Update October 2016: Google Apps is now called G Suite

Google Apps for Work G Suite is Google’s business grade suite of tools and is a good choice for dedicated email hosting. Splitting your web and email hosting using Google Apps for email gives you

  • 30gb of storage per account
  • the ability to access your emails through any web browser, through mobile apps, and in some cases through your existing desktop email program
  • access to Google’s full range of tools including Calendar, Drive, Hangouts, Docs and more, all ad-free
  • phone and email support 24/7

Read more about Google Apps Email →

At time of writing pricing is $5/month/email account. (Google Apps is free for non-profits and education providers).

Here’s a guide to moving your email hosting to Google Apps from and separating it from your web hosting.

What you need to do

1. Set up an account

Create a Google Apps account →

2. Set up each of your email addresses in Google Apps

Add user accounts in Google Apps →  

3. Set up any forwarders you want

Aliases (also called forwarders) are virtual addresses that send messages to a ‘real’ email address. For an example you could use an alias like jobs@yourdomain.com and when people send an email to this it is directed to real boss@yourdomain.com address.

Add an email alias in Google Apps → 

4. Work out when you’re going to change your service over and let your web host know

Your host can do some things to help make the changeover faster (by dropping what’s called the Time To Live for your MX records). When you know when you’d like to change let your host know a few days prior.

At your chosen time the MX records be changed and after a short delay emails will start coming in to your Google Apps account.

5. Decide which ways you’d like to access your Google Apps email

Mobile apps

You’ll be able to access your emails from your mobile device using the Gmail app

Web browser

The easiest way to use Google Apps email is via the web browser. You’ll be using the Gmail interface which allows you to search, label and create signatures from anywhere.

If you plan to do this and would like to move existing emails and/or contacts from Microsoft Outlook  Google has a tool to help you do this

or

Use your existing email program to connect to Google Apps

If you’d prefer to use your existing desktop email program Google has instructions and tools to help you do this from Outlook or Apple Mail

Feb 10, 2016 ·,