hollerpost Start free

Guides / Starting a business / Business email

Set up a business email address on your domain.

Last checked:

Sending business proposals and customer newsletters from a personal @gmail.com or @yahoo.com address looks amateur and triggers modern spam filters. Here is how to set up an email address ending in your own domain name, comparing full business suites, budget mailboxes, and free email forwarding.

Email forwarding versus a real mailbox: which do you need?

Before buying software, decide whether you need an actual mailbox with its own login or simple email forwarding into your personal inbox:

The trade-offs between forwarding and a hosted mailbox.

  • Free email forwarding: A service catches emails sent to hello@yourdomain.com and forwards them to your personal Gmail account. This costs nothing, but when you hit reply in your standard Gmail, the recipient sees your personal Gmail address unless you configure custom outgoing SMTP credentials.
  • A real hosted mailbox: You log into a dedicated business webmail client or phone app. Outgoing emails originate from your business domain, with matching SPF and DKIM signatures that pass DMARC security checks.

Compare the top three providers for custom domain email.

You have three reliable options depending on your budget and whether you want collaborative office tools:

  1. Google Workspace (Business Starter). If you already love Gmail and Google Calendar, Workspace provides the smoothest experience. You get a dedicated Gmail interface, 30 GB of Google Drive storage, and shared calendars. Check current options on the Google Workspace pricing page. [screenshot: Google Workspace admin console showing custom domain setup]
  2. Zoho Mail (Mail Lite). If you want a genuine business mailbox without paying for Google Drive or office software, Zoho Mail is reliable and cost-effective. You get a dedicated webmail client, mobile apps, and 5 GB of storage. Check current options on the Zoho Mail pricing page.
  3. Cloudflare Email Routing (Free forwarding). If you manage your domain on Cloudflare and only need to receive incoming messages at info@yourdomain.com, Cloudflare routes them directly to your personal inbox at zero charge. See our companion guide on setting up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to keep your domain DNS records organized.

Five setup steps to activate your new business mailbox.

Setting up your new domain email takes about fifteen minutes in your domain registrar DNS settings:

  1. Sign up for your chosen email provider. Create an account with Google Workspace, Zoho Mail, or Cloudflare and enter your custom domain name.
  2. Verify domain ownership. Add a TXT verification record in your DNS settings to prove you own the domain.
  3. Add your incoming MX records. Delete any old default mail records and paste your provider’s MX records (such as aspmx.l.google.com for Google or mx.zoho.com for Zoho).
  4. Configure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records. Add your provider’s SPF include tag and DKIM TXT record so receiving mail servers know your messages are authentic.
  5. Send a test message both ways. Send an email from your personal account to your new business address, and reply to make sure delivery and replies flow cleanly.

Connect your business domain to Hollerpost.

Send marketing newsletters and customer announcements from your verified custom domain with built-in deliverability protection.

Try it free

Free includes 1,000 emails a month, no card. Paid plans from $8/mo.

Did this help you finish? Tell me in 10 seconds.