There are many free email providers available that you could use for your business. While the idea of not paying a dime can make it tempting, these platforms often leave your email addresses looking unprofessional. Worse, you could find yourself dealing with restrictive features such as limited storage.
That’s where a reliable email host can be advantageous. Rather than having a basic address, such as [email protected], you can personalize it and use your own domain instead.
In this article, we’ll take a look at just what email hosting is, and why you should consider using it. Then, we’ll dive into how you can set up your own custom address with us at Hosting.com. Let’s get started!
An Introduction to Email Hosting
Email hosting is a service that allows you to send, receive, and store emails on a server provided by a company. Often, it comes with additional functionality such as folder creation, file transfers, and template usage.
Many web hosts offer email hosting as an additional service:
One of the most attractive qualities of email hosting over free providers such as Gmail and Outlook is that you can set your address up at your website's domain. On top of that, this solution gives you more control over your data and is often more reliable than other platforms.
5 Benefits of Using Email Hosting
We've already briefly touched on some of the features email hosting provides that free providers don't. However, that's not where the advantages stop. Here are five benefits to consider.
1. Having Your Domain in Your Email Address Improves Brand Consistency
In addition to making your email address look more professional, incorporating your own domain could also improve your brand consistency. One of the key aspects of a strong company is the ability to be recognized.
In other words, it can be a testament to your business if consumers can quickly connect your products or services with your name. This applies to your email as well. Ultimately, having any inconsistencies in your branding can hinder your attempts at gaining exposure and recognition.
Furthermore, having a solid brand identity makes you more accessible to potential clients or customers. If they can't readily communicate with you, then you may lose out on conversions.
That brings us to another valuable aspect of email hosting: it allows you to easily manage multiple addresses. For instance, you could have accounts for marketing, support requests, and general contacts. This way, consumers can get in touch with the right member of your team.
2. Email Hosting Is Scalable and Can Grow With Your Site
Scalability is an important feature of every aspect of your business. With an email server, you can have your requirements met both in the short and long-term. That could include dedicated customer support, increased storage capacity, or simply adding more addresses to your domain.
If you want your business or website to expand in the future, an email host is one of the best options for providing your primary point of contact. Not only are plans usually scalable to your needs, but they can deliver high-performance and layers of additional security.
Indeed, depending on your email host and plan, you may even be able to create an unlimited number of accounts. Whether you're adding more employee addresses or creating new branches to your website, this can be helpful for meeting your business' growing needs.
3. You Can Increase the Security of Your Inbox
We briefly glossed over the added security that an email host provides, but the features are worth diving into. With data breaches drastically increasing in recent years, this is understandably a top priority for many.
Encryption can prevent your emails from being intercepted and read by parties other than the intended recipient. At some point, you're probably going to have to send sensitive information either internally to your team or to customers, so this is a key security feature.
Once you've taken care of that, you'll also likely want to set up extensive malware and spam filters. These can protect you and provide peace of mind that your messages are safe to open.
4. Reliable Email Hosting Provides More Uptime
Another benefit is that you are likely to have guarantees when it comes to uptime. Ultimately, that can be a crucial difference between an email hosting solution and a standard free email client.
Indeed, uptime can be pivotal for a thriving business with respect to customer service as well as team communications. For example, if someone has a complaint that needs to be addressed quickly, it's vital that it gets to you right away. Downtime could equate to lost emails or delays in receiving important information.
A successful business is one that flourishes on reliability, and that means being available when your consumers and employees need you most. A quality email host is likely to offer some kind of guarantee that you won't be let down or find yourself in a pinch.
5. Your Email Solution Will Integrate With Other Tools
Typically, email hosting comes with a wealth of options that can enhance your workflow. For instance, phpList is a newsletter solution that can support marketing campaigns.
Likewise, Mailman facilitates the management of newsletters and subscriber lists. With email marketing still a key player in many brands' lead conversion processes, tools like these can be invaluable.
It's therefore prudent to consider what additional functionality an email host offers to round out your arsenal. After all, a quality provider will make your life easier by giving you the tools you need to succeed.
How to Set Up an Email Account With Hosting.com
Setting up an email account after you've purchased a plan with us is a quick process that can be accomplished through cPanel. To create an account, scroll down to the Email section, then click on Email Accounts:
After you've done that, click on the Create button:
Then, select your domain from the Domain menu, enter a new email address in the Username field, a create a password for your new inbox:
You'll also want to select how much storage this account should have. The options will depend on your email hosting plan.
Finally, click on the Create button at the bottom to complete the process. This will take you back to your list of email accounts in cPanel:
Your account is now ready to go. You can click on the Check Email button in cPanel to visit your inbox.
Conclusion
While there are numerous free options available for creating email accounts, the benefits of using a premium service are extensive. You can scale your plan based on your current needs, and enjoy the high performance you expect from a top-tier host.
Let's recap some of the benefits you can expect from using an email hosting service:
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You can improve your brand consistency.
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Email hosting can grow with your site.
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Both your inbox and your data will be more secure.
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A reliable email hosting service will give you more uptime.
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Other tools can be integrated into your email solution.
Image credit: Unsplash.
