Making a new email address is easy and only takes a few minutes. With so many free email providers available, you can create a professional looking email address to use for personal or business communications.
Why Do I Need a New Email Address?
There are many reasons you may want to make a new email address:
- You want an email just for job searching or other professional correspondence
- Your current email is outdated, unprofessional, or hard to remember
- You want to separate personal and work emails
- You need an email for a club, organization, or side business
- You’re switching Internet providers and need a new email
- You want to stay anonymous or hide your identity
Having a separate email address just for job hunting, for example, keeps all those correspondence organized and separate from your personal emails. For privacy, you may want an anonymous email address not tied to your name for certain sites or services. Whatever the reason, it only takes a few minutes to set up a new email address on your own domain or through popular providers.
Choosing an Email Provider
When making a new email address, first decide if you want to use your own domain name or go through a free provider. Here are the pros and cons of each option:
Free Email Providers
Pros:
- Fast and easy setup
- Established providers like Gmail are widely recognized
- Synchronize with other Google services
- Lots of storage space
Cons:
- Limited control over brand identity
- Provider may show ads
- Less professional looking
- Accounts could potentially be suspended
Some top free email providers include Gmail, Outlook.com, Yahoo Mail, and ProtonMail.
Custom Domain Email
Pros:
- Own your brand identity
- Look more professional
- Easy to remember email address
- Keep emails if switching providers
Cons:
- Need to purchase a domain name
- Usually a monthly or yearly fee
- Set up is more complex
- Need to manage and configure the account
Popular providers for custom email include G Suite, Outlook 365, Zoho Mail, and FastMail.
How to Create a Gmail Account
Gmail is one of the most widely used free email services. Here is a step-by-step guide to creating a new Gmail account:
- Go to gmail.com and click “Create account”
- Enter your first and last name (this will be visible to people you email)
- Choose a username – this will be the first part of your Gmail address before “@gmail.com”
- Enter a password and confirm it
- If desired, enter a phone number for account recovery
- Enter your current email in case you need to recover this new account
- On the next page, you can optionally add a profile photo and more information
- Review Google’s Terms of Service and Privacy Policy
- Click “Next” and verify your account with the confirmation code sent to your recovery email
Once finished, you will have a new Gmail account ready to use! You can sign in on gmail.com or through the Gmail app.
Tips for Choosing Your Gmail Address
- Use your real first and last name for professional accounts
- Include your middle initial or name if common names are taken
- Use words like “work” “job” or “hire” for job search emails
- Add numbers if preferred usernames are not available
How to Create a Custom Email Address
For a more professional branded email address, you can create a custom email with your own domain name. Here are the general steps involved:
- Purchase domain name – Buy a domain (yourname.com) from a registrar like GoDaddy or Namecheap.
- Choose email host – Decide on an email host like G Suite or Outlook 365 to create accounts.
- Point domain to host – Configure DNS settings to point your domain to email host servers.
- Create email account – Follow provider steps to make your custom email address.
- Verify and use – Confirm the email address and start sending messages.
It takes a bit more work than just signing up for Gmail, but having your own professional domain email can be worth it. Be sure to follow your provider’s specific instructions when setting up the email.
Email Hosting Options
Provider | Starting Price | Storage |
---|---|---|
G Suite | $6/month | 30GB |
Office 365 | $5/month | 50GB |
Zoho Mail | Free | 5GB |
Fastmail | $5/month | 50GB |
Making Addresses for Different Purposes
Once you understand the basics of creating new accounts, it’s easy to make additional email addresses for specific needs. Here are some tips:
Job Searching
- [email protected]
- [email protected]
- Use “hire” “resume” or “job” keywords
Side Business
Anonymous Email
- Avoid real name and info
- Use a VPN when accessing the account
- ProtonMail offers enhanced security
The key is choosing addresses that clearly indicate the purpose while being easy to remember. Keep personal and professional emails separate. Use anonymous addresses carefully for appropriate sites to protect your privacy.
Conclusion
Creating a new email address takes just a few minutes but can provide real benefits. With free providers like Gmail or your own custom domain, you can make professional looking email addresses tailored for your specific needs. Keep job searching, side businesses, anonymous browsing and personal correspondence all separate. Follow the step-by-step instructions outlined here to set up email accounts across top providers.