Using Email with Your Website

By now (if you’re following this sequence starting here) you should have a very basic usable website, as the foundation for your online business or project.  The chances are you have had an email address for years and so won’t need to set one up.  However, if you don’t have an email address, now is the time to register.

Hang on though if you think this post is not for you!  There are a few things to consider even if you have an email address already.  How many addresses do you need?  It might be a good idea, especially if this is a new project, to consider an alternative address for your project or business.  This will mean you can separate personal from business emails.  For example, you can have specialised email signatures for each type of email.

Paid-For Email Addresses

Also you may find you need an additional address because paid-for addresses have more authority than free addresses.  If your email address is part of the package you receive from your Internet Service Provider, or web host, this has more authority than an address from a free site, such as Gmail or Outlook.  Free and premium addresses have different uses.

You may find, if you use an email service, they will query a free email address.  Their advice is likely to reduce the chances of your emails being treated as spam and increase recipients’ confidence in your emails, where they don’t know you personally.  So, it is worth considering a paid-for address.  Hunt around, you’re likely to be paying for several addresses you don’t use!

If you enter your email account and find settings or similar, you can set up an automatic signature for your email.  You can add a lot of information to your signature.

The free addresses are fine for personal emails, where your recipients know you and they can have other uses.  Many websites have email sign up services (and I’ll be writing about them soon).  Why not use a free address for these?  This means your main email account will be free of a lot of clutter.  Many of these services are helpful but they can get out of hand.  This is a simple way to manage them.

Have you other uses for additional email accounts?

Click to share this post!

About the Author

I've been a community development worker since the early 1980s in Tyneside, Teesside and South Yorkshire. I've also worked nationally for the Methodist Church for eight years supporting community projects through the church's grants programme. These days I am developing an online community development practice combining non-directive consultancy, strategic management, participatory methods and development work online and offline. If you're interested contact me for a free consultation.

Leave a Reply 0 comments

Leave a Reply: