How to set up a professional business email address

The 6 steps in the video

The video opens with two email addresses side by side and a question: which looks more trustworthy? An address at your own domain looks professional.

1. 1

   Step 1: Own your domain name

   0:18

   You need your own web address first, like yourbusiness.je.

   Register it in the business’s name and keep the login yourself. Anyone, anywhere, can register a .je. It costs £49 a year direct from the registry, and registrars set their own prices. Our guide Do you need a .je domain, or will .co.uk do? compares the options.

2. 2

   Step 2: Choose an email provider

   0:30

   Pick a business email service. Most charge a small monthly fee per mailbox.

   The two best-known services are Google Workspace and Microsoft 365. On UK prices checked in October 2026, before tax, Google Workspace Business Starter (opens in a new tab) costs £5.90 per user a month on a yearly plan, and Microsoft 365 Business Basic (opens in a new tab) £5.40. Prices change, so check before you sign up.

   Pick the one that fits the tools you already use: Gmail and Google Docs, or Outlook and Word.

3. 3

   Step 3: Connect it to your domain

   0:42

   Your provider gives you a few settings to add. Your web person can do it quickly.

   The settings are DNS records, added wherever your domain is managed. MX records send incoming mail to your provider. SPF, DKIM and DMARC records prove that mail sent from your domain really came from you.

   Gmail now requires SPF or DKIM for all senders (opens in a new tab), so mail without them is likely to land in spam or be turned away. Set up all three, and keep to one SPF record for the domain.

4. 4

   Step 4: Create the right addresses

   0:54

   One with your name for you, and a general one like hello@ for enquiries.

   Use your own name for everyday conversations, and put a general address such as hello@ or info@ on your website, invoices and van. If someone else takes over enquiries later, the general address goes with the job.

   An extra address that lands in an existing inbox, called an alias, costs nothing with either big provider. Google Workspace allows up to 30 per user. A second mailbox with its own login is a second paid user.

5. 5

   Step 5: Add it to your phone

   1:06

   Set it up in your phone’s mail app so you never miss a message.

   Google and Microsoft both have free mail apps for iPhone and Android, or you can add the account to your phone’s own mail app. Sign in with the new address and turn on notifications.

6. 6

   Step 6: Add a simple signature

   1:18

   Your name, business, phone and website.

   Keep it to a few lines of plain text. Skip large images and logos, which some mail apps show as attachments, and make sure the phone number and website match the ones on your Google profile.

Common questions

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