If you’re here, chances are you’re familiar with Gmail—maybe you use it for your personal email or have been getting by with an @gmail.com email address—and you want to use Gmail with @yourdomain.com.
In this guide, I’ll walk you through everything you need to know about using Gmail for business, including pricing, setup, and how to get the most out of Gmail.
Let’s jump in.
- How much does it cost to create a Gmail business email?
- Free Gmail account vs Gmail business email account?
- How to create a Gmail business email (step-by-step)
- How to migrate your emails from your old email to your new Gmail business email
How much does it cost to create a Gmail business email?
Before we go any further, chances are you want to know how much a Gmail business email costs.
To create a Gmail business email, you’ll need to sign up for a Google Workspace account.
This is a monthly fee, and as of right now, is priced as follows:
Business Starter $6 per user/month:
- Custom and secure business email
- 100-participant video meetings
- 30 GB pooled storage per user
- Security and management controls
- Standard Support
Business Standard $12 per user/month:
- Custom and secure business email
- 150 participant video meetings + Recording
- 2 TB pooled storage per user
- Security and management controls
- Standard Support
Business Plus $18 per user/month:
- Custom and secure business email + eDiscovery, retention
- 500 participant video meetings + recording, attendance tracking
- 5 TB pooled storage per user
- Enhanced security and management controls
- Standard Support
For live Google Workspace pricing in your home currency, visit the pricing page here.
Free Gmail account vs Gmail business email account?
If you’re looking into whether it’s worth signing up for Google Workspace, you might be comparing it to your existing Gmail account. And you might wonder if you need Google Workspace and all of its features.
The important thing to know here is there is no other way around it. If you want to use your custom domain email with Gmail, you have to become a Google Workspace customer.
Thankfully, that’s not a bad thing because Google Workspace comes with a ton of handy benefits for your business.
Let’s explore these now…
The benefits you get from using Google Workspace for your business email
- You get to use Gmail’s advanced inbox with your business email that you and your team are likely familiar with.
- You can create multiple email aliases for your business e.g. [email protected], [email protected], and so on.
- You get access to Google’s secure cloud storage which you can share with colleagues with a click.
- You get Google’s advanced security measures like two-factor authentication to protect your data.
- You get seamless integrations with Google’s other products like Google Meet, Docs, Sheets, Drive, Calendar, Tasks, and more.
- You get access to 24/7 customer support where you can get direct help managing your account.
- You get complete control over your employee’s accounts. (If someone leaves your company, you can revoke access and change permissions as necessary.)
- You get access to the Google Workspace marketplace with powerful apps like Mailmeteor that help you get even more out of Gmail (schedule auto-follow-ups, track opens, send personalized mass emails, and more.)
How to create a Gmail business email (step-by-step)
If you’re looking to set up a Gmail business email, in the following steps I’m going to walk you through it.
1. Sign up for Google Workspace
To get started, head over to the Google Workspace website and click Get Started Now.
From here enter the name of your business, the number of employees you have, and where you are located. Then click Next.
On the next screen, enter your name and current contact email address. Then click Next.
2. Use your existing domain (or create one with Google)
On the next screen, you’ll be asked if you have an existing business domain you want to use with Google Workspace and for your Gmail business email.
If you don’t have a domain yet—don’t worry—by clicking No, I need one you’ll be taken to a place where you can buy one with Google.
3. Create a Google login
On the next screen, you’ll be asked to create a login for your business email address. All you need to do is enter an email username and password. Then click Next.
4. Review your pricing plan
On the next screen, Google will ask you to review the payment plan you’ve selected, you can upgrade or downgrade your plan anytime.
However, this is a good opportunity to review those finer details.
5. Finish Signup
Give yourself a pat on the back, you now have a Gmail business email account.
But it’s not over yet, you’ll need to do the following things on the next screen to complete the setup:
Verify your domain ownership
If you’ve brought an existing domain you own to Google, you’ll need to verify it.
Don’t worry, Google makes this step easy because it’ll pick up where you bought your domain and give you a step-by-step guide on how to verify it.
To get started with this, click Verify. (You’ll have also got an email asking you to do this.)
Edit your MX records so Gmail gets your emails
To make sure your emails are sent to Gmail from now on, you need to update your domain MX records.
I won’t bore you with the technicalities here…
But you need to log in to where you bought your domain – head to the DNS settings – and amend the MX records to the ones Google provides for you.
Don’t worry, you don’t have to figure this out on your own…
Google will present you with a detailed guide as you go through this step. And as a Google Workspace customer, you get access to 24/7 support if you get stuck to walk you through it.
How to manage your Google Workspace account
Now you’ve successfully created your Gmail business email, you might wonder where you go to manage your account, add your colleagues, and so on.
You do all of this from the Google admin console, available here.
I won’t go into all of the settings now but this is your control panel. It’s here where you can add users, change payment settings, and so much more.
How to migrate your emails from your old email to your new Gmail business email
If you’re coming from an existing Gmail email account, chances are you still want access to all of your historical emails to avoid things becoming a mess.
The good news is that Google lets you upload emails from your existing Gmail inbox or any other inbox.
I won’t go into migration for every kind of email provider, Google has a handy guide to this here.
Want to get the most out of Gmail?
Now you’re up and running with your paid Gmail business email, you’ll want to make the most of its features so you can spend less time in your business and more time growing your business.
We’ve put together a 7-day email series that walks you through how to use Gmail like a pro.
You’ll learn how to schedule auto-follow-ups so nothing falls through the cracks. How to see who has read your emails. How to create email templates so you never have to write the same email twice. And how to send mass emails to your clients and customers.
Sign up in the form below right after the FAQ 👇
FAQs about Gmail business emails
Is Gmail for Business the same as Google Workspace?
Yes. To get a Gmail business email you need to sign up for Google Workspace, they go hand in hand.
Is Gmail for business free?
No. you need to buy a Google Workspace subscription. Pricing starts at $6 per user/month on the starter plan and is well worth it for the additional features, security, and support.
How do I get a business address with Gmail?
To get a @yourdomain.com email with Gmail you need to sign up for Google Workspace. We cover everything you need to know including pricing and step-by-step setup in this guide.
Is a Gmail email OK for business?
A standard @gmail.com email works for small businesses, but it doesn’t give a professional impression. These days if you have a website, you want an email linked to your domain. In this guide, we show you how to bring your existing domain into Gmail with Google Workspace.
Can you convert Gmail personal to business?
No. But you can migrate all your emails from your Gmail account to a new Google business email. You can see this Google guide here.
Should I use business or personal Gmail?
A standard @gmail.com email works for small businesses, but it doesn’t give a professional impression.
These days if you have a website, you want an email linked to your domain. In this guide, we show you how to bring your existing domain into Gmail with Google Workspace.
