Part of being a smart entrepreneur is knowing when to spend and when to hold back. For example, should you be spending $5.00/month to use your business email on Gmail? Definitely not. Let’s break down how you can start using Gmail with your business email for free…because there are smarter ways to reinvest your hard-earned money.
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Why?
You may be wondering, why Gmail? What’s wrong with my existing software? Here’s why professionals make the switch:
Convenience
Chances are, you already have a Gmail account for personal reasons. Adding a business email to your existing account keeps all of your messages in one place. For many, consolidation is equivalent to organization.
More Storage
Whether you’ve been on the grind for several years now or are plunging headfirst into a new venture, chances are you’ve got a high volume of information hitting your business email every hour of every day. More emails need more storage, especially if you’re regularly receiving larger files. Don’t let an archaic platform stop your business from running at full capacity.
On-The-Go Access
Where there’s internet, there’s Gmail and whether you’re meeting suppliers in-person, taking trips to their locations, or simply at your regular 9-5, you’ll want access to your business at all times at the touch of a button.
Step 1: Register Your Domain
First thing’s first, you’ll need to register a business domain name and have a hosting package for your website. This you can do anywhere, but Todd prefers BlueHost – it’s inexpensive and user-friendly with fantastic customer service. If you don’t have a domain name or website yet, BlueHost is a great place to get started.
Step 2: Create A Business Email Address
Once you create an account on BlueHost or your provider of choice, you’re ready to create an email address within that hosting provider. Once you’ve found a place to create an email on either Gmail or Microsoft, there should be an advanced option that takes you to a page where you can create a business email address.
Step 3: Locate Key Verification Information
If you’re in BlueHost, click on Manage next to your email address and Connect Devices. Look for something with POP3 over SSL/TLS. This should take you to another page.
You’ll need to retrieve information on this page later on for verification purposes so take note of the following:
Incoming Server
POP Port
Outgoing (SMTP) Server
POP Port
Step 4: Head Over To Gmail
Once you’ve switched over to Gmail.com, create a Gmail account and add your business email account.
Click the Gear Icon → Settings → Accounts and Import → Check mail from other accounts: add a mail account
Click on add a mail account and enter the information from BlueHost.
Step 5: Enter Incoming Information
Gmail will ask you for a username (typically just your business email address), a password (previously created on BlueHost), and the POP Server which will be the Incoming Server provided to you by BlueHost, as well as the Port Number.
Quick note – do not click leave a copy of retrieved message on the server because you want to make sure that your emails are not sitting in a server that only has 100 megabytes. As previously outlined, Gmail has more storage space and we want your emails taking advantage of that space. It’s also recommended to select use a secure connection to protect yourself from hackers.
Next, click Add Account and click Yes, I want to be able to send mail as ABC@XYZ.com.
Step 6: Enter Outgoing Information
Next, Gmail will ask you to input SMTP server information, or information BlueHost provided for your outgoing server. Simply copy the SMTP Server Name as well as the Port Number. Remember, your username is your email address and the password is the password that you previously set-up for your business email in BlueHost. Finally, click Add Account.
Step 7: Verification
Like most things in life that involve Google and personal information, Gmail will send a verification code to ensure that you actually own your business email. This code should show up in the Gmail account that you’ve just created.
Step 8: Test It!
You should be all set. To test functionality, send a test email to your business address and make sure the email comes through.
Step 9: Default
When you hit Compose, Gmail should give you the option of sending from your personal email or business email. If you’d like to switch your default settings so Gmail automatically defaults to sending from your business account (a smart idea if you’re worried about accidentally sending a client your personal email address), simply hit the Gear Icon → Settings —> Accounts and Import —> Send Mail As: Make Default, and make your business email your default email.
Now when you hit Compose, it will default to sending from your business email address.
A Note On Speed
Gmail is a fantastic platform for business and personal use alike. Using sites like BlueHost to connect your business email cuts your costs and improves convenience. However, emails to your business account may have delayed delivery. That’s because unlike your existing personal email account, Gmail isn’t constantly checking your business email for new messages. As a result, it may take 1-3 minutes for those emails to come through. Simply hit refresh to speed up the process.
Overall
Switching to Gmail boosts your business, bottom-line, and sanity! Hopefully this outlined an easy way to set-up your business email on Gmail without paying for Google Suites.
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Happy selling everybody.
