Setting Up Professional Business Email

A free personal inbox is fine for personal things. But when you're doing business, an address at your own domain signals that you're established and trustworthy. Here's how to set it up properly.

Why it matters

[email protected] looks far more credible than the same name at a generic free provider. It reinforces your brand on every email you send and keeps your communication tied to a domain you control.

Point your domain's MX records

Email is routed by MX records in your domain's DNS. To use a provider like Google Workspace, you set their MX records so incoming mail is delivered to the right place. This is the core step, and getting it exactly right is what ensures mail actually arrives.

Add SPF, DKIM and DMARC

These three records tell the world that your mail is legitimate. SPF lists who may send for your domain, DKIM signs your messages, and DMARC sets the policy. Together they keep your email out of spam folders and protect your domain from being spoofed.

Let someone set it up for you

DNS records are unforgiving — one wrong value and mail bounces. If you'd rather not risk it, we configure Google business email for you end to end.

ContourHost offers Google Business Email from $5/month, including free setup and migration.

Keeping deliverability high

Getting the records right is only step one — what you send afterward matters too. If you're moving from a free provider, ramp up sending volume gradually rather than blasting a large list on day one; a sudden spike from a brand-new domain looks suspicious to mail filters. Keep an eye on your bounce rate and remove addresses that consistently fail, and avoid the spam-trigger habits — walls of capital letters, excessive exclamation marks, link-only messages — that get flagged regardless of how clean your DNS is.