Creating a Gmail Account for Business (A Complete Guide)

Creating a Gmail Account for Business (A Complete Guide)

If you’re already using Gmail for personal email, upgrading to Workspace can give you an instant boost in credibility with your own domain. In this guide, I’ll walk you through how to create a Gmail account for business quickly and easily.

Cody Duval

Last updated: October 10, 2024

8 mins read

You’ve grown your business from the ground up, and your personal Gmail account has been your confidant through all the ups and downs. But now business is booming, and you’re wondering if it’s time for a more professional look.

This was me just a few short years ago. I upgraded to Google Workspace and never looked back.

Now I’m showing you how to do the same so you can dress for success and reap all the added benefits, too.

Here’s everything you need to know about creating a Gmail account for business.

Ready to transform how you work in Gmail?
Teams love Keeping because you can collaborate on a shared inbox without ever leaving Gmail. It's not magic, but it feels magical.

What is Gmail for business?

Gmail for businesses is the professional version of Gmail.

It’s called Google Workspace (formerly G Suite), a suite of productivity and collaboration tools for all types of businesses – from solopreneurs to big corporations.

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It gives you a range of benefits, including:

  • The ability to use custom domain email addresses (eg., yourname@yourdomain.com) for better brand recognition
  • All-in-one access to the Google Workspace apps (Drive, Calendar, Meet, etc)
  • Administrative oversight of the entire organization

It’s an ecosystem of tools that make communication simpler for businesses.

Like Gmail, but with a whole lot more firepower.

Personal vs business Gmail accounts at a glance

FeaturePersonal GmailBusiness
Email address@gmail.com@yourdomain.com
Default Storage15 GB across Gmail, Drive, Photos30 GB per user
AdsPresentAd-free
User ManagementSingle userMultiple users
SecurityStandardAdvanced
SupportLimited24/7 support
PricingFreeStarting at $6/user/month

Gmail for Business allows you to connect a custom domain, so you can @yourdomain.com instead of @gmail.com. It’s like an instant boost in credibility.

Plus, there are all the other functionalities you may not have thought of. You can create group email addresses, control security settings, run polls, and set up breakout rooms to boost team engagement.

Who can benefit from business Gmail accounts?

Business Gmail accounts aren’t just for the corporate overlords.

Google Workspace is suited for a wide range of teams across multiple industries:

  1. Solopreneurs and freelancers: to upgrade your personal look with a custom email address
  2. Startups and small businesses: to scale email infrastructure, streamline communication and ease collaboration as your team grows
  3. Remote teams: to make virtual collaboration seamless
  4. Non-profits: to manage outreach campaigns and improve cohesiveness (note: Google has discounted or free offerings for eligible non-profits).
  5. Educational institutions: to make it easier for teachers, students and parents to collaborate (note: Google offers specialized features for schools and universities).

Whether you’re a one-man show or team of 100+, it’s easy to tailor Workspace to meet your needs.

The email ticketing system for Gmail
Keeping is an email ticketing system that is built into Gmail. No extra tabs or complicated software to learn.
round-robin-assignment

Why upgrade to a Gmail account for business?

Whether you’re a one-man show or team of 100+, finding the right email solution can be a gamechanger for your professional life.

Here are some of the reasons why 8 million other customers use Google Workspace for their business:

  • Instant boost in credibility: Having your own custom email domain shows clients and customers you’re serious about your business, boosting their trust.
  • Branding customization capabilities: You can build your brand and facilitate team communication with customized email layouts, custom team email signatures, and group email addresses (eg., support@yourdomain.com).
  • Upgraded security: You get access to more robust protections specifically designed for businesses, like the Advanced Protection Program, Data Loss Prevention, and a wide range of other security settings all easily controlled through the cloud.
  • Infinitely more scalable: It’s an easily adaptable platform that grows with your business. With one click, you can get access to additional storage, add new users, or create organizational units.
  • Central point of control: Managing your business becomes much simpler. Using one central dashboard, you can set company-wide policies and control employee access settings (eg., immediately revoking access when an employee leaves).
  • Ditch the ads: The email interface is free from distracting ads, so employees can focus on the important – being productive and serving customers.
  • Easy integrations: Streamline processes with easy integration to all of Google’s productivity tools. Use Gemini, Google Meet and Google Calendar plus Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides with your whole team.

How to create a Gmail account for business in 5 easy steps

To create a professional Gmail account for your business, sign up for Google Workspace. Follow the steps to select a plan, register, and set up your own domain. You can then create email addresses for your team, including aliases. The entire process should take less than 10 minutes.

Here are the detailed steps to follow in order to create your Google Workspace account for business:

(Note that it speeds up the process to have a domain in mind before starting the setup. This can either be a domain you have already purchased or one that you plan to obtain through Google.)

Step 1: Visit the Google Workspace homepage and click ‘Get started’ in the upper right hand corner.

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Step 2: Enter your contact information and the email address you will use to login and verify the account.

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Step 3: Google will guide you through your account setup. 

Select “Get a new custom domain” if you wish to purchase one through Google, or “Set up using your existing domain” if you have a domain you wish to use.

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Step 4: Next, you’ll take one of two actions.

If you don’t already have a domain, Google makes it easy to register one. Pricing is very competitive at $12/year for most .com domains.

If you use a domain you own, you’ll need go through several steps:

  • Enter your domain name
  • Confirm your domain
  • Set up a username and password
  • Log in to your account using your new details

You’ll then be given instructions for how verify your ownership. You can either:

  1. Add a TXT record via your domain registrar, OR
  2. Add a meta tag to the header of your website

Pro tip: Most page builders or CMS tools make this simple.

Step 5: If you haven’t already, finish setting up your new email account with Google. Enter your name, username and password which you’ll use to access your Workspace going forward.

And just like that, you should now be set up with your new business Gmail account – all in less than 10 minutes.

You can start sending and receiving email with your new domain. Send a test email to make sure it’s working smoothly!

Common questions about Gmail for business

Here are some common questions that may come up as you make the switch to Gmail for business:

Can you create a free business email with Gmail?

Unfortunately it is not free to create a business email account with Gmail. If you want to use a free business email, you can purchase one through another provider and then add it to Gmail as an alias. You will be able to send and receive email as your business account but you will not have access to the premium features of Google Workspace. 

Should I create a separate Gmail account for my business?

You should definitely create a separate Gmail account for your business because you want to keep business communication distinct from personal emails. Businesses often collaborate with other Gmail users who need to be on the same workspace as the admin, which is another great reason to create a separate email account. All of these users can then be on the same domain, with email addresses such as sarah @company.com which makes for a much more professional experience for clients and customers. 

Can I use a regular Gmail account for business?

It’s certainly possible to use a regular Gmail account for business but not advisable. If you use a regular Gmail account you will soon run into limitations so it’s better to start with Gmail for business right away. There’s nothing to stop you using an email address like company @gmail.com but it might not create the right level of trust with your customers when they see you haven’t bothered to pay for a domain. 

Can I create another Gmail account for business?

You can certainly create another Gmail account for your business. You can add secondary domains to your Google Workspace at no cost, or you can create separate accounts and keep everything separate.

How do I change my Gmail account from personal to business?

It’s not possible to change your personal Gmail account to a business account because Gmail for business requires a company-owned domain to proceed. You will need to create a whole new account in order to access Gmail for business, but Gmail makes it easy to import emails from other accounts once you have your new inbox. 

The email ticketing system for Gmail
Keeping is an email ticketing system that is built into Gmail. No extra tabs or complicated software to learn.
round-robin-assignment

Pricing plans overview

Google Workspace is not free and you have to sign up via one of Google’s subscription plans. 

Here is a breakdown of the pricing:

  • Business Starter: $6/user/month
  • Business Standard: $12/user/month
  • Business Plus: $18/user/month
  • Enterprise: Custom pricing

Depending on your needs, you can subscribe to Google Workspace for as little as $6 per month with room for your company to grow in the future.

Workspace vs. Other Email Services

Google Workspace has over 3 billion users, which makes it about 11 times more popular than Microsoft Office 365 (its nearest competitor).

Let’s explore the Google Workspace features and see how the most popular tools stack up against one another.

FeatureGmail for BusinessMicrosoft OutlookZoho Mail
IntegrationGoogle Workspace (Docs, Sheets, Meet)Microsoft 365 (Word, Excel, Teams)Zoho Productivity Suite
Storage30GB (Business Starter) – Unlimited (Business Standard and above)50GB (Business Basic) – Unlimited (Business Standard and above)5GB (Free) – 1TB (Paid Plans)
Attachment Limit25MB20MB – 150MB (depending on plan)20MB – 40MB
AI FeaturesSmart Compose, Smart Reply, Advanced spam filtering, Gemini integrationFocused Inbox, AI-powered sortingBasic smart replies
Starting Price$6/user/month (Business Starter)$6/user/month (Microsoft 365 Business Basic)$1/user/month

When compared to Outlook and Zoho Mail, I find Google Workspace gives you:

  • A superior mobile experience
  • Better search capabilities
  • Seamless integration with other Google products
  • Useful AI tools for writing, composing and editing
  • A more user-friendly, familiar interface (especially for Gmail users)

If you’re already using other Google services, the transition to Workspace is seamless.

Collaboration within business Gmail accounts

Thanks to Workspace, teams can work together in a much more efficient manner. Large enterprises have reported saving multiple hours per week in meeting time and boosting productivity by nearly 15%.

It’s easy to collaborate on document creation and editing in real-time with Docs, Sheets, and Slides.

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You can also schedule meetings, send invites and manage RSVPs with Calendar.

Teams can use Meet for team huddles, webinars, or any type of video calls and conferences.

And perhaps the best part of all? It’s easy to keep all team documents and processes organized with shared Drives in Google Drive.

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Workspace’s collaboration benefits are specifically beneficial for customer support teams.

For instance, you can integrate Keeping’s email ticketing system with Gmail to manage a shared inbox.

This unlocks the ability to:

  • Share labels, notes, and templates
  • Stop duplicate work
  • Assign, prioritize, and track emails
  • Keep track of analytics
  • Automatically assign tickets

…without needing separate customer service email management software.

8-benefits-of-keeping

So keep in mind that it doesn’t stop at the basics. It’s easy to extend Google Workspace’s native features with specialized tools to tailor things for your business’ needs and workflows.

The email ticketing system for Gmail
Keeping is an email ticketing system that is built into Gmail. No extra tabs or complicated software to learn.
round-robin-assignment

Your new workspace

For most businesses or solopreneurs currently using Gmail, it’s a no-brainer to upgrade to one of the Google Workspace plans.

Not only will the extra features help your company run more smoothly, but you’ll also unlock a number of useful new integration options.

(Our very own Keeping is one such example. It allows you to take your Gmail and turn it into a customer service help desk for managing support tickets.)

Now that you know how to create a Gmail account for your business simply and easily, prepare yourself for a serious upgrade in productivity and professionalism.

You can be up and running in 10 minutes. I’ll catch you in the inbox!

Cody Duval

Cody is the Founder and CEO of Keeping. He's a self-professed nerd about processes and operations and loves helping others grow and build their businesses.

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