Business email address
Learn what a business email address is, how it builds trust in your brand, and what features to look for when choosing a business email solution.
What is a business email address?
A business email address is an email address that includes your company’s domain name (for example, name@companyname.com). Using a branded business email address helps to establish credibility, build trust, and promote your brand.
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Establish credibility
What does your business email address say about you? Does it set the right tone for potential customers? Using an email address like mycompanyname@free-email-account.com may sound like a good way to save money and get your name out there, but it lacks professionalism. Plus, messaging from this type of email for business may be misconstrued as spam and get deleted without being read. Establish credibility and help to ensure deliverability with a custom business email address that conveys authenticity and trustworthiness.
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Try email marketing
Chances are that there are more people in your audience with an email address than a social media account. A digital marketing strategy includes email marketing campaigns, but they won’t deliver the results you desire unless they come from a business email address. A relevant and personalized message from a recognized brand that matches up with an established domain leads to a higher return on your investment.
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Build trust
Customers trust recognizable businesses. Compare a company that answers the phone with “Hello?” with a company that answers, “Thank you for calling ABC Company, this is Jane. How can I help you?” With which one will you share your personal information and credit card number? It’s the same with a domain-based email for business. Whether it’s sales@, hr@, or name@companyname.com, business email addresses tell customers and potential customers that you are legitimate and trustworthy, which brings value to your brand.
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Use alias email addresses
Show your customers and potential customers that you are professional and organized—use alias email addresses for various departments like sales, support, and HR. In addition to portraying yourself as a larger, well-established business, email aliases help you determine what the correspondence pertains to, even before you open it. Email services for business email accounts typically allow several alias email addresses per user.
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Promote your brand
A custom, domain-based business email address means that you are promoting your business’s name—not the name of your free email provider—and it reinforces brand awareness. Easier than printing and handing out your business card to everyone you come in contact with, communicating through a business email address keeps your name in front of potential and current customers and reinforces your brand messaging. A business email account makes a greater impact and is more memorable when promoting your brand.
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Get website visits
A business email address will be seen on social media and your business cards and in presentations and marketing materials. Your domain name lets people know you have a website and encourages them to visit for more information. A business email address that correlates with a website reinforces their impression that you are a professional who is serious about your brand.
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Choosing a business email service
There are several factors to consider when searching for an email service for your business. Make these a high priority.
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Security
Protecting your email accounts and content is more important than ever and trusting a free service for your business email address can put you and your data at risk. Seek an email service for business that scans for incoming malware and phishing attempts and provides information about potential threats.
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Spam filtering and malware protection
Insist on built-in tools that detect spam and automatically send it to your spam or junk folder to avoid cluttering your inbox. More importantly, you want a service that protects your business from malicious software (malware) that can create havoc on your computers and mobile devices.
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Cross device compatibility
Find a business email account that synchronizes your work—like meetings, emails, and calendars—across desktop and mobile devices. The convenience of picking up where you left off in any application on any device contributes to a flexible working style for you and your employees.
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Platform migration
Know ahead of time that you can easily and completely migrate the data from your free email service to a business email service. It is imperative that your email history, contacts, and other important information are safe and accessible when you are ready to work from your business email domain.
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Business applications
Ensure that the business email service you choose supports the applications that you use all day, every day. For example, you need the convenience of scheduling a meeting via email and adding it to your calendar with the click of a button, and the ability to call or video chat from your connected apps.
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Backup and storage
What good is an email service for your business if you don’t have enough storage space for your emails, recorded meetings, and electronic files? Find a provider that offers plenty of storage space with a secure data-backup plan.
Why choose Outlook for Microsoft 365?
Be in control of your privacy with transparent data collection, no targeted ads, and easy-to-use tools.
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Security
Protect your confidential information with enterprise-grade security. Outlook provides data encryption in your mailbox and after email is sent; automatic deactivation of unsafe links containing phishing scams, viruses, or malware; and ransomware detection and recovery for your important files in OneDrive.
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Platform migration
Keep all of your data in one place and protect it from unauthorized access. Migrate email, contacts, and calendars from another platform into Outlook with Microsoft 365 and get built-in data and security compliance.
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Spam filtering and malware protection
Filter junk email and spam in Outlook—mail can automatically be moved to the Junk Email folder. Malware consists of viruses, spyware, and other malicious code. Anti-malware software detects and prevents computer viruses, rootkits, worms, and other malicious software from being introduced into Microsoft 365 service systems.
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Business applications
Reimagine the way you work with Microsoft 365 and Teams. Stay connected and be productive anywhere when you collaborate using productivity apps—chat, call, and host meetings in Teams, and connect via email and calendar in Outlook.
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Cross device compatibility
Sync your Outlook data with mobile devices and other applications to maintain access to your business email address on your desktop, mobile devices, tablets, and the web. With a Microsoft Exchange account in Outlook, your e-mail messages, contacts, and calendar events are synchronized automatically.
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Backup and storage
Back up your files and folders with OneDrive so they're protected and available on other devices. Save files with 1 TB of OneDrive cloud storage per user. Changes saved to files in OneDrive and SharePoint are updated across your synched devices.
Additional features
Secure your data, defend against threats, and experience consistent service continuity.
Outlook for iOS and Android
Your business email account is supported natively—there is no mailbox data cached outside of Microsoft 365. Data stays in its current Exchange Online mailbox and is secured over HTTPS connections between Microsoft 365 and the app.
Microsoft Defender for Business
Microsoft Defender for Business is included with Microsoft 365 Business Premium. This easy-to-set-up solution detects and remediates threats automatically so you can focus on running your business. Built-in policies get you up and running quickly, and wizard-based onboarding for Windows devices is included.
Service health and continuity
Know what's going on with Microsoft 365—monitor the state of your service, track issues, and see a historical view of availability. Use the Admin App to view the status of your services, find out when maintenance is scheduled, and get service notifications. Microsoft offerings are delivered by highly resilient systems that deliver uptimes above 99.97 percent.
Your business email address solution
Outlook
Connect, organize, and get things done. Access your email and calendar in one integrated app.
OneDrive
Start with shared server space; scale up to a dedicated email server when you need it.
SharePoint
Get on-the-go access to your team sites and resources to keep projects moving forward.
Exchange
Protect your data and get secure access to your email, calendar, and contacts from any device.
Microsoft 365 for business
Improve cybersecurity, reduce costs, and empower employees to work from anywhere.
Become an Office Insider
Enjoy exclusive access to new features and help shape the future of Office.
Frequently asked questions
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To create a business email address, you’ll need your own domain name. If you don’t already have a domain name, purchase one after subscribing to a Microsoft 365 business plan.
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A business email address that includes your own domain name is best. It promotes your company name and brand instead of the name of a free email service provider. A custom business email address helps to establish credibility, build trust, and promote your brand.
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Yes, Microsoft Exchange is included in Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Business Standard and Business Premium. It offers multi-factor authentication, up-to-date virus and malware protection, restricted email forwarding, custom email domains, and around-the-clock support.
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To set up a Microsoft business email, you’ll need your own domain name, then you can set up business email addresses with Microsoft 365.
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Your Microsoft business email is hosted in the Microsoft Cloud. Outlook works where you are—Mac, Windows, or on the web. To access your business email address from any device anywhere in the world, sign in.
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