How to Use Google to Host Your Domain’s Email

by David Strom

Years ago, people paid good money to set up their Internet email servers. But now, thanks to Google, you can host your email server for next to nothing. Now, this is different from what a registrar does or what an Internet provider does when they host your Web site and other services. Google is good for just email purposes.

Go to google.com/a and read the instructions about some of the other services that they offer and then click on the Get Started button. You will see that there are three plans provided: a free standard edition, a premier edition that costs $50 a year, and a free education edition. What are the differences?

The standard edition is what I use and it is good for individuals or small businesses with just a few users. You don’t have much in the way of support, and you get ads shown on the pages when you read your emails. If you are a student or work for a nonprofit organization, you can qualify for the educational edition and get a few more features, along with support 24-7. If you think you will need support, or if you are going to be sending video and picture files via email, then you want to pay the $50 fee and get the premier edition.

Once you click the appropriate button, you are taken to a series of setup screens that ask you for some basic information about your company, and to choose the name and password for your first email account for your domain.

Google then asks you to verify that you indeed own your domain, so you will have to go to your registrar (such as GoDaddy) and add the information that they request. This is where it gets a bit technical, and you might need some help in completing these tasks. Once you are done, you can use the following screen to add users to your domain.

There is also a way to add multiple users at once by creating a CSV file in Excel or, if you’re a Windows user, by going to the Google Email Uploader.

Once you have done these tasks, you will have email accounts for your users through Google’s Gmail service. Go to Gmail.com and use the username and passwords that you have set up for each account to test that a user can log in properly.

David Strom is an expert on Internet and networking technologies who was the former editor-in-chief at Network Computing, Tom’s Hardware.com, and DigitalLanding.com. He currently writes regularly for PC World, Baseline Magazine, and the New York Times and is also a professional speaker, podcaster and blogs at strominator.com and WebInformant.tv.