Getting email on your own domain

01

Option 1: email from your hosting plan

Many hosting plans include email accounts at no extra cost. It works, and for one or two addresses that receive the occasional enquiry it may be enough. The downsides are smaller mailbox limits, basic webmail, spam filtering that varies a lot between hosts, and the fact that if the hosting lapses, email goes with it.

If you move hosting later, email has to move too, which is easy to forget.

02

Option 2: Google Workspace

Google Workspace gives you Gmail, Calendar and Drive on your own domain. If your team already lives in Gmail, it feels familiar immediately, the phone apps are excellent and spam filtering is strong. It is a monthly per-user subscription, so cost grows with team size.

It suits businesses that send a lot of quotes and invoices by email and want shared calendars and documents.

03

Option 3: Zoho Mail

Zoho is an Indian company with business email plans that are generally cheaper per user than Google Workspace, and it has had a limited free tier for small teams at times. The apps are good, and it integrates with Zoho's invoicing and CRM tools if you use those. Check the current free plan limits before relying on them.

Whichever you choose, keep the admin account on an email you control, not your web designer's.

04

The settings that keep you out of spam

Three DNS records tell other mail servers that your emails are genuine: SPF, DKIM and DMARC. Your email provider gives you the exact values; they are added wherever your domain's DNS is managed. Without them, quotes and invoices you send are much more likely to land in spam, and some large providers now reject unauthenticated email from businesses outright.

05

Forwarding is not the same as an inbox

Some domain providers offer free forwarding, where name@yourbusiness.in forwards to your Gmail. It is fine for receiving. But replies go out from the Gmail address unless you set up sending properly, which confuses customers and looks unprofessional. If you reply to customers by email, get a real mailbox.

06

Moving from Gmail without losing anything

If you have used a Gmail address for years, you do not have to abandon it overnight. Set up the new domain address, then add an auto-reply or signature line on the old one telling people about the change. Both Google Workspace and Zoho can import old emails and contacts, so your history comes with you.

Update the address gradually: website and Google Business Profile first, then invoices and quote templates, then visiting cards when you next reprint. Keep the old Gmail account active for at least a year, checking it weekly, because suppliers and older customers will keep using it long after you have switched.

Pick by how you work, not by price alone

A sole proprietor who mostly uses WhatsApp needs one simple address. A team of six sending quotes daily needs reliable delivery, shared calendars and proper spam filtering. The cheapest option for the first is the wrong option for the second.

The email your quotes arrive from is part of your brand.

Start with one address such as hello@ or your name, set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC on day one, and add users only when you need them.

How do I get a business email with my own domain in India?

Buy a domain, then set up email through your hosting plan, Google Workspace or Zoho Mail. Add the provider's MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC records to your domain's DNS and test that emails arrive.

Is Zoho Mail or Google Workspace better for a small business?

Both work well. Google Workspace suits teams already used to Gmail and Google Drive; Zoho is usually cheaper per user and integrates with Zoho's other business apps. Compare current plans for your team size.

Why do my business emails go to spam?

Usually because SPF, DKIM or DMARC records are missing or wrong, so receiving servers cannot confirm the email is genuine. Adding the records your provider gives you fixes most cases.