Should my Trade Business Have a Gmail Email Address
Is using a Gmail address professional when you’re setting up a trade business? You may be wondering this as you are preparing the communication channels and social media profiles. You’ll want to look as professional as possible while trying to keep domain costs low and many people aren’t sure if Gmail is a good fit.
You should not use a Gmail email address for your trade business. It is viewed as unprofessional and Gmail addresses are more susceptible to spam emails as well. Some may even question your credibility when using your Gmail address, not to mention you are also advertising freely for Google.
Does this mean you shouldn’t use Google to help you set up a professional email address? Not necessarily. Along with getting a domain with Google, there are many websites where you can set up a low-cost trade business email that not only looks professional but is affordable as well.
Using Google But Not An @gmail.com Email
If you didn’t know, you can set up an email address with google that does not end in @gmail.com but rather yourbusinessname.com. It’s easy to set one of these up while still using google workplace. The steps on how to do this are listed below:
Google Domains – Get a new domain
- Enter business name
- Enter how many employees you have
- Enter what country you’re from
- Add first name, last name, and email address
- The website will ask if your business has a domain. It will give you a yes or no option
- If yes, enter it in
- If no, then it shows you options and the price depends on the name and it is priced per year
- Choose domain
- Enter info such as address
- Create a unique username and password
- Pay for google domain – some costs are as low costs as $18 AUD a year ($12 USD)
Pros For Using Google Workspace For Domain Email
- Familiar
- Emails are accessible from any device at all times
- Can add more email addresses easily using email aliases
- Free “group” emails
- Better privacy than just a “@gmail.com” address
- Security and spam filters
- 30 GB of storage on basic and starter plan.
- 24/7 phone, email and chat customer service
- The service is ad free
Use Gmail for business – Gmail Help (google.com)
5 Alternative Host Websites to Google
There are many alternatives to using Google as your host for your domain and email. While not many of them are necessarily free, there are tons of low-cost options. Some cheap options include:
Ionos
- Pros: A free domain, email and SSL with web hosting plans starting at $0.50 USD per month.
- Cons: Limited customer service, not easily transferable to another website.
BlueHost
- Pros: Has fast loading speeds on your page, low beginner costs such as only $4.12 AUD plus GST a month, includes 50 GB of storage for some plans, user friendly for beginners. They also offer a 30-day money back guarantee, 24/7 customer support. It even gives one free site transfer for each of their plans and comes recommended by WordPress!
- Cons: High renewal rates and their “cheap” plan has a lot of restrictions (such as limited storage).
DreamHost
- Pros: Gives an option to pay month to month versus signing up for a whole year, so you can cancel anytime and get a money back guarantee up to 3 months after the fact. The basic shared unlimited plan starts at about $3 USD a month and includes unlimited website and email and free SSL certificate. DreamHost is also enviornmentally concious and they include a custom-made control panel and offer free WordPress transfers.
- Cons: Slower loading time than other hosts, limited live support even though they claim to have 24/7 support.
Hostinger
- Pros: Fast loading time, a 30-day money back guarantee, offers a free website builder along with a domain name. It’s also easy to use and it is beginner friendly. Hostinger offers some unlimited features with premium and business plans, affordable pricing starting at $1.39 USD a month for the most basic plan and up to $9.49 a month for the premium.
- Cons: There are some conditions on their money back guarantee. For their beginner plan, you do have to sign up for 48 months at a time, and with the higher the monthly fee you are able to sign up for less at a time.
SiteGround
- Pros: Has good customer service, it includes a website builder and email account for free, plans are affordable and start at $5.99 AUD plus GST a month when you sign up for a year. They also have a 30 day money back guarantee and they have above average loading times.
- Cons: There are high renewal rate fees, limited options when doing their “cheapest” plan, and no free domain name.
All of these are great starter options for you to choose a host to create an email for your trade business. You can check out more options and reviews here.
10 Tips For Creating The Right Email Domain For Your Trade Business
- Consider keywords/phrases for what you do and what your business stands for.
- Decide what you want to put before and after the @.
- Use only lowercase levels as it can be sensitive to upper/lower cases.
- Keep it short, sweet and simple so people can remember it. Make sure it will be easy to spell and even consider how it might sound/be pronounced.
- Have alternative ideas available in case the one you want is taken. It is good to have other options ready
- Avoid using hyphens, numbers and acronyms.
- Research it to make sure it is already not copywrighted. Also be sure to check its history as someone else may have used it before you.
- Consider phrases such as help@yourbusinessname.com, info@yourbusinessname.com, customerservice@yourbusinessname.com or for individuals John/Jane@yourbusinessname.com etc.
- Add a profile picture.
Domain Email Address Vs Email Address
Domains are those that represent a business. Most often they have a website associated with them as well. Examples would include something@yourtradebusiness.com. This is different than an email address that can be set up with any website and is not necessarily connected to a domain website or your business website.
