Before diving into Gmail setup, ensure that you have ownership or administrative access to your domain. We recommend Namecheap, or directly with your future website hosting provider, like Siteground.

Log in to Your Domain Provider

Access your domain provider’s website and log in to your account. Purchasing a domain may not be enough, depending on your domain registrar. You may also need a hosting account (this would host both your email and your website). We recommend Siteground.

Set Up an Email Account

Look for the option to create an email account associated with your custom domain. Create an account using a personalized address (e.g., [email protected]).

Access Email Settings

Within your domain provider’s dashboard, locate the email settings or control panel. You will need to note the following information:

• Username
• Password
• Incoming server and port #
• Outgoing server and port#

Set Up Forwarding

Configure email forwarding to direct emails sent to your custom domain to your personal Gmail account. This will allow the emails to get forwarded to your personal Gmail account, but you will not be able to reply with your professional email. Also, this method is NOT the most reliable… some emails may not be delivered (Sometimes Gmail blocks them).

Log in to Your Gmail Account

Open your personal Gmail account and navigate to the settings by clicking on the gear icon in the top right corner.

Go to “Accounts and Import”

Select the “Accounts and Import” or “Accounts” tab in the settings menu.

Add Your Custom Email

In the “Check mail from other accounts” section, click on “Add a mail account” and input your custom email address.

Configure Import Options

Choose whether you want to import emails only or import and archive. Follow the prompts to complete the setup.

Confirm Verification Email

Gmail will send a verification email to your custom address. Access your domain email account and click the verification link to confirm ownership. You should be able to do this via webmail on your hosting account.

Check Gmail Settings

Once verified, go back to your Gmail settings and make your custom email address the default for sending emails.