When you have a domain name, you can obviously use it to put your website online. But you can also use your own domain name to create e-mail addresses, for yourself, your organisation or your company, your employees....
Depending on the package you have with your registrar, you can link a few or perhaps an unlimited number of e-mail addresses to your domain name. If you have that option, you should definitely do so, because personalised e-mail addresses have a lot of advantages.
Advantages of a personalised e-mail address
Your internet subscription usually includes a mailbox. You then get an e-mail address yourname@telenet.be for example. Or you choose a mailbox with a free provider, such as Outlook.com, iCloud.com or Gmail.com. You are not free to choose that domain extension. You are stuck with it.
But you can also rent a mailbox separately from a hosting provider. There, you have more freedom to determine the e-mail address. If you have your own domain name, you can also use it as the basis for the e-mail address for that mailbox. This has several advantages.
Professionalism
You choose the domain name yourself and it is unique. The same goes for your e-mail addresses: you can choose them completely at your discretion. You no longer have to settle for jean1242@freemail.com, because 1241 Jeans have already gone before you. You obviously choose jean@mycompany.be.
And let's be honest, jean@mycompany.be looks a lot more professional than jean1242@freemail.com.
You are the boss
You are and remain the boss of your domain name and associated e-mail addresses. With a personalised e-mail address, you are not dependent on anyone else. If you change provider tomorrow (you go from Telenet to Proximus, for example) your mail address remains unchanged.
Or if the free mail provider changes its name tomorrow (hotmail becomes outlook, for example) or goes out of business, you don't have to notify all your customers. Nor do you risk losing them because they can no longer reach you.
You choose where you e-mails are stored
With free providers such as Gmail or Outlook.com, you are not sure where the servers on which your mail is stored are located. If it is not in the EU, it violates European privacy laws. With your e-mail address on your own domain name, you choose the company where your mail server is hosted. Preferably choose an EU country: you can then be sure your e-mails are protected by GDPR legislation.
Have your-emails forwarded to another mailbox
If the location of the e-mail servers does not matter to you, you do not even have to create a separate mailbox to receive mail for your e-mail address at your domain name. Just have it forwarded to the e-mail address belonging to the mailbox of your internet provider such as Telenet or Proximus. Or your mailbox at Gmail or Outlook.com, that's also possible.
Ready for growth
If you have your own business, you may be interested in creating e-mail addresses such as accounts@mycompany.be or sales@mycompany.be. Have all e-mails redirected to your regular inbox to know immediately what the e-mail is about.
Later, when you have real employees in those departments, you can just keep those e-mail addresses. You will be ready for your organisation to grow.
Do people often misspell your name? Then create not only dirk.sterkx@yourdomain.be, but also variants such as dick.sterk or dirk.sterckx. Have all mails forwarded to dirk.sterkx@yourdomain.be.
Your business will gain in professionalism at a bargain price!
Personalised services
With your own domain name, you can also create personalised e-mail addresses for your employees. And that's a good idea, because admit it, you'd rather communicate with rik.ringers@mycompany.be than with sales@mycompany.be or info@mycompany.be, wouldn't you?
With personalised e-mail addresses for your employees, you make your service more personal. You give your company a face, so to speak.
The reverse is also possible: you can create a group address such as management@mycompany.be where each mail is forwarded to the e-mail address of each board member.
Your business will gain in professionalism at a bargain price!
At a bargain price
Registering a domain name usually costs you no more than €50 to €100 per year - often much less. You register a domain name primarily for your website. But why not use the full potential of a domain name and create personalised e-mail addresses also?
Your business will gain in professionalism at a bargain price!