How to set up email on your own domain
Go from a bare domain to [email protected]: the records you need, in the order to add them.
Updated · 6 min read
An address on your own domain tells customers they are talking to a real business. Setting one up takes three things: a domain you control, an email provider to store and send the mail, and a handful of DNS records that connect the two.
1. Make sure you can edit your DNS
DNS records live wherever your domain's nameservers point. That is usually the registrar you bought the domain from, or a service like a CDN if you moved DNS there. Sign in and find the page that lists records such as A, CNAME, MX, and TXT.
2. Add your domain to your email provider
Your provider generates the exact records for your domain. In Chebu, add the domain under Domains and open its DNS page. Each record shows what your DNS currently has and what it should have.
3. Add the MX record
The MX (mail exchanger) record tells other servers where to deliver mail for your domain. Remove old MX records from a previous provider once you're ready to switch, otherwise some mail may still go there.
| Type | Host | Value |
|---|---|---|
| MX | @ | your provider's mail host |
4. Add SPF, DKIM, and DMARC
These three records prove that mail from your domain is really from you. Without them, your messages are far more likely to land in spam. Our guide to SPF, DKIM, and DMARC explains each one in detail.
| Type | Host | Value |
|---|---|---|
| TXT | @ | v=spf1 include:… ~all |
| CNAME | selector._domainkey | provider value |
| TXT | _dmarc | v=DMARC1; p=none |
5. Create mailboxes
Once the records check out, create the addresses you need. Most small businesses start with a few:
- firstname@ for each person on the team
- hello@ for general enquiries
- support@ for customers, shared with everyone who answers them
- billing@ for invoices and receipts
6. Test it
Send a message from a personal account to your new address, then reply. Check that the reply arrives in the inbox rather than spam, and that the message headers show SPF and DKIM passing.