How to Create a Custom Email Address in 5 Steps

Custom email addresses use your business’ domain name, such as jsmith@YourBusiness.com. Using a custom address offers a professional appearance with consistent branding that builds trust with customers. To create your own custom email address, start by getting a domain name, then register your email address and connect your host to an email platform.

While there are many options for creating a custom email address, we recommend Bluehost. It’s easy to use, and costs only $2.95 per month for both email and web hosting. Because Bluehost is one of the most widely-used options for small businesses, we will use them throughout this article as an example. For more information on custom email addresses with Bluehost, visit their website.

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Here’s how to create a custom email address in five steps:

1. Find an Available Domain Name

Choosing a domain name for your business website, which is part of your URL, is a very important part of creating your custom email because it’s what will show after the @ symbol in your email address. This should align with your business name and branding. For example, if your business name is Piping Hot Coffee, look for pipinghotcoffee.com. Use the tool below to search for your domain name.

Keep in mind that the domain name you want might not always be available. If you need help finding a domain name that matches your business, check out our 25 tips from the pros on choosing a domain name. Once you know your domain name is available, you can register it with a domain host.

2. Sign Up with a Domain Host

To sign up with a domain host, navigate to Bluehost.com and select the green “Get Started” button. Follow the prompts, such as choosing your plan, entering your domain name of choice, and completing contact and payment information.

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3. Go to Email Manager

Once you’ve purchased your plan, you will be directed to the Bluehost dashboard. If you scroll down, you’ll see the email section. Click on the “Email Manager.”

Select “Create an email account” and enter the text you want to come before your domain name in your email address. When choosing how employee names will display in their custom email address, be sure to choose a standard format so that all employee email addresses are standardized and easy to find, such as their first initial and last name. For more guidance, read our tips for creating your email address.

When you’ve set up the name and password, click “Create.”

4. Connect Your Email to a Third-Party Email Host

Setting up your email address on an email client requires inputting your Bluehost username, password, and server information in your client’s settings menu. The exact process for doing this differs with each email platform, but we have included step-by-step instructions for three of the most popular: Gmail, Outlook, and Apple Mail.

Connect Your Email to Gmail

To get started, you’ll need to first login to your Gmail account. If you don’t already have one, you can quickly create one for free here. From your Gmail account, click on the gear in the top right corner and select “Settings.”

Navigate to the “Accounts and Import” tab at the top. Then click “Add a mail account.”

This will open a new window where you can enter the Bluehost email address you just created. Enter your full business email address and Bluehost password in the window. You do not need to add in POP Server information. Once completed, click “Add Account.”

IMPORTANT: Be sure to enter your FULL business email address in the Username field, including your domain (contact@yourbusiness.com).

You have now connected your Bluehost email address to Gmail; this means all email sent to your Bluehost address will land in your Gmail folder. However, you need to update Gmail so you can send from this address, too.

On the following screen, Bluehost will ask if you want to set this up. Select “Yes” and click “Next.”

The next screen prompts you to verify your email address. Verification is required to ensure that you are the owner of your domain and the email addresses connected to it. To complete verification, enter your full email address and your Gmail password again. Gmail will send a verification code to your Bluehost email address.

Head back into your Bluehost account. Select “Email Manager” and click “View Inbox.” You should see an email from Google with your verification code. Copy this code and enter it into the appropriate field in Gmail. Click “Verify.” This should complete the outgoing mail setup.

Once you’ve combined your accounts, you’ll be able to navigate between your professional and personal email addresses within Gmail. Just choose which “From” address you want to use while composing your email.

Keep in mind, however, that it sometimes takes a few minutes for Gmail to process the new email address. Wait five minutes, then send a message to your new email address. You should see it appear in your Gmail account and have the ability to respond using your new address.

Connect Your Email to Outlook

First, log in to your Outlook email account. Select the “File” menu, and then “Info” from the left-hand menu that appears. Click the “Add Account” button.

From the options that appear after clicking “Add Account,” choose “Manual setup or additional server types.” Click “Next” to continue to the following step, then select the “POP or IMAP” option.

Click “Next” and complete the form, including user information, server information, and logon information. For guidance on what information you need to add, read Bluehost’s tutorial on setting up email addresses in Outlook.

Before you click “Next,” click the “More Settings” button in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen. Choose the “Outgoing Server” tab from the top of the pop-up window. Select the “My outgoing server (SMTP) requires authentication” and check the “Use same settings as my incoming mail server” radio button as well.

From the same window, select the “Advanced” tab from the top (next to the “Outgoing Server” tab). On this window, you will need to know which type of server you’re using, such as POP3, IMAP, or SMTP with or without SSL. This information can be confirmed on Bluehost, but if you know it already, you can find your server port numbers below:

• If you are using POP3 with SSL security, please enter 995 for your port. Otherwise, leave the port at 110.
• If you are using POP3, choose when messages are removed from the server.
• If you are using IMAP with SSL security, please enter 993 for your port. Otherwise, leave the port at 143.
• If you are using SMTP with SSL security, please enter 465 for your port. Otherwise, change the port to 26.

When your server information is entered, click “OK” at the bottom of the window. On the next window, click “Next” and finally, click the “Finish” button to complete the process.

Connect Your Email to Apple Mail

Open your Apple Mail application from your desktop. Click “Mail” from the upper right-hand corner, then “Preferences” from the drop-down menu. From Preferences, click the “Accounts” tab and click the “+” sign at the bottom left-hand corner of the screen. When the options window appears, select the last option, “Other Mail Account…”

Fill in the appropriate fields for your name, email, and Bluehost password. Remember to use your new custom email address for this. When you’re done, click “Create” on the bottom right.

On the next screen, you will be prompted to input your incoming mail server settings. Reference Bluehost for complete server information, then select your account type and add your mail server, username (your complete custom email address), and Bluehost password. Click “Next.”

If you are using an SSL certificate, a “Verify Certificate” pop-up will appear. In the bottom left of the window, click the “Show Certificate” button. Check the box that says “Always trust bluehost.com…” and then click the “Connect” button in the bottom right.

Now you will be prompted to complete steps for the outgoing server settings. Follow the same steps as when you completed the incoming mail server settings, such as inputting your domain name as your server, your custom email address, and your password. Finally, click “Create.”

5. Set Up Email Forwarding (Optional)

If you want to check only one email address, you can have your new custom email address forwarded to an existing address of your choice. This allows you to maintain a professional appearance with a custom email while ensuring all of your emails land in the same inbox.

To set up forwarding, navigate to the Bluehost Email Manager dashboard (see step 3) and click “Forwarders” from the options list. On the next screen, input the email address you would like to forward, as well as the actual address it should be forwarded to. Click the green “Submit” button in the bottom left to save your new email forwarder.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Where Can I Get Extra Help Setting Up My Custom Email Address?

If you’re using Bluehost, you can contact their customer service team for additional troubleshooting help via phone or live chat. If not, or if you’re interested in having someone create your custom email address on your behalf, you can find technical support freelancers on Fiverr for as little as $5.

How Do You Get a Professional Email Signature?

If you’re using Gmail, you can create an email signature by clicking the gear icon in the upper right-hand corner, then selecting “Settings” and scrolling down to the “Signature” box. You can add any text you want here, but for it to be most effective, you should consider coding in an elegant design using HTML. Alternatively, you could use WiseStamp, which lets you create a customized professional email signature with no coding knowledge.

Should I Use Email Tracking Software?

Email tracking is a great tool to gain insight into who has opened and read your emails. This information can then be strategically used to gauge sales prospects, allowing sales teams to focus their time on warmer, more interested leads. Read more in our article on the six best email tracking tools.

What Are the Best Email Marketing Platforms?

Mailchimp and Constant Contacts are two email marketing platform that are both affordable and feature-rich. These are not the only good options available, though; find which is best for your business in our article on the six best email marketing platforms.

Bottom Line: Custom Email Address

A custom email address uses your own domain name, which makes your business appear professional to customers. Every business should take the time to get their own custom email address to make sure their communication and marketing consistently comes from a recognizable brand. To do so, find an available domain name, register your domain, set up your email addresses, and connect your addresses to the email client of your choice.

If you haven’t already created your custom email address, Bluehost is perhaps your most affordable option. It not only includes five free custom email addresses, but also offers secure and reliable web hosting. Click here to get started with Bluehost for just $2.95 per month.

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