Using GMail with your Website

Google's gmail gives you vast amounts of storage for your email and the ability to manage a number of email addresses online - from any web connected computer. We assume here you already have a gmail account and know more or less how to use it.

[01]

Login and open 'Settings'

Login to your GMail account and, to open the GMail settings dialog, click the little cog wheel icon at the top right of your GMail window.

Then click 'Mail Settings'.

[02]

Import Account

In the GMail settings dialog, choose Accounts and Import near the top and then click the 'Add POP3 Email Account' button lower down.

[03]

POP3 Email Address

Enter the email address to add to your GMail account. This will be the email address we've set up for you on your website domain, eg. fred@yourdomain.co.uk.

[04]

Enter your email username and password etc

Email Credentials

Now enter the username, password and mail server details we gave you.

Leave the remaining settings at their default values: port:110 and the four tick boxes all clear.

[05]

Send email too

Click the button labelled 'Yes I want to send email as...'

Your website email address, as entered in step 3 should be shown.

[06]

Friendly Name

Choose a friendly name - this is what recipients of your emails will see in their inbox.

If you will be sending email to business clients you should probably include your company name here as well as your own name, eg. 'Fred from Jones Brothers'.

[07]

Send via GMail

Your website provides facilities to send email but, as it says here, it's probably easier to use GMail to send your email.

[08]

Verify your email address

Before Google will let you send email as if from another email address it needs to know that you really do own that address. It checks this by sending you an email to that address containing an unlocking code.

You must be able to receive email at your website email address in order to read the code. If this causes you a problem call us - we can help you at this stage.

[09]

Enter unlocking code

Enter the unlocking code that was emailed to you in the previous step and click the Verify button.

[10]

Choose defaults

GMail is now able to send and receive email via your website email address. All you need to do now is change a couple of settings that will make life easier for you.

You can set your website email address to be the one that GMail uses by default when you send email. That's a good idea if you will use GMail mostly for your website email.

You can also tell GMail to reply from the same address that received an email. That way you wil automatically reply to work email from your website address and persnal email from your GMail address. You can change these automatic settings each time you send an email if you wish - see the next step.

[11]

Choose who to send as

Although you set up some useful defaults in the last step, each time you send an email you can choose which email address to send as.

When you click Compose, GMail's new email window will have a 'From' box where you can override the default and choose who to be for this email only.

The instructions on this page assume you have a POP3 mailbox for your website email and might otherwise use Outlook or Windows Live Mail or similar to manage it. An alternative is simply to redirect any email sent to your website based email address straight to your GMail account. This scenario is covered by a different set of instructions (coming soon).

To follow these instructions you will need access to your website email. If you already use Outlook or Windows Live Mail or similar this will be straightforward. If you don't already use an email program you might find webmail the easiest solution for reading the verify email that GMail sends you in step 8.