How to use Google Mail for your domain
Let’s imagine we own a domain www.rottentomatoes.com. And we don’t have a hosting for this domain. Or, we have a hosting but we are too lazy to install and configure a POP3 server there. This means we cannot have a mailbox like bobby@rottentomatoes.com, right?
Well, Google can jump in to help you. You can use Google Apps service to send and receive mail on behalf of your domain name.
Having Google Apps for your domain you will be able to do the following:
- Use standard GMail interface for your custom email address (@rottentomatoes.com, not @gmail.com address). So you log in the same way you log into Gmail but you are working with your own mailbox.
- If you are lame and you don’t know any web design, you can create your site in Google Sites and host it free of charge.
- Use some other Google services like Google Docs, all customized to your own domain.
What you need to get started:
- Your registered domain name, like www.rottentomatoes.com
- Access to DNS management panel for that domain so you can edit DNS records
Now here are the steps to set everything up:
1. To enable email for your domain, we are going to use Google Apps.
2. There are 3 editions available: Personal, Education (free), Premier (commersial).
3. You can evaluate different editions here.
4. Signup, Step 1: To signup, go to Standard Edition signup page.
5. Step 2: You will be asked to enter some info about your organization where you can enter any fake data.
6. Step 3: Create your admin account. You will use this account to manage your email settings.
7. Great job, you are registered with Google Apps now!
8. Google Apps will show you the list of services available like Start Page, Email, Calendar etc. 
9. Email is of particular interest for us. So click Activate Email.
10. Click “Change MX records”. This is the way we’re gonna use to activate email for our domain. We’ll need to point email (MX) domain records to Google servers instead of our hosting server.
11. Now you’ll have to log in to your DNS management panel. Mine looks like this: 
12. You’ll have to find Email Settings section of DNS management screen. Like this:
13. Add this MX record: “ASPMX.L.GOOGLE.COM.”, Pref “10”, and optionally 2 or 3 others.
14. Go back to email activation instructions. Scroll below and click “I have completed these steps”
15. Cool, we’re done!
Google is digesting your request and soon you’ll be able to use Google Mail for your www.rottentomatoes.com domain.
16. Meanwhile, you can click Email link and create users and/or email lists.
17. One good thing you would need to do is to specify a catch-all address so no incoming emails get lost if they are being sent to an email address which is not configured yet.
Now you can use Google mail for your domain! This is pretty cool and I loved it so far, the same way I love GMail. Hopefully you like it, too.
Disclaimer: www.rottentomatoes.com are not a sponsor of this post in any way. I just liked this domain name :)
