Setting up Gmail with your domain name

When you need a lot of online email storage and have synchronised email across all your devices, it is hard to beat Google's free Gmail service. Unfortunately the free Gmail accounts only provide you with a @gmail.com email address, and Google try push you to sign up for the paid Google Apps service if you wish to use a domain name (you@yourdomain.co.nz).

Fortunately there is an easy way around this, and Gmail does in fact allow you to create multiple "aliases" which will allow you to send emails as you@yourdomain.co.nz - it just requires you to set this up properly. The following instructions will explain what you need to do.

Please note that Techno Joy still needs to set you up with a mailbox on our servers so that you are able to send and receive emails using your domain name through Gmail. Emails sent to you@yourdomain.co.nz are still technically sent to "us" (SiteHost), but are automatically forwarded directly to your @gmail.com address, and emails you send through Gmail and automatically sent (by Gmail) "through us" to allow you to send as emails using your you@yourdomain.co.nz address.

Step 1 - Setting up your Gmail account

If you haven't already got a Gmail account that you wish to use for your domain name, then you will have to create a new one here.

Once this is set up, you will need to let Techno Joy know the gmail address you have set up, after which we will set up automatic forwarding of your emails to this account before you can continue below. We will also provide you with the "SMTP settings" that you will need for setting up your Gmail account.

Step 2 - Setting up Gmail's "Send mail as"

Open up Gmail in your web browser and make sure you're logged in with the correct Gmail account that you wish to set up with a domain name.

1. Click the "gear icon" in the top right in Gmail and select "Settings".
2. Click the "Accounts and import" tab and you will see a section "Send mail as".
3. Here you will need to click the link that says "Add another email address that you own".
4. In the popup screen, enter the name you wish to appear in outgoing emails, and your domain email address that we are setting up (eg: you@yourdomain.co.nz). Leave "Treat as an alias" ticked.
5. Click "Next Step".
6. Here you will need to fill in the details you received from us in Step 1 above, including:
       SMTP Server:  mx1.sitehost.co.nz
       Port: 465
       Username: (you will receive this from us)
       Password: (you will receive this from us)
       Secured connection, using SSL
7. Click "Add Account". This will email you a code that you will need to fill in. Leaving the popup window open, in your browser window open the new email (in your Inbox on the left) and copy the "Confirmation code", and paste it into the popup window and click "verify".
8. Now that it is verified, go back to your "Accounts and Import" tab in the Gmail settings (points 1 & 2 above) and you will see the new email address. On the right of the new address, click "make default" to ensure that this is the automatically-selected account when composing a new email, and optionally select "Always reply from default address" below (depending on your needs).

Step 3 (optional) - Setting up your email programme(s)

If you are going to be using an email program to access your emails on your smart phone, tablet or desktop, then you will need to set up your Gmail account on that device too.

You must remember that you must first allow this in your Gmail settings!

• Click the "gear icon" in the top right in Gmail and select "Settings".
• Click "Forwarding and POP/IMAP".
• Select "Enable IMAP".
• Click "Save Changes".

Most email software comes pre-configured for a Gmail account, but we mostly recommend not to use these as they are configured to use your email address as your username, as some programmes (namely on Apple/iOS) do not allow you to specify a different email address to your account username which this will need! All email programmes allow you to "add other account" or "manually set up email account".

Note: If you are getting "incorrect username or password" errors while trying to set up your account on your device (and you know you are adding them correctly), you may have to set "Allow less secure apps: ON" in your Google account settings. To do this, go to https://myaccount.google.com/security and scroll to the bottom.

Email address: you@yourdomain.co.nz

Incoming Mail (IMAP) Server:  imap.gmail.com
Requires SSL: Yes
Port: 993
Username: your Gmail email address
Password: Your Gmail password address

Outgoing Mail (SMTP) Server:  smtp.gmail.com
Use Authentication: Yes
Port for SSL: 465 or 587
Username: your Gmail email address
Password: Your Gmail password address