Email at your own domain: what it actually takes

An email like orders@yourshop.com tells a customer you're an established business before they read a word. It also keeps business mail separate from personal mail, and it stays with the business when people come and go.

Setting it up isn't hard, but it has a few moving parts. Here's what each one does.

The four pieces

A domain name. The yourshop.com part. You rent it by the year, and the same domain usually serves your website too.
A mail host. The service that actually stores and sends your mail. Options range from simple forwarding into an inbox you already have, to full mailboxes with calendars and shared contacts.
DNS records. A few settings on your domain that tell the internet where your mail lives and prove it's really from you. You'll hear them called MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC. Big providers like Gmail and Yahoo now expect mail to be authenticated this way, and mail that isn't is far more likely to land in spam.
Your devices. Getting the new address working on every phone and computer your team uses, and bringing your old mail along if you want it.

Mistakes we see most

The domain is in someone else's name. A former employee, a relative, or a web person who's no longer around. Make sure the account that owns your domain is yours.
The renewal lapses. When a domain expires, your website and your email stop together. Turn on auto-renew and keep the payment card current.
Skipping authentication. Mail goes out, but customers never see it because it's sitting in their spam folder.
One shared password for everyone. Give each person their own login, or use role addresses like info@ that forward to the right people.

Where to start

If you already own a domain for your website, you're most of the way there. If you don't, picking one is the first step, and it's worth getting right because it'll be on your sign, your cards and your truck.

We set up domains and email for small businesses, handle the migration, and make sure it works on every device your team uses. Domains and email licensing are quoted separately because the right option depends on how many people need mailboxes.