How To Create A Free Email Address For Your Domain

The most exciting thing to me about buying a domain name for my blog is being able to have an email address that uses my domain name. The email address ashley@lillyandlemons.com just looks so much more professional than a Gmail email address.

I wanted to use an email host server that is simple, has an app, and is free. Google Apps for Work was one of my options, but honestly, I didn't really feel like paying for it. It's only $5 per month per user, and it was hard saying no to Google since it's seriously the best thing ever, but I really wanted to find something that was free.

After doing some research, I found Zoho Mail. Zoho is an email hosting website that allows you to have up to 25 free email addresses for your domain name! I took a look through Zoho before signing up and decided that it definitely looked simple, efficient, and easy to use. It took me about half an hour to figure out how to create an email address for my domain name, but I was thrilled when it finally worked.

I love using Zoho so much that I want to share it with other bloggers to use! If you have your own domain name but no email hosting for it, I highly suggest using Zoho. Check out the step-by-step guide below for help!

step one || add the domain

The first step requires adding your domain name to Zoho. All you need to do is access the control panel, click "add domain," and type in your domain name.

step two || verify the domain

The second step involves verifying your domain. This can be done in two different methods: the CNAME method or TXT method. I personally prefer the CNAME method. To verify your domain, you first have to go to the domains section in the control panel of your Zoho account and select the CNAME tab.

Make a note of the specific zb code you see under the CNAME and the destination it points to. Head over to your domain DNS manager. Your DNS manager will look different depending on where you bought your domain name (I bought mine from Google), but they will all have the same general idea. Under the resource section, type in your specific zb code, CNAME for the type of file it is, 5m for the time, and zmverify.zoho.com for the IPv4 address. It should look like the second line in the picture below.

three || modify the records

Access your domain's DNS manager again. Add another record to allow you to enable email hosting once the domain has been verified. Leave the name blank, choose the type as "MX", use 1m for the time, and put 10mx.zoho.com for the IPv4 address. It should look like the first line in the picture below.

four || enable email hosting

Email hosting now needs to be enabled in the control panel. Head to where your domain is registered on Zoho and click on the envelope icon under "mail hosting" in the last column. The envelope should now turn a dark color.

five || create email accounts

It is now time to create email accounts! You can do so by accessing "user details" in the control panel. Click "add user" and fill in the details that you choose. If you have more than one domain name registered on Zoho, make sure you choose the correct domain that you want to use.

You can add up to 25 email addresses for free. I only have one email address for my account for now, but it's nice to know that I can add more in the future if needed.

six || start emailing!
Your email hosting setup should now be complete! I sent a couple different emails to different email addresses just to test it out and see if it worked. It should, but if it doesn't, Zoho has great support pages to answer any questions you may have.

I love using Zoho for my blog and would definitely recommend it to anyone else looking for email hosting. It even has an app for iPhone, which is so helpful to me since I always have my phone with me! Let me know if you end up using it for your own blog!