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How to Create Your Own Email Domain: A Complete Guide
Create a professional email identity by setting up your custom email domain. This guide walks you through every step to get your personalized email address up and running.
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Creating your own email domain is a powerful way to establish a professional and trustworthy identity for your business or personal brand. Instead of relying on generic email services like Gmail or Yahoo, a custom email domain lets you send emails from yourname@yourdomain.com — boosting your credibility and leaving a strong first impression.
We’ll explain everything you need to know to create your email domain. From the step-by-step process of setting one up to a detailed look at the costs involved, you’ll have all the tools you need to get started quickly and efficiently.
What is an email domain name?
An email domain name is the portion of your email address after the @ symbol, representing the unique identity of your email service. For example, in john@yourbusiness.com, “yourbusiness.com” is the email domain. It’s linked to a website domain but specifically used for email purposes.
“It doesn’t look professional if you are a real business with a Gmail, AOL [or] Yahoo account,” said Brian Minick, chief operating officer at ZeroBounce. “It doesn’t appear to be a well-established business. It gives the persona of a one-man shop or just a not mature business.”
Having a custom business email address offers many benefits. It reinforces your brand’s professionalism, increases trust among customers and helps ensure your emails don’t get lost in spam folders. A personalized email address also makes it easier for clients and partners to recognize and remember your contact info.
How to create a custom email domain step-by-step
Creating your own email domain might seem complex, but by following these simple steps, you can set up your personalized business email address quickly.
- Choose and register your domain name: Select a business domain name that reflects your brand or personal identity and check if it’s available. Register it with a reputable domain registrar such as GoDaddy, Namecheap or Google Domains. Keep the name short, memorable and relevant to your business.
- Select an email hosting provider: Choose an email host that supports custom domains. Popular options include Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 and Zoho Mail.
- Set up domain name system (DNS) records: After choosing your host, update your domain’s DNS settings. This involves mail exchange (MX) records that tell the internet where to deliver your email. Your email hosting provider will provide instructions to add these records via your domain registrar’s control panel.
- Create your custom email addresses: Once hosting is configured, create email accounts like info@yourdomain.com, support@yourdomain.com or yourname@yourdomain.com. These addresses are hosted on your chosen email platform, letting you send and receive email professionally.
- Test and start using your email: Verify that your new email addresses send and receive mail properly. Update your contacts, website, business cards and marketing materials to feature your branded email address and begin building credibility.
Best practices for setting up custom email domains
Minick recommends the following tips and best practices when creating, setting up and using custom email domains:
- Choose a reputable registrar: Use a trusted service like GoDaddy to search for and register your preferred domain name.
- Secure your domain quickly: If the domain isn’t taken, buy it immediately. Others may try to purchase it and resell it at a higher price.
- Avoid cheap, low-quality registrars: Where you purchase your domain matters. Some low-cost registrars are often associated with spammers and could harm your brand reputation.
- Pick a clean domain name: Don’t use hyphens, and aim for a familiar extension like .com or .net.
- Warm up your domain slowly: Avoid sending email blasts to paid lists right after purchasing. Build a quality email list and scale up gradually to avoid spam folders.
- Plan for future growth: Use a consistent naming convention (e.g., first initial plus last name) to avoid duplicate email addresses as your team grows.
Average pricing for a custom email domain
Setting up a custom email domain involves several costs, including domain registration and email hosting. Minick cautions that while companies might save money with less common top-level domains (TLDs) or domain extensions, they won’t build the same level of trust with consumers.
“I always recommend people try to get a .com or .net,” Minick said. “I would recommend staying away from .shop or .xyz because it goes back to the perception of how mature this business is.”
Your overall costs will vary after taking the TLD into account, along with any other domain email features you want for your business. Pricing will also depend on the providers you choose.
Here’s a quick breakdown of some typical costs you can expect:
Item | Typical price range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Domain registration | $4.99 to $9.99 per year | Cost depends on the domain extension (.com, .net, .org, etc.). |
Domain name | $10 to $20 per year | Price varies depending on your registrar, registration period and any additional features. |
Domain privacy protection | $15 per year | This protection is sometimes included for free with web hosting plans and eligible domains. |
Email hosting | $1.99 to $200 per month | Pricing varies by provider and features, with some plans offering free email hosting. |
Additional features | $15 to $20 | Extra storage, advanced security, collaboration tools and other options add to the cost. |
Note the following additional pricing considerations:
- Domain registration is a yearly fee paid to keep your domain name active.
- Pricing depends on the popularity and extension of the domain you choose.
- Email hosting charges cover the service that manages sending, receiving and storing your emails.
- Providers often offer scalable plans depending on user count and storage needs.
- Setup fees vary, so check with your chosen providers to be sure about what you’re paying.
- Adding enhanced security features or increasing your storage allotment will likely increase your overall costs.
Sample pricing from top providers
The following providers can accommodate custom domains and may be worth considering. Here’s how they compare:
Provider | Pricing | Best for |
|---|---|---|
Google Workspace | Starts at $7 per user, per month (paid annually) | Businesses that already use the Google ecosystem or want a strong cloud-based solution |
Microsoft 365 | Starts at $6 per user, per month (paid annually, Microsoft 365 Business Basic plan) | Companies that already use the Microsoft Office ecosystem |
Zoho Mail |
| Companies on a budget |
ProtonMail | Starts at $6.99 per user, per month (billed annually, Mail Essentials plan for businesses) | Small businesses that are privacy-focused |
Fastmail | Starts at $4 per user, per month | Companies that prioritize privacy |
IceWarp | Starts at $23 per month for up to 10 users | Businesses that need extensive storage capacity |
MXroute | Starts at $49 per year | Companies that want low-cost domains |