# How to set up business email on your own domain

To set up business email, buy a domain, choose a provider (Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 or Mojobase), prove you own the domain with a TXT record, create a mailbox for each person, point the domain's MX record at the provider, then add SPF, DKIM and DMARC so your mail is trusted. Most small businesses finish in an afternoon.

Updated 7 November 2026. Published 7 November 2026 by Mojobase team

## What do you need before you start?

You need three things before you start: a domain, access to its DNS settings, and a choice of email provider. Have these ready:

- **The domain** you want after the @, such as northsidebakery.com. If you have a website, you probably own one already.
- **A login to your DNS host**, usually the registrar where you bought the domain, or a service like Cloudflare if you moved it there.
- **A list of people and role addresses**: one mailbox per person, plus shared addresses such as hello@ or support@.
- **About an hour,** plus time for DNS changes to take effect.

## Step 1: Choose a domain

Choose a domain that's short, easy to spell aloud and matches your business name. If you don't have one, buy it from a registrar; .com is still the default customers expect, and country endings such as .co.uk suit local businesses. Buy it in the company's name and with an account the company controls, not a former contractor's.

## Step 2: Choose an email provider

Choose a provider by what else you need alongside email. The two big suites bundle email with documents and video calls; Mojobase bundles it with the rest of the business and AI. Prices are from each company's pricing page, checked on 7 November 2026:

|  | Google Workspace | Microsoft 365 | Mojobase |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Entry plan with business email | Business Starter, $7 per user per month with a one-year commitment, billed monthly | Business Basic, $7 per user a month paid yearly ($8.40 monthly) | Hosted mailboxes on your domain, included in the per-person price |
| Email app | Gmail | Outlook | Mojobase Email |
| Also included | Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drive, Meet, Chat, Gemini | Web and mobile Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, 1 TB storage per user | Team chat, Calendar, Documents, Tasks, Customers, Numbers, Handbook |
| AI in email | Gemini in Gmail | Copilot in the "with Copilot" plans | Sorting and drafts with your invoices, meetings and tasks in view |

Pick Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 if you need spreadsheets, desktop Office apps or video meetings in the same subscription; both are mature and widely supported. Pick Mojobase if you want the email to sit with your customers, tasks and numbers, with an AI that drafts from all of it, and to keep connected Gmail or Outlook mailboxes beside the hosted ones. See [pricing](https://mojobase.ai/pricing) for Mojobase's prices.

For other office-suite options, compare [Microsoft 365 alternatives](https://mojobase.ai/alternatives/microsoft-365).

## Step 3: Prove you own the domain

Every provider asks you to prove you own the domain by adding a TXT record it gives you to your DNS. In Google Workspace you follow the setup's "verify your domain" step; in Microsoft 365 you go to **Settings → Domains → + Add domain** in the admin center. Microsoft says it can take up to 10 minutes to verify after adding the TXT record.

If your registrar supports Domain Connect, Microsoft 365 can add the records for you after you sign in to the registrar, which avoids typing them by hand.

## Step 4: Create mailboxes and shared addresses

Create a mailbox for each person, then add role addresses. Do this before switching mail over, so nothing arrives at an address that doesn't exist yet; Microsoft's guide says to add users after adding the domain but before the MX record.

- **People:** one mailbox each, such as maya@ and sam@.
- **Shared addresses:** support@ or hello@ that several people answer, set up as a shared mailbox (Microsoft 365), a Google Group (Google Workspace) or a shared address (Mojobase).
- **Aliases:** extra addresses, such as invoices@, that deliver to an existing mailbox.

## Step 5: Point your MX record at the provider

The MX record tells the world where to deliver your domain's mail, so changing it is the moment mail starts arriving at the new provider. Delete any old MX records, then add the provider's:

| Provider | MX record value |
| --- | --- |
| Google Workspace | smtp.google.com, priority 1 (domains set up before 2023 may use older "aspmx" values, which still work) |
| Microsoft 365 | The value shown in the admin center for your domain, ending in mail.protection.outlook.com |
| Mojobase | The value shown on Mojobase's domain page, which checks it once it's in place |

Some registrars want a full stop at the end (smtp.google.com.) and some take the priority on the same line; follow your registrar's format.

## Step 6: Add SPF, DKIM and DMARC

Add the three authentication records so other mail servers trust mail from your domain. Google requires every sender to Gmail to use SPF or DKIM, and those sending more than 5,000 messages a day to use both plus DMARC.

1. **SPF:** one TXT record listing who may send for you, such as `v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all` for Google Workspace. [What is SPF?](https://mojobase.ai/learn/what-is-spf)
2. **DKIM:** a key your provider generates; publish it at the name it gives you, then switch signing on. [What is DKIM?](https://mojobase.ai/learn/what-is-dkim)
3. **DMARC:** start with `v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:you@yourdomain.com`, read the reports, then tighten it. [What is DMARC?](https://mojobase.ai/learn/what-is-dmarc)

Remember every other service that sends as your domain, such as invoicing, newsletters or your website's contact form: each needs to be in SPF or have its own DKIM key.

## Step 7: Move old mail and set up your devices

Move your old mail across, then set up the apps. Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 both have migration tools for copying mail from another provider; Mojobase imports from your old provider too. A copy from the old provider usually needs each mailbox's login once.

Then sign in on each phone and computer, set up signatures, and send a test message to a Gmail address. Open it, choose Show original, and check for SPF, DKIM and DMARC: PASS.

## How does Mojobase set up business email?

Mojobase hosts email on your own domain, with hosted mailboxes included in the per-person price: an address for each person and shared addresses such as support@ and hello@. Its domain page lists the MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC records to add and checks each one, so you can see what's working without reading DNS. If you'd rather keep Gmail or Outlook, connect them instead, or mix both: hosted and connected addresses sit in one inbox.

New mail is sorted as it lands, replies are drafted with your invoices, meetings and tasks in view, and switching support@ to Support sends its mail to the shared Inbox in Customers. Built for 1 to 25 people, and it works well for teams up to 100. More on [business email on your own domain](https://mojobase.ai/email).

## Questions people ask

### How much does it cost to set up business email?

A domain costs a small yearly fee. Google Workspace Business Starter is $7 per user per month with a one-year commitment, billed monthly. Microsoft 365 Business Basic is $7 per user per month paid yearly, checked 7 November 2026. Mojobase includes hosted mailboxes in its per-person price, with no separate mailbox fee.

### Can I set up business email for free?

Some domain and DNS hosts offer free forwarding, which passes mail sent to your domain on to an existing inbox, but replies then come from your personal address or need extra setup. Mojobase includes hosted mailboxes in its paid per-person subscription; it has no free plan. You still need your own domain.

### How long does it take for business email to start working?

Usually minutes to a few hours after you change the MX record. Microsoft says domain verification can take up to 10 minutes after adding the TXT record; DNS changes can occasionally take longer to reach everywhere.

### Can I keep my Gmail and still use a business address?

Yes. You can host the domain with a provider and read it in another app, or connect your existing Gmail to a tool that holds several addresses. In Mojobase, hosted addresses and connected Gmail or Outlook mailboxes sit in one inbox.

### What should my business email address be?

Use your first name, or first name and last initial, at your domain: maya@ or maya.r@. Add role addresses such as hello@, support@ and invoices@ for jobs that may change hands, so customers' mail survives staff changes.

## Related

- [Email](https://mojobase.ai/email)
- [Mojobase and Gmail](https://mojobase.ai/integrations/gmail)
- [Mojobase and Outlook](https://mojobase.ai/integrations/outlook)
- [Mojobase vs Google Workspace](https://mojobase.ai/compare/mojobase-vs-google-workspace)
- [Mojobase vs Microsoft 365](https://mojobase.ai/compare/mojobase-vs-microsoft-365)
- [What is an MX record?](https://mojobase.ai/learn/what-is-an-mx-record)
- [What is SPF?](https://mojobase.ai/learn/what-is-spf)
- [What is DMARC?](https://mojobase.ai/learn/what-is-dmarc)

## Sources

1. Google Workspace: Business Starter. [workspace.google.com/pricing?hl=en\_us](https://workspace.google.com/pricing?hl=en_us), checked 7 Nov 2026.
2. Microsoft 365: Microsoft 365 Business Basic. [microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/business/microsoft-365-business-basic](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/business/microsoft-365-business-basic), checked 7 Nov 2026.

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Source: https://mojobase.ai/blog/how-to-set-up-business-email · Updated 7 November 2026