Email Hosting / Configuration

As one of the core ways you communicate with customers and prospects, your email is a vital portion of your business. As with most online services, it usually works great until the instant that it doesn't. In other words, it's difficult to know if you have a good or bad email host, until/unless you have a problem. 
Recommended features of a quality email hosting solution
  • Enough server space (min of 1GB - preferably more than 10gb)

  • 24/7 support (preferably with the option of phone support)

  • Webmail (allowing you to access your email when you are away from your computer, or if you are having trouble with your email program)

  • Branded for your domain (i.e. something@YOURDOMAIN.COM)

Within the info below are the main ways to compare the packages  on the qty and amount of space per email account. You might currently use email accounts and/or email forwarders. Email forwarders are included (at no additional cost) for all the solutions (using your domain name) listed on this page. 


In a nutshell, an email account is an actual email box that can be independently checked, while a forwarder just passes email from one address to another. Click here for a more detailed explanation. 

Infoready

My domain reseller account (http://domain.infoready.net), also has email hosting. This is my reseller account that’s connected with GoDaddy. My rates, especially for email, tend to be less expensive than buying from GoDaddy directly and this is the most cost effective paid solution for doing your email hosting. The cost and space depend on the number of email accounts you want. They offer 24/7 phone support. 


Costs/Space (subject to change, check website for most current info)

 

  • Individual Package - $24/year per account / 10gb of total space
  • Business Package - $36/year per account / 25gb of total space

 


Click here for more info (will open in new window).

Google Workspace
Google/Gmail for your Domain

Google’s paid email hosting, this uses the Gmail infrastructure to host email for email using your domain. This is a paid service that gives you more space and 24/7 phone, email, and chat support. 


Cost/Space:   (subject to change, check website for most current info)

$84/yr per email account for 30gb of space


Click here for more info (will open in new window).

Office 365

Office 365 is Microsoft's hosted email solution that can be used for your domain. Beyond just email they also have plans that include the Office suite, so depending on how you currently purchase/use MS Office, this solution may actually be the one that is least expensive, accounting for the savings on Office. They do provide 24/7 support. 


Cost/Space:(subject to change, check website for most current info)

 

  • Email only = $72/yr per account with each with 1tb of space
  • Email + Office Suite = 150/yr per account with 1tb of space

 

Click here for more info (will open in new window).

Free Options

In the age of the internet, there are always some free options. I'll list the two primary examples below. The main drawback to each of these is a lack of 24/7 support. Additionally, you may need to hire someone to help you "fix" something related to your email.

Gmail

Gmail is, by far, the most popular free option. The standard free Gmail service doesn't give you an email address at your domain and they do not offer 24/7 phone support. Their service tends to be really good, so you are not as likely to need support, however, for general setup and configuration kinds of issues, you'll need to hire someone. 

ZOHO Mail

ZOHO offers free, ad-free, email, using your domain. It's free for 25 users. Each email account gets up to 5gb of space. They are working on a 'freemium' model. They offer a lot for free, and then if you want more users. more space, or phone support. you can upgrade Click here for more info (will open in new window).

Accounts vs. Forwarders

Email forwarder (also called an email alias) - This is an email address on your domain that forwards to another email address (on your server or not). Example: An email sent to admin@justinswebdesign.com forwards to jfm@justinswebdesign.com. This means if someone emails admin@justinswebdesign.com and I reply to their email, my reply will come from jfm@justinswebdesign.com. 


Email account - An email account represents an independent "box" on a server where email sent to an address goes, and where email can be sent from. While a forwarder just passes email to an email account, without saving it, an email account is a place where email is stored. When you check email, you are checking that email accounts. If you have a gmail (or hotmail, yahoo, comcast, etc) account, that’s an email account. With regards to choosing email hosting, we’re talking about getting email accounts for your domain (i.e. something@yourdomain.com). 


The reason I explain the above terms is because the costs of different solutions will be based on the number of accounts. Forwarders are generally free, however, most people want at least one email account associated with their domain.