How to Get Started Using Gmail for Business (G Suite Email)

Whether you run a business or are just a heavy user of email,
you're probably already aware of how helpful Gmail can be. Gmail is a great
free option for many businesses and individuals. For a peek at some other great
free email options, review the article:

• 
  Email
  
  
  The 10 Best (Free) Email Service Providers for Your Business
  
  
  Laura Spencer

If you own a growing business, though, you may want more
from your email provider than a free service offer. That's where G Suite email
(formerly Gmail for Business) comes in. G Suite email includes the basic Gmail features
that come with a free Gmail account, but incorporates many extras that a growing
business will find useful—extras such as a custom domain name and technical
support.

In this tutorial, we'll explore some of the benefits of using Gmail for Business. You'll also learn how you can set up your own G Suite email
account for your business.

What Is Gmail for Business (G Suite Email)?

There are some important differences between the free version
of Gmail and Gmail for Business (G Suite email). Some of these differences will
be important to business owners and others who need more than what basic Gmail has
to offer.

Some benefits of G Suite email include:

• Match your email domain name to your corporate
  web site with a custom domain name.


• Enjoy around the clock technical support by
  phone, email, or online.


• Google-sponsored ads are gone.


• Save more messages with increased cloud
  storage—starts at 30 GB.


• Use other packages (like Outlook) as an email
  client.


• Log in one time to access both email and other
  Google business tools like Docs, Sheets, and Slides.


• Share calendar information between multiple
  employees.


• Display your Logo on the Gmail interface.

Of course, there are a few disadvantages:

• 
  Cost - While G Suite is reasonably priced, it's not free. This could make a difference
  for some very small businesses.


• 
  Familiarity - If you or your employees are more familiar with another email tool (such as
  Microsoft's Outlook), there may be a learning curve.

Some situations where you may want to use G Suite email
instead of the free version of Gmail include:

• You are branding your small business and it's
  important for your email address to match your new website domain.


• You have employees who rely on email to do their
  job. You want them to use the same tool to make training easier.


• You need an email tool that includes around-the-clock
  technical support.


• The storage capacities of free email tools aren't adequate for your needs.


• Your business relies heavily on other G Suite
  tools such as Docs, Sheets, or Slides and you want your email to integrate with these tools.

These are just some of the scenarios that might cause a
business to make the switch to G Suite email.

How to Sign Up for Your Own G Suite Account

Now that we've discussed some of the advantages and
disadvantages of using G Suite email (Gmail for Business), it's time to learn how to
set up your own account. The first step is to sign up for a G Suite account.

Step 1. Choose a Paid G Suite Option

The first step in signing up for G Suite email is to decide
which plan level you need. There are three different plan levels available,
ranging from the Basic plan to the Enterprise plan.

Generally speaking, most larger businesses will want to opt
for the Enterprise plan while small to mid-size businesses are more likely to
choose the Basic or Business plan.

You can find a listing of each plan at the URL: https://gsuite.google.com/pricing.html.
Use the scroll bar on the right of the screen to review the features available
for each plan level.

When you are ready, click the Get Started button. (Enterprise level users will click the Contact Us button.)

Note: This
tutorial is based on the least expensive plan, the Basic plan. The steps
outlined below may vary for other plan levels.

Step 2. Enter Business Profile Information

After you select a plan level, the Let's get started screen may display if you are using a Firefox
browser:

If the Let's Get
Started screen displays, review the screen. When you are ready, click the Next button. You will be asked a series
of profile questions about your business. Answer the questions and click the Next button to move through the
questionnaire.

For users with other
browsers, you will go directly to a profile screen:

Fill out the following fields on the profile screen:

• 
  Name
  (first and last)


• Current
  email address you use at work


• Business
  or organization name


• Number of
  employees


• County/Region

When you have finished, click the Next button.

Step 3. Choose a Custom Domain Name

After you complete
your profile information, the Choose a
Domain screen displays:

Choose between using a domain name you already own or buying
a new domain name. Click to the left of an option to select it.

• If you choose to use a domain name you already own, the
  screen asks for the domain name.


• If you choose to buy a new domain name, the screen asks what
  domain name you want and gives you an opportunity to check to see if it is
  available. You are also asked to provide your domain contact information.

Note: This
tutorial is based on using a domain name you already own. If you choose to buy
a new domain name from Google, the steps below may vary.

For more information on choosing a good domain name, review this
tutorial:

• 
  Web Design
  
  
  How to Choose the Best Domain Extension for Your Personal Site
  
  
  Brenda Barron

Although the tutorial is specific to personal sites, much of the advice also pertains to business sites.

When you finish choosing a domain name, click the Next button.

Step 4. Select a Password

After choosing a domain name, the Your new G Suite account screen appears:

Start by typing your desired user
name and then create a password. (Remember this information since you will use
it every time you access your G Suite account.)

To learn more about password
security, study this tutorial:

• 
  Gmail
  
  
  How to Work With Gmail Passwords Safely & Not Get Hacked
  
  
  Laura Spencer

After you've created a password, check the box next to I'm not a robot. You'll be asked some
questions to confirm that you are human. Answer the questions.

Step 5. Agree to G Suite Terms

Next, decide whether
you want to receive email from Google and review the G Suite Agreement:

Click the link to review the agreement. Click the checkbox
the left of the link when you've read it. If you want to receive email from
Google, click that checkbox too.

Finally, click the Accept
and sign up button.

If you have other Google accounts, you'll notice that your
new G Suite account username appears on the list with those accounts:

Click your new G Suite account to log in. Once you are
logged in, the Welcome to your new
account screen displays. Read the terms on the screen carefully and click
the Accept button when you are
ready.

If you click your user icon in the upper right corner
after you log into your account, you'll notice a difference between your G Suite profile and your other Google profiles:

You'll see the phrase, "This account is managed by [domain
name]" above your user name. This is phrase is there because in G
Suite you can have multiple users and a site administrator. The administrator is the user you set up in step 4 above.

Connect to Your G Suite Account Email

Now that you've signed up for a G Suite account, you need to make sure your email and domain are connected before you can access Gmail for Business.

Step 1. Set Up G Suite

Before you can send your first message using G Suite email,
you will need to set up your G Suite account. To get started with the setup, go
to the URL https://admin.google.com/

If you are already
logged in to your G Suite account, the Set Up G Suite screen
appears. (If you are not logged in, do so now.)

The Set up a business
account is checked off, because we just completed that process. We are now
ready to Add people to your G Suite
account.

Click the Start
button. The Create user accounts screen
displays:

At the Basic level, you can add up to ten users. Type the
information for the first user you wish to add and click the Add button. The usernames you add will become that user's email address. Continue to add users until
everyone in your organization who needs an email address has one.

Caution: Remember
that you are charged by the number of users.

When you have added all users, click the checkbox at the
bottom of the screen to show that you are done. Click the Next button.

Step 2. Verify Your Domain

If you opted to use a
domain you already own, you are now prompted to verify your ownership of the
domain:

The first method of verification is to add a meta tag. You can use this
method or you can click Choose a
different method to bring down a drop-down menu with other methods of
verification:

Click on a verification method to select it. In this
tutorial, we chose to Add a domain host record.

The process of domain ownership verification varies
depending on domain hosting company.

For specific domain name verification instructions for dozens
of hosting companies, go to the G Suite Administrator Help Center.
Follow the specific instructions for domain name verification for your hosting
company.

Step 3. Set Up Gmail for Business MX Records

Next, you'll need to let your domain system know that you'll
be using Google as a mail server.  To do
this, adjust your domain's mail exchanger records (MX records).

After you've verified
your domain name, the system prompts you to change your MX records:

Enter the MX record information from this screen into the MX record information on your host account. Again, this process
varies depending on your hosting company. For specific set up
instructions for various hosting companies, go to the G Suite Administrator Help Center. Follow the specific instructions for your hosting company.

Click the check box when the Create
new MX Records process is complete. The following prompt appears:

Click the Next button to continue. You are
prompted to re-confirm your choice of a G Suite plan. After you do that, the G
Suite log in re-displays:

Type your password and
click the Sign in button. The Admin console screen displays.

The Admin Console is where you will manage
your entire G Suite account now that it is set up. You can add users, update
your company profile, handle billing, and more. Since we are only concerned
with G Suite email in this tutorial, you can exit this screen for now.

Be sure to leave your G
Suite account logged in. You are now ready to take your next step—actually
using your new G Suite email (Gmail for Business).

Use G Suite Email

Step 1. Access Your Gmail Business Email

From your browser
window address bar, type "gmail.com". Your new G Suite Gmail inbox loads:

As you can see, your Gmail business email inbox looks very
much like any other Gmail inbox. At the top you have three new welcome messages
from Gmail. At the bottom, you have links to click as you learn how to
customize your Gmail inbox for your needs.

Step 2. Compose Your First G Suite Email Message

Once you've
familiarized yourself with your inbox, you are ready to compose your first
email message. Start by clicking the Compose
button in the upper left corner. The New
Message form displays:

Type your message in the form and click the Send button when you're finished.

To review detailed instructions on how to create and send
your first Gmail messages, study this tutorial:

• 
  Gmail
  
  
  How to Compose and Send Your First Email With Gmail
  
  
  Laura Spencer

Conclusion

If you own a growing business or if you're a heavy Gmail
user, a free Gmail account may not be enough for your needs. You can benefit by
making the switch to a G Suite email account (Gmail for Business).

To start using G Suite email, you first need to sign up for
G Suite. The process includes choosing or purchasing a domain name. If you
elect to use a domain name you already own, you need to verify your ownership
of that domain and configure its MX records to point to Gmail.

Once the G Suite set up process is complete, you can begin
using your new G Suite email account.