Everyone has an email address (or seven). Some of us might even still be hanging on to our first beloved accounts that we made when we were teenagers who were more worried about declaring our love of our favorite band than about marketing ourselves appropriately or professionally.

But, when it’s time to start a business, you probably don’t want to have nsyncfan13@gmail.com on your website and business cards. Even if your email address isn’t blatantly fun or silly, you might be thinking that your basic johndoe13@yahoo.com is perfectly acceptable for your professional needs. This just isn’t true. Why wouldn’t you want to give your website and your business an extra boost of professionalism and quality by ensuring your email matches your website? Creating a business email is quick, easy, and provides you with endless benefits.

Representing Your Business Effectively

Despite Google being a highly respected company, you wouldn’t use a Gmail domain address when contacting customers. Similarly, a unique domain name with matching email address is a statement of professionalism which supports branding consistency and sets your company apart in the eyes of your customers. Invest in a custom, company-specific domain and email address. For example, “joltea.com.” Now, you not only have a licensed website, but the ability to make you and your employees’ email addresses match. Each employee can be assigned a “name@joltea.com” address that gives your customers a consistent, professional, and uniform experience. 

Besides professionalism and consistent branding, there are dozens of crucial reasons you should throw away your free account and instead own an email address that matches your website and domain name. Keep reading for just a few of the massive benefits you gain from owning a business email versus a free email.

What Can You Gain From a Business Email?

1) Improved Security

• Free accounts offer minimal, if any, SPAM filtering and virus protection. With your own email address, you have complete control over the security and privacy settings, especially if you’re working with your own IT department. Free accounts are also frequently scanned and data mined for information about sites you visit and information you send, allowing advertisements to be pushed through to your account.

• Additional risks include staff and personnel security. When using a free email client, you’re giving your staff the ability to walk away with all of your data, client portfolios, and research with little to no repercussions. When you own your own email, you have the right to any information and data exchanged within your platform. You’ll have oversight, control, and can enforce security of your employees’ email.

• By having a business email instead of a free account, you are providing yourself, your staff, and your clients with security and peace of mind. Customers are more likely to communicate with a business where they feel their data and personal information is secure. A free account simply does not offer the security – perceived or actual – of a personal business account.

2) Improved Business Practices

• You own your own company so you should own your own email address. If your email account is tied to an internet service provider like Verizon or Comcast, you will lose access to your email address as soon as you no longer pay for their service. This creates not only a huge hassle for transferring data, but a loss of consistency in terms of your company’s unique branding.

• As your business grows, it will become increasingly difficult to manage 5, 10, or 100 free email addresses. By investing in a business email from the beginning, you are ensuring not only uniformity, but complete control of how your employees conduct business.

• Additionally, you will find that some companies, licenses, and software require a business address to use their services or conduct business; no free email accounts allowed. By having a business email that matches your website and domain, you are demonstrating to potential customers and to fellow business owners that your company is professional, reliable, and capable.

3) Improved Integrations

• With Google and Microsoft, upgrading and paying for the business email will look and operate the same as your free Gmail or Outlook accounts, so there’s no need to fear having to get used to a new system!

• Upgrading from free to business from your Google or Microsoft account also means that your other office suite products will be integrated seamlessly into the work you’re already doing.

Still Not Convinced?

The best part is that a business email often comes FREE with your website. If not, your IT provider can easily set one up for you. The bottom line is that the benefits of a business email far outweigh the simplicity of a free account. Just because it might seem like the easiest option, the shortcomings of a free email account will ultimately cost you time and money. Taking the extra step of utilizing a business email is an easy way to demonstrate how capable, successful, and professional your business can be.