any questions about using Gmail with a custom domain, feel free to leave a question in the comments!