This help article will help you set up email for all the users at your web address (yourname@yoursite.com).
Before we walk you through this process, make sure you already have
purchased your website address and have all the information ready and available.
If you have not purchased a website address yet, do that first, and then come back to this article.
We're going to walk you through how to set up Google Apps for your email. Their service is great for a number of reasons:
- It's free!
- It offers the best spam protection on the web
- It is easy to set up and manage, even if you have lots of users
- It comes with TONS of storage space
- It lets you easily check your mail on the web, while syncing with Mac Mail, Microsoft Outlook, mobile phone email, etc
It's truly a revolutionary service. If you'd like to read more about it, check out Google Apps Email For Businesses.
To set up Google Apps for your web address, follow these steps:
1. Go to: http://www.google.com/a/cpanel/domain/new
2. Check "Administrator: I own or control this domain", then enter your domain name (yoursite.com). Click "Get Started".
3. Fill out all the information on the "Sign up for Google Apps Standard Edition" page. Make sure you check
the "I understand that if I cannot alter DNS records for my domain, I may impact my organization's ability to
use Google Apps" box before you continue.
4. Set up your administrator account. This is who will have complete access to everything within your email
service (i.e. who will add new addresses, change preferences, etc.). Don't forget to write down your password!
5. The next step is to verify that you own your domain (website address). Right below the main tabs at the top
you will see the text "To activate Google Apps services you must verify that you own your domain". Click "Verify
Domain Ownership".
6. The verification method you will choose is "Change Your CNAME Record". Click the drop down box and
select that method of verification.
Here it might get a little tricky.
You want to follow the rest of the 4 steps on the Google Apps page and then click "verify". If you are having trouble with these
steps, you might want to ask a techie friend to walk you through what it means, and
what you need to do. We would walk you through it all, but each company where your domain
is hosted looks a bit different, and has different steps to your CNAME record.
7. After you have clicked "Verify", you will be taken back to your main dashboard. You'll see on the top of your
dashboard the status of your verification process. It typically says that it "may take 48 hours to complete",
but realistically it should take about 2 hours.
8. Next step is to click "Activate email" under your Email section on your dashboard. Again, this can be a
little intimidating, but just follow the steps and you should be fine. You will want to select which service you
purchased your domain through, and Google will walk you through what to do. After you are done, click "I've
completed these steps", and you'll find yourself back on the dashboard.
9. Next, you'll want to set up the different email addresses within your email account. Just
click on the Email section of your dashboard, and you'll be able to add any new email accounts or change any
of the settings for your email service.
The very last thing you might want to do is to set your email up through whatever program you use on your
computer. Those with a Mac will probably be using Mail or Entourage, and those with a PC are more than likely
on Outlook. Google offers a great help center that will walk you through how to receive your mail through any
program you use. If you are interested in setting your email up through an external program, go to this Google Help page.
If you find yourself stuck anywhere in this process, feel free to give us a call at 805-527-8900 and we'll be
your "techie friend" to help walk you through setting up this service.
