Recommend an email solution to complement Squarespace

[Dan Izzard]

So I've got a site over on Squarespace and currently still have my old hosting package live just so I can keep my inbox open.

If I own my domain, what are my options for keeping just my email live somewhere? Google business an option or is there a better way?

 

[arnydnxluk]

Google Apps for Work is a popular choice and perfect if you're already familiar with Gmail. I would normally recommend FastMail here but with their recent price increase, they now cost more than Google for less features and storage. Sticking with the shared hosting account just for your email is fine too and could be the most cost effective for basic needs.

 

[Dan Izzard]

Thanks Mike, think I'll go with Google then as it seems simple enough. The idea of opening yet another Google account is making me shudder somewhat though ha.

 

[John Blakeman]

It is possible to control multiple Gmail accounts through a single account.
Search for Gmail Multiple Inboxes for a how to guide for setting this up

 

[Dan_HiHosting]

Another vote for Google Apps for Work. If you want 20% off your first year then just let us know, we have some discount codes we can provide.

Alternatively you can use the email provided by your existing hosting (and perhaps downgrade the package). Any decent provider will provide IMAP, with a good number or unlimited email addresses and forwarders.

But if you don't need multiple separate email accounts (Google Apps for Work allows you to use aliases), then it can work out a similar price, and it's arguably the best email service available.

 

[Dan Izzard]

Thanks @Dan_HiHosting - I'll take a look at downgrading that's actually a decent option considering I've got some other domains hosted there which I forgot about

 

[Matt Wilkinson]

If you want to use email with Microsoft Outlook, I'd recommend an Exchange hosting package. I sell them all the time. Sync your outlook calendar, contacts and all email folders (not just the inbox) with multiple devices (phone, ipad, laptop, desktop). Gmail is OK, but it doesn't sync contacts and calendar with outlook seamlessly like Exchange can.

If you create a contact on your phone it’s there waiting for you on your laptop in Outlook automatically when you are back in the office. And vice versa.
If you send an email on your phone, a copy of it is there waiting for you in your Outlook’s Sent Mail folder automatically when you are back in the office. And vice versa. No more cc'ing yourself in.

If you delete an email on your mobile device it's deleted on the laptop. So you don't delete it 2 or more times, like with a disconnected ordinary mailbox.

No plugging your phone into your computer to synchronise your contacts and calendar. All the data is synchronised, up-to-date and organised for you via the Exchange service wirelessly.

It even allows your work colleagues to login via a browser and check your appointments while you’re out of the office, and they’ll be seeing the same up-to-date information that you see on your mobile phone’s calendar. If they add an appointment to your calendar it is immediately there on your phone/laptop/desktop. I've had one small work force organise each other through their calendars while they're out and about using their mobile phones.

Home laptop synchronised with your work laptop. Take your work home with you properly at last.
Work laptop synchronised with your office desktop. Take your work out on the road with you properly at last.
Out of Office – the real out of office service, where you don’t have to leave Outlook open all weekend for the auto-responder to work.
Be organised! A successful business is an organised business. Unlock outlook's potential now!
Can be installed on any email domain eg your-business-name.co.uk. Also it will auto collect other common domains including btinternet.com, btconnect.com, hotmail.com, yahoo.co.uk email addresses - and forward them to your new email address.


You'll never go back to the disconnected way of working with Outlook after you've used Outlook with an Exchange service for a week! In complete harmony.

 

[Dan_HiHosting]

If you send an email on your phone, a copy of it is there waiting for you in your Outlook’s Sent Mail folder automatically when you are back in the office. And vice versa. No more cc'ing yourself in.

If you delete an email on your mobile device it's deleted on the laptop. So you don't delete it 2 or more times, like with a disconnected ordinary mailbox.

No plugging your phone into your computer to synchronise your contacts and calendar. All the data is synchronised, up-to-date and organised for you via the Exchange service wirelessly.

That can be achieved using any IMAP account, you don't even need a remote mail service.
So that's available with any decent hosting package.

All devices will sync.

As for calendar and contact functionality, it depends on whether you want to do this all through Outlook.

If you don't already, it's arguably easier through Google or other services.

Google's calendar lets you do all that, and works better with most people's phones.

Google doesn't integrate as seamlessly with Outlook as Exchange, but Outlook is arguably a terrible email client and piece of software.

We normally recommend Thunderbird.

As for the the out of office point, that just highlights a ridiculous problem with how people used Outlook.

You can set your out of office in Google Apps Mail, or your hosting webmail interface if you're using your hosting account's email service.

Also if you want to use Exchange, you can just get it through an Office 365 package direct from MS, which is Microsoft's answer to Google Apps for Work.
This will likely provide much better value for money.

I'm regularly surprised by the lack of awareness of IMAP. We recently migrated a client that was only using POP3, who thought they needed Exchange so their email would sync on their phone and laptop, and so they'd have access to archived emails in folders.

IMAP provided all the functionality they required without the additional expense.

 

[Matt Wilkinson]

IMAP is slow and bulky in comparison. Constant egg timers.
Thunderbird is a flipping joke. Horrible interface behind the scenes and in front.
Outlook 2013 is amazing.

you can go all around the houses and pluck one thing from here and another from there to save a few quid and make gmail work for you for free; but deploying 3 or 4 different points of failure at the same time - which you'll constantly be debugging when one fails. or you can do it properly with an Exchange service - email, contacts, calendar, tasks. Businesses choose Outlook and they choose Exchange - they have done for years. for a few quid a month you can just concentrate on doing business.