Key takeaways
- A professional email address uses your own domain instead of a free provider's, which builds trust and keeps your address if you change provider.
- You need a domain plus an email service: hosting mailboxes or a paid suite. Your domain's MX record decides where mail is delivered.
- Set up devices with IMAP so every phone and computer stays in sync: incoming port 993, outgoing port 465 or 587, full email address as the username.
- Publish SPF, DKIM and DMARC records so your messages reach the inbox instead of the spam folder.
A professional email address is simply an email address on your own domain, such as hello@yourbusiness.co.uk, instead of a free address from a webmail provider. It costs little, takes an afternoon to set up and makes every message you send look more trustworthy.
This guide covers what you need, how to name your addresses, the options for where your email lives, how to set it up on iPhone, Outlook and the Gmail app, and how to keep your messages out of spam.
Why use an email address on your own domain?
- Trust. Customers and suppliers are more likely to open, answer and pay invoices from an address that matches your website.
- Brand. Every email repeats your business name and web address.
- Portability. The address belongs to your domain, not to an email company. If you change provider, you move the mailboxes and keep the same address.
- Control. You decide who has which address, and you can take an address back when someone leaves.
- Security. You can publish email-authentication records that make it harder for criminals to send fake messages in your name.
What you need to get started
- A domain name, registered with any registrar.
- An email service for that domain. This can be the mailboxes included with your web hosting or a separate paid suite.
- Access to your domain's DNS (Domain Name System) records, to add the MX record and the email-security records. Our guide on how to point your domain to your hosting explains DNS step by step.
Choosing your email addresses
Decide on a simple, consistent scheme before you create anything. There are two kinds of address:
| Type | Examples | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Role addresses | info@, hello@, sales@, support@, accounts@ | Public contact points that stay the same when staff change |
| Personal addresses | anna@, anna.smith@, a.smith@ | Individual conversations with clients and suppliers |
A few tips:
- Keep addresses short, easy to spell over the phone and free of numbers or hyphens.
- Pick one personal format (first name, or first.last) and use it for everyone.
- Use aliases or forwarding for role addresses. An alias such as
invoices@can deliver into an existing mailbox instead of needing a mailbox of its own. - Avoid publishing personal addresses on your website; a role address attracts less targeted spam.
Hosting email vs Google Workspace and Microsoft 365
You can host your email in two main places. Both use your own domain.
| Email included with hosting | Paid suite (Google Workspace, Microsoft 365) | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Included in your hosting plan | Monthly fee per user |
| What you get | Mailboxes with IMAP/POP3, webmail and spam filtering | Email plus calendars, shared documents, video calls and admin tools |
| Storage | Shared with your website's hosting space | Separate, larger allowance per user |
| Best for | Small businesses that mainly need reliable email on their domain | Teams that work daily in shared calendars and documents |
Many small businesses start with the mailboxes in their hosting and move to a suite only when they need the collaboration tools. Because the address belongs to your domain, you can switch later by moving your mailboxes and updating the MX record.
How to create your professional email address
- Create the mailboxes with your email provider and choose a strong, unique password for each one.
- Point the MX record of your domain to your provider's mail server. Remove any old MX records so mail isn't split between two services.
- Publish SPF, DKIM and DMARC TXT records using the values your provider gives you (see the deliverability section below).
- Send and receive a test message to and from a free email address, and check it arrives in the inbox.
- Set up your devices with the settings below.
IMAP vs POP3: which should you use?
| IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) | POP3 (Post Office Protocol 3) | |
|---|---|---|
| Where messages live | On the server, synced to every device | Downloaded to one device, usually removed from the server |
| Several devices | Phone, laptop and webmail all show the same folders | Each device sees a different set of messages |
| Recommended for | Almost everyone | A single computer that archives mail locally |
Choose IMAP unless you have a specific reason not to.
Email settings for iPhone, Outlook and the Gmail app
Whatever the device, you'll need the same details. Your provider's welcome email should list them; typical values are:
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Username | Your full email address |
| Incoming server (IMAP) | Your provider's mail server, port 993, SSL/TLS |
| Outgoing server (SMTP) | Same server, port 465 with SSL/TLS, or 587 with STARTTLS |
| Outgoing authentication | On, with the same username and password |
iPhone and iPad
- Open Settings → Apps → Mail → Mail Accounts → Add Account → Other → Add Mail Account (older versions: Settings → Mail → Accounts).
- Enter your name, full email address, password and a description, then tap Next.
- Choose IMAP and fill in the incoming and outgoing server, using your full email address as the username for both.
- Tap Next and wait for the account to be verified. Apple's guide to adding an email account covers the details.
Outlook
- In Outlook, go to Settings → Accounts → Add account (or File → Add Account in classic Outlook).
- Enter your email address. If Outlook can't detect the settings, choose IMAP and open the advanced options.
- Enter the incoming server with port 993 (SSL/TLS) and the outgoing server with port 465 (SSL/TLS) or 587 (STARTTLS).
- Enter your password and finish. Microsoft's help page on adding an email account to Outlook shows each screen.
Gmail app (Android and iPhone)
- Open the Gmail app, tap your profile picture, then Add another account → Other.
- Enter your full email address and choose Personal (IMAP).
- Enter your password, then the incoming server (port 993) and outgoing server (port 465 or 587) when asked.
- Finish the setup and choose how often to sync. Your business mail then appears alongside your other accounts.
Webmail is always there as a backup: log in from any browser to read and send mail without configuring anything.
Get your emails into the inbox: SPF, DKIM and DMARC
Large email providers check whether a message really comes from your domain. Three DNS records answer that question:
- SPF (Sender Policy Framework) lists the servers allowed to send email for your domain. Publish exactly one SPF record.
- DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) adds a digital signature to every message, checked against a key you publish in DNS.
- DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance) tells receivers what to do with mail that fails those checks and sends you reports. Start with
p=none, then tighten the policy once everything passes.
Since 2024, Google and Yahoo have required authentication for bulk senders, and correctly authenticated mail is treated better by most providers. Google's email sender guidelines explain the requirements. A few more habits help too: send from the address that matches your domain, avoid attachments from unknown sources, and keep marketing mailings on a dedicated service with unsubscribe links.
Keep your mailboxes secure
- Use a long, unique password for every mailbox, stored in a password manager.
- Be wary of phishing: messages that ask you to "confirm" your password, pay an urgent invoice or open an unexpected attachment. Check the real sender address and hover over links before clicking.
- Remove or reset mailboxes promptly when someone leaves the business.
- Keep your devices and email apps updated.
- Your provider will never ask for your password by email.
Professional email with Getradi hosting
Every Getradi plan includes professional mailboxes on your own domain: 2 email accounts on Start, 5 on Plus and 10 on Pro, with IMAP and POP3, webmail and spam filtering.
- We create your mailboxes for you when we set up your account, usually within one working day of payment.
- Your welcome email includes all your settings. The incoming and outgoing server is
mail.getradi.eu, with the ports shown in this guide. - We also send the MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC records to add to your domain, so your email is authenticated from day one.
- Need another address, an alias or a password reset? Email our support team, 24/7.
Plans start at €15.90/month billed yearly (+VAT) and include NVMe SSD storage, OpenLiteSpeed with HTTP/3, a free SSL certificate, free website migration and a 15-day money-back guarantee. Compare SSD hosting, WordPress hosting and WooCommerce hosting.
Frequently asked questions
What do I need to create a professional email address?
You need a domain name and an email service for that domain, such as the mailboxes included with a web hosting plan or a paid suite like Google Workspace or Microsoft 365. You then point the domain's MX record to that service and create your mailboxes.
Should I use IMAP or POP3?
Use IMAP in almost every case. IMAP keeps your messages on the server and syncs them across your phone, laptop and webmail, so a message read or deleted on one device shows the same on the others. POP3 downloads messages to a single device and is only useful if you deliberately want them off the server.
Can I use my business email in the Gmail app?
Yes. The Gmail app on Android and iPhone can add other email accounts using IMAP. Choose "Other" when adding an account, enter your full email address and password, and use the incoming and outgoing server details from your email provider.
Why do my emails go to spam?
The most common reasons are missing or incorrect SPF, DKIM and DMARC records, a sending address that doesn't match the domain, or content that looks like bulk mail. Check that all three records are published for your domain and send a test message to a checking service before a large mailing.
How many email accounts come with Getradi hosting?
Start plans include 2 email accounts, Plus plans 5 and Pro plans 10, each with IMAP and POP3, webmail and spam filtering. We create the mailboxes for you when we set up your account.