An address like info@yourbusiness.co.za tells customers you are established before they read a word. A Gmail address on a quote tells them the opposite. Setting up business email properly takes a few steps, and one of them, the DNS records, decides whether your emails land in the inbox or in spam.
Step 1: Register your domain
Your email address lives on your domain, so you need one first. South African businesses usually choose a .co.za, registered through an accredited registrar. Make sure the domain is registered in your business name, not your developer's. With One3 a .co.za is R149 per year and is registered once payment is confirmed.
Step 2: Choose where your email is hosted
- Hosting-provider email: mailboxes included with or added to your web hosting. Affordable and simple for small teams.
- Microsoft 365: Outlook, Teams, OneDrive and Office apps, licensed per user per month. Best when your team lives in Office.
- Google Workspace: Gmail interface on your domain plus Google Drive and Meet, licensed per user per month.
One3 business email is R99 per mailbox per month, and we also set up Microsoft 365 from R599.
Step 3: Create your mailboxes
Keep it simple: a mailbox per person (name@) plus shared addresses such as info@ or accounts@ that forward to the right people. Avoid sharing one password across a team; it is a security risk and makes it impossible to see who sent what.
Step 4: Set up the DNS records
This is where most setups go wrong. Four records matter:
- MX: tells the internet which server receives your email. Without it, mail to your address bounces.
- SPF: a list of servers allowed to send email for your domain. It stops others from pretending to be you.
- DKIM: a digital signature on every email you send, proving it was not altered.
- DMARC: tells receiving servers what to do with emails that fail SPF or DKIM, and sends you reports.
Missing SPF, DKIM or DMARC is the most common reason business invoices and quotes land in spam. Large email providers increasingly expect these records from any domain sending to their users.
Step 5: Connect your devices
Add the account to your phone's mail app, Outlook or the Outlook mobile app using the settings from your email host. Use IMAP (or Exchange for Microsoft 365) so mail stays in sync across your phone and computer. Avoid POP3, which downloads mail to one device and removes it from the server.
Common mistakes
- Domain registered in someone else's name, so you cannot control the DNS.
- Only the MX record set, with no SPF, DKIM or DMARC.
- Using POP3, then losing all email when a phone is replaced.
- Moving hosts without migrating old email first.
Let us set it up for you
One3 registers your domain, creates your mailboxes, configures MX, SPF, DKIM and DMARC and sets email up on your phone and computer. See domains, hosting and email or ask us on WhatsApp.