Articles
- Who owns your domain name?
- Using your own domain name for email
- Top free software for business
- Backup for small businessses
- Keeping in touch abroad
- Erasing data from an old PC
- Remote controlling a PC
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The Background
It’s not uncommon to see a business advertised using their own domain name for their web site and someone else’s for their email – for example, @btinternet.com, @gmail.com, @yahoo.com.
For a business this is not a good idea!
First;y, it raises issues of credibility. Potential customers may wonder why the company isn't using their own domain name which is normal business practice. Using a free service may give the impression that the business isn't properly established.
One risk in using someone else's domain name is that if you build business on an email address that you do not own and you are prevented from using it at some point, your customers will be unable to contact you.
If email is returned to them as being undeliverable they may assume that you’ve ceased trading.
Why might an email address become unavailable?
Loosing your Email Address
One reason might be that it belongs to your Internet Service Provider – e.g. @btconnect.com – and that you move to another supplier.
Another reason is that the service is closed or sold or that you get locked out of your account.
Getting Locked Out
Search in Google for “Locked out of …” using Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo and other popular providers of free email services and you’ll see many examples of problems that people have run into for many different reasons, frequently through no fault of their own.
These have related from system changes being made that have resulted in inability to access services to accounts being closed down due to suspected fraudulent activity resulting from their account being hacked.
When the service provider acknowledges problems, you may be able to expect service to be resumed at some point, but if your account is closed for other reasons, it may be a very difficult and time consuming problem to resolve.
And if your email service is inaccessible for an extended period, how will that affect your business and your relationship with customers and suppliers?
Use Your Own Name
These risks and issues can be avoided by using your own domain name for your business email services. In many cases, an email service is included with the provision of a web site and can provide for multiple mailboxes and other facilities such as email forwarding – e.g. send email for sales@, admin@ accounts@ to a single address.
One reason that some businesses use email services from companies like Yahoo and Google is because they are web based and so accessible from any PC with an Internet connection, and often from mobile devices like smartphones.
Many “standard” email services packaged with web site accounts also provide web access with different levels of sophistication.
Enterprise Strength Email
Once only available to organisations with the funds to run their own dedicated email infrastructure, Microsoft’s Enterprise email solution, Exchange is now within reach of SME’s and microbusinesses for a few pounds a month.
This can offer serious amounts of email storage, sophisticated email software and full web based and smartphone access.
Summary
An email solution based on your own domain name frees you from a dependency on someone else’s domain name that you can’t control.
A standard service usually comes included with your web hosting package, and if you want more an Enterprise grade solution should be within reach for a few pounds a month.
Build your business email services on your own domain name – your business deserves it!