A business email at your own domain, not Gmail

When your business mail comes from something like sunnydays87@gmail.com, your company looks smaller and less reliable than it actually is. An address like info@yourbakery.com fixes that — it costs almost nothing, looks the part, and belongs to you. Here's why it's worth it and how to set one up in an hour or two.

Why your own domain in the address matters

This isn't a small detail. Customers, suppliers and partners see your address every single time you write to them. A free webmail address quietly says “side project”. Your own domain says “real business”.

• Trust: the address matches your website. Someone who sees info@yourbakery.com is more likely to believe there's a serious business behind it. For more on what convinces visitors in the first few seconds, see building trust.
• Recognition: your name is in every message you send. It sticks.
• Control: the address belongs to your domain, not to a webmail provider. You can add more mailboxes, hand addresses to staff, and never have to move again just because you switch providers.

Which addresses you actually need

Start small. For most businesses, one address is plenty at first:

• info@ as the central address for everything — enquiries, quotes, invoices.
• If you like, a personal one such as firstname@yourbakery.com alongside it.

One tip from experience: when more than one person reads the mail, use roles rather than names — bookings@ or accounts@ instead of a part-timer's first name. Those addresses survive every staff change. And don't overdo it: ten mailboxes nobody checks help no one.

How to set it up

The one thing you need is your own domain. If you don't have one yet, or you're unsure which ending fits, choosing the right domain walks you through it.

Once you have a domain, the rest is straightforward:

1. Create a mailbox for your domain with your domain or website provider. Many offer this built in; otherwise you connect a separate email service to the domain.
2. Add the new mailbox to your mail app — on your computer and your phone. Your provider gives you the settings; usually you just type them in.
3. Set up a short signature: name, business, phone number and website. That way every recipient has your details to hand.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Switching off the old address too soon. Keep it running alongside for a while and set up forwarding so nothing slips through.
• Only setting it up on the computer. You read most mail on the go — without the mailbox on your phone, you'll miss enquiries.
• Leaving the address off your website. Your new email belongs in plain sight on the contact page. For how customers prefer to reach you, see contact form or phone.

What to do this week

Pick a name — info@ is all you need — create the mailbox with your provider, and set it up on your phone. Then put the address on your website and send your first message from it. The whole thing rarely takes more than an afternoon.

If you're rebuilding your website anyway: with Foliovo the domain is yours, and a matching email address is quick to add. But honestly — you can get a mailbox working with almost any provider, no need for us.