Exact kw “Email hosting for small businesses” missing in meta description
You likely had a personal email address before you started your business, with a popular email provider like Gmail, Google, Yahoo or Hotmail. These email addresses end in @gmail.com, @yahoo.com or @hotmail.com. They’re free, easy to use and meet the needs of most people when it comes to speed and inbox storage space. Since they’re familiar and free, you may feel inclined to use one of these email providers for your business email too. But when starting a business, using an email hosting service and custom domain helps you look more professional and provides greater security and better customer service. This article will help you to understand more about email hosting for small businesses and where to host your business email.
Key takeaways:
- Similar to web hosting, email hosting gives small businesses access to email servers through a custom domain. Email hosting services “rent out” space on servers for users to send, receive and store emails.
- Access to an email server gives small businesses a more reliable service and larger inbox capacity capable of handling more email traffic, useful for increasing email demands as a business grows.
- Benefits of small business email hosting include custom domains, increased credibility and trust, enhanced security features, strengthened brand image, scalability to add users as the business grows, improved communication with customers and reliable customer support.
What is email hosting?
An email hosting service provides access to dedicated email servers where users can send, receive and store emails using a custom domain, essentially “renting out” space on those email servers to manage their email communications. Email hosting for small businesses is a service that provides professional email addresses using your business domain name.
So, access to the email server gives small businesses a custom domain, more reliable service and a larger amount of inbox space capable of handling increased email traffic. Sound familiar? That’s because email hosting is similar to web hosting. In the same way that you can get a custom web domain and a web hosting company rents space on their servers for you to set up a website, email hosting providers run email servers you can then access.
What are the benefits of email hosting for small businesses?
Hosting services can provide small businesses with a custom email address, like hello@yourcompany.com. This is important when you want to distinguish your brand and stand out as a legitimate company (especially if you want to grow your business online using digital marketing tactics). Your web domain, social media handles and your custom email domain combined are your business’s online address, adding credibility to your brand, helping customers find you online and instantly making you appear more professional to your audience.
If you decide to build a website with Vista x Wix, choose a plan with a free custom domain, then link it to your business email address with Google Workspace.
Source: Vista x Wix business website templates via VistaPrint
As well as improving communication and building trust with clients and customers, email hosting offers small businesses scalability, meaning you can provide employees with individual company email addresses i.e. name@yourcompany.com.
Source: Company employees in branded T-shirts via VistaPrint
Email hosting also provides small businesses with greater security and customer service. As your business grows, you take on more responsibility for keeping customer and partner emails secure (you may need some backup and tech support as you expand and receive more messages).
Understanding POP3 and IMAP
There are two main email hosting protocols, POP3 and IMAP:
- POP3, or Post Office Protocol Version 3, downloads email from the hosting server to your local device. It does not sync emails, so your inbox may look different if you first check it on your computer and then your smartphone.
- IMAP, or Internet Message Access Protocol, synchronizes all your email folders from a central server. Your email looks the same, no matter what device you check it on.
POP3 is better for super-secure email, but you need to back up and sync your messages. IMAP is better if you use multiple devices, since it will sync for you, but can cause privacy concerns since everything comes from a central server.
If you do use POP3, it’s important to have a plan for how you will keep email consistent across all your devices. Also, note that most default POP3 settings erase emails from the server after you initially download them to one device. You may want to change this setting so you can access the server and retrieve emails again.
Choosing a small business email hosting service
There are countless options out there — and it can be difficult to decide which one is right for your business. Popular options include Bluehost, Wix, Hostinger, HostGator, and Google Workspace alongside Vista x Wix, which can streamline all your digital marketing needs. Make starting a business easy by choosing a website plan with a free custom domain, which can be linked to an email address with a Google Workspace plan.
Small business email hosting FAQs
How does email hosting work for small businesses?
Email hosting works by providing access to a dedicated email server to manage emails. It allows small businesses to send, receive and store emails securely using a custom domain name, with additional features like spam filtering and backup.
How much does email hosting cost?
Costs for small business email hosting roughly vary between $0.41 and $6 per month, depending on the plan length and additional features the service offers. Some website builders, like Vista x Wix, offer custom domains free with certain website packages, which can be linked to an email address with a Google Workspace plan.
Why do small businesses need email hosting?
Small businesses need email hosting to appear professional, build trust with customers and streamline communication. Email hosting also provides features like enhanced security, scalability and reliable support compared to free email services.
How do I choose the best email hosting service for my business?
To choose the best email hosting service, consider factors like cost, storage capacity, security features, ease of integration and scalability. Look for providers with strong customer support and positive reviews from other small businesses.
