Use a Professional Email Address for Your Business

If your business email is jsmith2014@gmail.com, you have a problem. It tells potential clients that you either can’t be bothered to set up a proper email or don’t know how. Neither is the impression you want to make.

A professional email address uses your own domain: jane@smithdesign.com. It looks credible, it reinforces your brand every time you send a message, and it separates your business communications from your personal inbox. It also means you own the address — if you ever switch email providers, the address comes with you.

It costs almost nothing

If you already have a domain name for your website — and you should — adding email is cheap.

Zoho Mail is my go-to recommendation. Their free plan gives you up to five email addresses on your domain. The paid plans are modest and include calendars, contacts, and a clean web interface. Setup is straightforward and their support is good.

Cloudflare Email Routing is a free alternative if you already use Cloudflare for your domain (which I also recommend). It forwards emails sent to your custom address to any existing inbox — your Gmail, your iCloud, whatever. You don’t get a separate mailbox, but you do get the professional address. It takes about five minutes to set up.

Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 are the other obvious options. Both work well but cost more and are more than most small businesses need.

The minimum

At the very least, set up info@yourdomain.com or yourname@yourdomain.com and use it for all business correspondence. Put it on your website, your business cards, your social media profiles. It’s one of the smallest investments you can make with one of the biggest returns in perceived professionalism.