An email address like hello@yourbusiness.co.uk does two jobs. It tells customers they are dealing with a real business, and it belongs to you rather than to an email company, so you can keep it if you ever change provider. This guide explains the choices and the three settings that help your emails arrive.
Why Not Just Use a Free Address?
A free address costs nothing and works, and plenty of businesses start with one. An address on your own domain is worth it when:
- Trust matters. Quotes, invoices and bookings from your business name look more established.
- You want to stay in control. The domain is yours. If you move to another email company, the address comes with you.
- You take on help. You can add addresses such as jobs@ or bookings@, and close one when someone leaves.
- You want work and home apart. Business email in one place, personal email in another.
First, You Need a Domain
Your domain is your address on the internet, such as yourbusiness.co.uk. Buy it in your own name, and keep it renewed: if it lapses, your email stops working. When we set up a domain and hosting, we use IONOS, always in your own name:£14.40 for the first year including VAT, then £10.80 a month and £12 a year for the domain (IONOS's prices on 10 November 2026). How domain and hosting work
Your Three Main Choices
| Option | Cost | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| The mailbox that comes with IONOS hosting | Comes with the hosting, at no extra charge. | One person who wants something simple and low cost, using the phone's own mail app or IONOS's webmail. |
| Google Workspace Business Starter | £5.90 a user a month before VAT, on Google's UK pricing page (checked 12 November 2026). That is about £85 a year with VAT for one person. | People who like Gmail, and want Google Drive, Calendar and Meet under their business name. |
| Microsoft 365 Business Basic | A monthly price per user: see Microsoft's UK page for today's price. | People who prefer Outlook, and want the web and mobile versions of Word, Excel and Teams. |
Prices change, and providers sometimes run introductory offers, so check each provider's own page before you decide. All three let you keep the same address if you move later, because the domain is yours.
SPF, DKIM and DMARC in One Line Each
These are short records added to your domain's settings. Together they help your emails land in the inbox rather than in spam, and make it harder for anyone to send email pretending to be you.
- SPF: a list, published on your domain, of the services allowed to send email for it.
- DKIM: a digital signature on each email, proving it really came from your domain and wasn't changed on the way.
- DMARC: tells receiving mail services what to do with emails that fail those checks, and can send you reports.
Gmail's sender guidelines and the UK's National Cyber Security Centre both explain why these matter (links below).
Setting It Up Well
- Buy your domain in your own name.
- Choose your email provider and create your mailboxes.
- Add the records your provider gives you to your domain's settings: the ones that route your email, plus SPF, DKIM and DMARC.
- Set the email up on your phone and computer.
- Send a test email to a Gmail and an Outlook address, and check it arrives in the inbox.
- Add an email signature with your name, business, phone number and website.
Sources
- Google Workspace: UK pricing
- Microsoft 365 Business Basic (UK)
- IONOS UK
- Gmail Help: Email sender guidelines
- National Cyber Security Centre: Email security and anti-spoofing
Last checked 12 November 2026. Rules and prices change, so check the official pages linked above before you rely on them.