Complete Guide to Email Hosting
A custom email address can help you build a recognizable online identity that goes beyond the boiler-plate perception that accompanies a generic address.
You deserve more than basic, and a self-hosted custom email address is a great first step towards standing out. This guide breaks down all the fundamentals of email hosting, how it benefits you, and who it’s right for (spoiler: almost everyone.)
What Is Email Hosting?
Email hosting is a paid service that allows you to create and manage a custom email address and connect it to your own domain name. A generic email address ends in the domain of the provider you’re using, like @gmail.com or @yahoo.com, for example. A custom email address ends in your domain name, or unique online address, such as [email protected].
An email inbox set up with a paid hosting service can be used for everything that you’re accustomed to, from business communications and newsletters to dedicated management of your own personal messages. The only difference is that you’ll look more buttoned up and credible to anyone you communicate with. It’s a win-win scenario.
How Email Hosting Works
Put simply, you bring your domain, or register one with your email service provider, and they’ll give you access to the servers that will allow you to send, receive, and store emails. This is similar to hosting a website, where space on a server is dedicated to the files that make up your business or personal website.
Email hosting generally falls into one of three categories:
- Shared hosting – multiple users sharing the same server. This is a cost-effective option for many businesses and individuals.
- Dedicated hosting – an entire server is dedicated to a single business or individual’s email needs.
- Virtual Private Server (VPS) hosting – a hybrid of the other two options. A server is divided into distinct spaces, called partitions, that all function as individual servers completely disconnected from each other.
There are pros and cons to any of the above email hosting options, but shared hosting typically works for most situations.
The Basics of Email Hosting
Your email connects to your domain name through DNS (Domain Name System) records, online instructions stored within your domain, to tell the internet where to send things. Web traffic gets routed to your website (if you have one), and mail to your inbox. Some of the key DNS records for email are TXT, MX, SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. Here’s how they help your email function:
- TXT (Text) – used to verify ownership of a domain.
- MX (Mail Exchange) – directs incoming emails to your inbox.
- SPF (Sender Policy Framework) – defines which servers are allowed to send mail for your domain.
- DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) – adds a unique signature to your messages to prove they were not intercepted or tampered with.
- DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting, and Conformance) – determines what servers should do with messages that fail to pass the SPF or DKIM protocols
While you retain ownership and complete control, your email host will usually help you adjust these settings to suit your needs.
Email Hosting and Email Clients
Hosting is the infrastructure that powers your email, like the servers that store and manage your email data. Email clients, on the other hand, are the apps and software tools that you use to actually read, send, and organize your messages. Think Apple Mail, or the Gmail app.
With the right email host, you’re free to route your emails through any platform you prefer, or use the default email client your host offers. If you hire Northwest to form your business or serve as your registered agent, you’ll get email hosting, website hosting, phone service, and more for free.
How to Connect Your Domain to Email
Once you’ve got a rough idea of the basics, connecting your email service to your domain name is a relatively simple process.
Note: Most of these next steps are only required if you’ll be registering your domain with a different company than the one providing your hosting service. You can make your life a lot easier by keeping all of your services with one company.
To begin, you’ll work with your domain registrar—a company certified by The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to manage the registration and renewal of domain names—to update your DNS records through their platform. Here’s where to start:
- Get a domain name.
To set up branded email accounts, you need a custom domain name. If you work with Northwest for your email hosting or website hosting needs, you’ll get a free domain for as long as your service is active. - Set up email hosting service.
Once you have your domain name, you’ll need to choose an email service provider (like Northwest) to power your email service. - Verify ownership of your domain.
Working with your domain registrar, you’ll need to edit your DNS records to add a unique TXT record, which is provided by your email service provider, to confirm that you have administrative access to your domain. - Set up email routing.
With domain ownership confirmed, you’ll add your email service provider’s MX record to your domain in order to route your emails to the right server.*If you hire Northwest as your email host and register your domain with us, our team can guide you through email setup.
From here, you’re free to start establishing email accounts and testing out your email service.
Who is Email Hosting For?
Simply put: almost everyone. From individuals and freelancers looking to introduce some more organization to their online communications, to businesses of all sizes who want to send the message (pun intended) that they take their clients’ time seriously.
For businesses, a professional email address is a non-negotiable, but individuals will find plenty of non-commercial value in a custom email address.
Solo Users
Route recurring messages and specific conversations into a dedicated inbox
Freelancers
Use a unique email address on online portfolios, bids or proposals, and invoices
Small Teams
Create role accounts and aliases (info@, support@), and share access to tools without sharing passwords
Growing Companies
Standardize branding, improve deliverability, and control your security measures
Email Hosting Services vs. Free Accounts
Free inboxes like Gmail are convenient, and they cost you nothing, but the trade-off comes in the form of limited privacy, few security controls, and absolutely no branding ability for you—only for Google.
With an email hosting service, you own the identity and the setup. You get admin controls, authentication tools (SPF/DKIM/DMARC) to ensure recipient servers don’t mark your emails as spam, and a mailbox that matches your domain name and scales as you grow without compromising on privacy or professionalism.
Think of free accounts like the lawnmower you borrow from your neighbor. It works fine to get the job done, but it’s not yours, and you can’t do anything to improve it beyond what it is. Self-hosted email is yours to customize and upgrade.
Email Hosting and Your Business Identity
For entrepreneurs, your business identity is everything. Literally. It’s the name you land on when you file formation documents, it’s your entity type, it’s your website’s aesthetic, and (surprise, surprise) it’s the email you use to contact clients, partners, and providers. A branded email is crucial for a recognizable, trustworthy business identity.
Get Email Hosting with Northwest
As an independently owned company, Northwest is the perfect choice for individuals and businesses looking to take their communications to the next level. Already hosting your website or email with another provider? We’ll help you make the switch.
Privacy by Default®
Privacy for our clients comes second to nothing. We’ll never sell your data, or retain more of it than we need to make your services work.
Complete Ownership
Our hosting plans are designed to give you unmatched portability and flexibility. Use the email platform that you’re comfortable with, and make changes to your plan at any time.
Consistent Pricing, Reliable Support
No first-year rates meant to trap you. The price you see is the price you pay, always. All of our plans include 24/7 expert support.
All-In-One Business Identity
Start with a custom domain and email, and build a rock solid business identity. Northwest has all the tools to make it happen.
Our Email Plans
Northwest has a plan to suit any situation. We offer everything from basic services that don’t skimp on the essentials to enterprise-level tiers built to keep your business online.
|
Essentials |
Plus |
Pro |
|
Ideal for small teams individuals. Plenty of inbox space for all normal correspondence. |
For growing startups who need room to delegate and stay organized . |
For large, multi-departmental businesses sending and receiving thousands of emails daily. |
|
$3/month |
$9/month |
$12/month |
What’s Included:
|
What’s Included:
|
What’s Included:
|
Compare Our Hosting Plans
Email Hosting FAQs
That depends on your needs. If you’re just getting started and only expect to send a few emails per day, our Essentials plan might be perfect for you. You can upgrade at any time if your email needs grow.
Yes. Email hosting is built on your domain name. You can’t set up a mailbox without a place to put it.
Nope. You can use a branded email long before you ever build a website, although having both will make your business identity that much more robust.
You can usually establish email hosting on a domain you own within minutes. Your email service provider should walk you through the necessary DNS updates once your service is established.
Not necessarily. Your email and website can live on different servers, but working with multiple providers can get complicated.
The most important thing to look for in an email host for your business is scalability. An email service that can’t grow with your business will lead to headaches later.