It is quite amazing how many businesses there are that have a website but don’t use their domain email address. For example they have the domain www.yourbusinessname.com but they don’t use the email address associated with it e.g. info@yourbusinessname.com.
If you have your own domain name, you have the opportunity to have any email address with that domain name. Your web hosting package will allow you to setup anything from five email addresses to an unlimited amount of addresses and they are easy to set up. If you can’t do it yourself, your web design company, or the customer services of your hosting package will be able to help you.
Usually you would set up a general email address such as info@yourdomainname.com, and perhaps a more personal one for yourself. These days your domain email address can be set up to forward to any other email address. So if you want to be able to check all your email in one place, or don’t want to give up your hotmail or gmail account, then you can forward your domain email to those accounts.
If you don’t use your domain email address on stationery, or to email from your business to other people you are missing out on another advertising opportunity for your website. Most people will know that the part of the email address after the @ sign will be your website address, and they can type it in to their browser to visit you. So even if you don’t have your website address at the bottom of emails as part of your signature, they will be able to find you.
Customers and people you know will also find it much easier to remember your email address if it uses your domain name. Especially if your domain name is similar to your company name. They will also be able to quickly identify who an email is from in the list of emails in their inbox.
It also looks rather unprofessional to have your business details printed on your stationery including a website address, only to have an email address like yourbusinessname@gmail.com. Having an email address that uses your domain name also helps to create your corporate identity. There are plenty of vans driving around with their business information printed on the sides that have email addresses that look more personal than part of the business. An address @btinternet.com implies that perhaps you are not as professional as someone who has @theirownbusiness.com for an email address.
This is part twenty two of a twenty four part series of tips provided by cannedSunlight Web Design Costa Blanca to celebrate the run up to Christmas. You can view the other tips here: Tips 1-20, Tip 21. Come back tomorrow for further tips and advice on how to get a great website that works for you or your business.
