Short answer: Business email gives you addresses at your own domain, such as ada@yourshop.com.ng, instead of a free Gmail address. You register a domain, add an email service, create mailboxes, and point the domain's MX records to the provider. Mail then flows to webmail, your phone or Outlook.
The four parts you need#
- A domain name. The part after the @.
- An email host. The service that stores and delivers your mail.
- MX and DNS records. They tell the internet where to deliver mail for your domain. SPF, DKIM and DMARC records prove your mail is genuine and keep it out of spam. Our guide to email encryption, DKIM, SPF and DMARC explains each one.
- A mail client. Webmail, a phone app, Outlook or Apple Mail.
How to set it up in four steps#
- Register or connect your domain. See what a domain costs.
- Choose an email plan and create mailboxes (info@, sales@, your name).
- Point the MX records at your provider. If your domain is with Ruachost we can configure this for you.
- Sign in on webmail, or add the account to your phone and laptop with IMAP.
What does it cost?#
Ruachost business email costs $2.10 (Basic), $2.80 (Professional) or $4.90 (Enterprise) per month, with 8 GB per account. A .ng domain is extra. See the business email plans.
Business email or a free Gmail address?#
Free Gmail | Business email on your domain | |
|---|---|---|
Looks professional | No | Yes |
Brand trust | Lower | Higher |
Team accounts | Separate | Managed by an admin |
Control and backups | Limited | Admin controls and backups |
Deliverability | Mixed | Better once DKIM is set up |
Which plan suits a small team?#
- One to three people: Basic.
- Five to ten people sharing calendars and Zoom: Professional, which adds CalDAV, CardDAV, Zoom integration and antimalware and antiphishing.
- Outlook sync and tight security: Enterprise, which adds Exchange ActiveSync, OTP access and advanced IP restrictions.
