Web Hosting Email

Understanding and Using Web Hosting Email Capability
Leon Belenky

There are plenty of websites that offer free email, so you may be wondering why using a web hosting service that offers email is so important.  You would be surprised, in fact, how vital using these email addresses can be.

First of all, the email addresses offered by your web host will include your own business’ domain. Therefore, instead of yourname@somewheregeneric.com, you will be able to get email  addresses that are something like yourname@yourdomain.com.

By using email addresses with your domain, you are adding two advantages.  The first is a more professional look since your employees will all have standard email addresses. The second advantage is that you are providing yet another way to get your web site address noticed.

When choosing a web hosting service, you will want to make sure to choose one that offers email addresses to fit your needs. You will need to ask certain questions of the hosting service before you sign up.
How many email addresses will you be offered?  This can be very important if you have a large number of employees. When you figure up the number of email addresses you need, do not forget to think for the future and make sure you have enough available addresses to hand expansion.

Does the web host offer POP, IMAP, or strictly web-based email? These three work in different ways.  POP email allows you to access your email account through an email client.  IMAP is basically the same, except this type allows you to access your email on more than one computer.

Web based email, on the other hand requires that you visit a web site set up by your web host where you can sign in and access your email account.  Usually, web-based email is not as  feature rich as an email client.

Does the web hosting service offer mailing list capability?  Many hosts allow you to create mailing lists to send out bulk emails. This can be extraordinarily helpful if you need to send out brochures and sales flyers to a large customer base.

Does the web host allow extra features?  Quite often, hosts allow you to utilize such features as email forwarding and vacation responders. These tools can be very helpful in many situations.

Email addresses for your employees based on your own domain name can present a very professional image.  Make sure you get all information possible from a web hosting service before deciding which to use.