Why a domain-based email matters
A free @gmail.com address is fine for personal use, but for a business it quietly costs you. Customers trust hello@yourbusiness.com.au far more than yourbusiness123@gmail.com — it signals you are established and serious. A business email on your own domain also keeps your branding consistent, improves deliverability when set up correctly, and lets you add professional addresses like accounts@ or bookings@ as you grow.
Google Workspace vs Microsoft 365
The two mainstream choices for Australian small businesses are Google Workspace and Microsoft 365. Both give you professional email on your domain plus a productivity suite:
Both are subscription services priced per user per month [VERIFY current fee]. The right one usually comes down to which productivity tools your team already prefers.
Step-by-step: setting up business email
The DNS step is where most people get stuck. If you are unsure, a provider or web partner can handle it so you do not accidentally break your existing email.
A note on email deliverability and the Spam Act
Setting up SPF, DKIM and DMARC helps your legitimate emails reach the inbox and protects your domain from being impersonated. Separately, if you send marketing emails, Australia’s Spam Act 2003 requires that you have consent, identify yourself, and include a working unsubscribe option. Business email setup and email marketing compliance are different things — but both matter once you are trading.
How it fits with your website
Domain, website and email are the three pieces of a professional online presence, and they all hang off your domain. Setting them up together — same domain, consistent branding — is cleaner and avoids the classic mistake of a smart website paired with a Gmail address on the contact page.
Google Workspace — Gmail, Google Docs, Sheets, Drive and Meet. Familiar, simple, and a natural fit if your team already lives in Google tools.
Microsoft 365 — Outlook, Word, Excel, Teams and OneDrive. A strong fit if you rely on the desktop Office apps or use Teams.
Register your domain (if you have not already) through an auDA-accredited registrar for a .com.au or .au address.
Choose a provider — Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 — and pick a plan sized to your team.
Verify your domain. The provider gives you a verification record to add to your domain’s DNS, proving you own it.
Create your mailboxes. Set up addresses like hello@, accounts@ or your own name@.
Update your DNS (MX records). Point your domain’s mail records to your provider so email flows to the right place.
Set up authentication. Configure SPF, DKIM and DMARC records to improve deliverability and reduce spoofing.
