Do I need a domain name for a business email address?
Why your own name beats a Gmail, what it costs, and the cheap forwarding route.
See the templatesThe short answer: yes, if you want an email address at your own business name. hello@yourbusiness.co.uk needs you to own yourbusiness.co.uk. Once you do, the email can be free or close to it.
Why it matters
A quote from joebloggsplumbing@gmail.com and a quote from joe@joebloggsplumbing.co.uk say different things about the business before anyone reads them. It also means the address survives if you ever change email provider.
The cheap way: forwarding
Your registrar forwards anything sent to hello@yourbusiness.co.uk into the inbox you already use. Free with most registrars. You read and reply from Gmail or Outlook as now. This is what we set up on our plans: your address on the outside, your existing inbox on the inside, nothing extra to pay or log into.
The fuller way: a mailbox
Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 give you a proper mailbox at your domain for about £5 to £6 a month per person, with calendar and storage. Worth it once you have staff or want everything in one place. Not needed to start.
One trap
If you reply from Gmail to a forwarded message, the reply shows your Gmail address unless you set Gmail to send as your business address. It is a five minute setting and we walk clients through it.
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