How to Setup a Custom Branded Email Address with Outlook (Office365)

Having a professional branded email address can give your business more credibility and recognition. Instead of using a free email service like Gmail or Yahoo, you can create custom email addresses using your own domain name.

For example, [email protected] looks a lot more professional than [email protected].

In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll show you step-by-step how to create custom branded email addresses with Outlook and Office 365.

After 15+ years as a webmaster, I‘ve learned the ins and outs of professional email hosting. This guide draws on my expertise to help you establish branded emails the right way.

Why Use Custom Email Addresses?

Here are some key reasons why using custom email is better for your business:

• Professional image: Branded emails make your company look more legitimate. Emails like [email protected] inspire more trust than gmail/yahoo emails.

• Own your brand: You control the domain and email accounts, not Google or Yahoo. This makes your company‘s brand consistent across all platforms.

• Flexibility: You can create unlimited email accounts and change settings as needed. With free accounts, you are limited.

• Support: Paid services like Office 365 offer 24/7 customer support to resolve issues quickly. Free email providers offer limited or no support.

According to SparkPost, emails sent from a custom domain have 56% higher open rates and 148% higher click rates than ones from @gmail.com or @yahoo.com.

Overview of Creating a Branded Email with Outlook

To setup branded emails with Outlook, you need to complete these steps:

1. Buy a domain name and get web hosting (if you don‘t already have one)

2. Sign up for a Microsoft 365 Business Premium plan

3. Verify domain ownership in Office 365

4. Add DNS records for your domain

5. Connect your domain to Office 365

6. Create email addresses for your users

Let‘s go through each of these steps in more detail.

Step 1: Buying a Domain Name and Web Hosting

The first thing you need is a domain name, like yourcompany.com. This represents your business online.

If you already own a domain, you can skip this step. But if you need to buy a new domain, you‘ll also need web hosting.

I recommend purchasing your domain name along with website hosting. This allows you to manage both in one place.

Popular hosting providers like Bluehost, HostGator, SiteGround, and more allow domain registration.

Why Choose Bluehost

I recommend Bluehost for most small businesses:

• Affordable pricing starting at $2.95/month
• Free domain name for 1 year
• Officially recommended by WordPress
• User-friendly interface
• 24/7 support and guidance

Bluehost also offers valuable features like:

• Built-in CDN for faster website speeds
• Free SSL certificate for security
• 1-click WordPress installation

With over 2 million users, Bluehost is a trusted provider perfect for small business websites.

Here are the steps to buy a domain with Bluehost hosting:

1. Go to Bluehost.com and click "Get Started".

2. Choose your hosting plan and click "Next".

   

   I recommend the Basic plan for starting out. You can always upgrade later as your site grows.

3. Enter your domain name and check if it‘s available.

   

   Choose a short, memorable domain name that matches your brand.

4. Select options like domain privacy protection. This hides your personal details from WHOIS lookups.

5. Complete your account setup and Bluehost will register your domain automatically.

Once you complete the purchase, your domain name will be registered and pointed to your hosting account right away.

Important note: If you buy the domain with one company and hosting from another, you‘ll have to link them together manually later. I don‘t recommend this, as it complicates things.

Step 2: Signing Up for Microsoft 365

Now that you have your domain name, the next step is signing up for a Microsoft 365 subscription.

This is required to use your custom domain with Outlook email addresses.

The Microsoft 365 plan you need is:

• Microsoft 365 Business Premium

This plan allows you to use your domain name with Outlook email. It also includes access to Office apps like Word, Excel, Teams, and more.

Here‘s an overview of Microsoft 365 Business Premium:

Details
Price	$20/user/month
Email hosting	50 GB per user
File storage	1 TB per user
Office apps	Always latest version
Support	24/7 phone & chat

To sign up:

1. Go to Microsoft 365 and click ‘Buy Now‘.

2. Choose Microsoft 365 Business Premium and click ‘Next‘.

   

3. Enter your work email address and click ‘Next‘.

   Use an existing email tied to your business.

4. Provide your personal details like name, phone number, company name, etc and click ‘Next‘.

5. Verify your phone number to confirm company ownership.

   Microsoft will send a code via call or text to validate you represent a real company.

6. Choose a domain name and admin password. Click ‘Next‘.

   If you already own the domain, select ‘Use a domain you already own‘.

7. Select the number of user accounts you need.

   Microsoft 365 Business Premium supports up to 300 users.

8. Enter your payment info and complete the signup process.

   You can pay monthly or save ~15% with annual billing.

You now have access to the Microsoft 365 admin center where you can connect your custom domain.

Step 3: Verifying Domain Ownership

Before linking your domain to Outlook, Microsoft requires you to verify ownership. This prevents unauthorized use of domains.

Microsoft will provide TXT records that need to be added to your domain‘s DNS settings to confirm ownership.

Understanding DNS Records

DNS stands for Domain Name System. It‘s like an address book for websites and email servers.

When you type a web address like example.com, DNS converts it to an IP address that computers understand.

Similarly, DNS records tell email providers like Outlook where to send emails for your domain.

Common DNS record types include:

• A Records: Map domain to web server IP
• MX Records: Handle incoming mail delivery
• CNAME Records: Alias domain/subdomains
• TXT Records: Store text attributes for domains

By adding the TXT record from Microsoft to your domain‘s DNS settings, you prove that you own the domain.

Now let‘s see how to access your domain‘s DNS records.

Accessing DNS Settings for your Domain

To add DNS records, you first need to access your domain‘s DNS configuration area:

• Log in to your hosting account‘s control panel or website dashboard.

• Look for "DNS Zone Editor" or "DNS Management".

For example:

• In Bluehost, go to ‘Domains‘ > ‘Manage‘ > ‘DNS‘

• In GoDaddy, go to ‘Domains‘ > ‘Manage‘ > ‘DNS‘

• In SiteGround, go to ‘Account‘ > ‘Domains‘ > ‘DNS‘

• For other hosts, check their support site on how to access DNS.

Once you have your DNS settings open:

1. Go to the TXT or text records section.

2. Click add new record.

3. Enter the TXT record details provided by Microsoft 365.

4. Click save to add the record.

   

This verifies domain ownership to Office 365.

You may need to wait up to 48 hours for the TXT record to fully propagate.

Step 4: Adding DNS Records

After verifying your domain ownership, the next step is adding a few more DNS records provided by Microsoft.

These records allow Outlook to connect with your domain‘s email service.

The required records are:

• MX Records: Handles incoming mail delivery

• CNAME Records: Used for Outlook to connect with email service

• TXT Records: For spam/spoofing protection

Again, you‘ll need to access your domain‘s DNS settings and add these records one by one.

The exact values for these records are provided in your Microsoft 365 admin dashboard.

For example:

Simply copy the record details from Microsoft into your DNS manager to add them.

If your domain is managed by Bluehost:

1. Go to ‘Domains‘ > ‘Manage‘ > ‘DNS‘

2. Go to MX or CNAME sections

3. Click add record

4. Paste the record details from Microsoft 365

5. Click save.

6. Repeat for other records

Important: Be sure to match the record details exactly with what Microsoft provides or email connectivity won‘t work.

It can take up to 48 hours for DNS changes to fully update across the internet, so be patient.

Step 5: Connecting your Domain to Office 365

Once all required DNS records are added, the next step is connecting your domain to Office 365.

This links your domain to Outlook‘s email service.

In your Microsoft 365 admin dashboard:

1. Click on ‘Setup‘ in the top menu.

2. Select ‘Domains‘.

3. Choose ‘Add domain‘.

4. Select ‘Use a domain you already own‘.

5. Enter your domain name.

6. Click ‘Next‘ and continue through the setup process.

7. When prompted, click the ‘Connect domain‘ button.

Office 365 will now verify the DNS records and attempt to match them. This can take up to 48 hours to fully propagate.

If any records are missing or incorrect, the connection won‘t complete. Make sure you‘ve entered the MX, CNAME, and TXT records exactly as Microsoft provided.

Once the connection succeeds, your domain is linked to Office 365.

Step 6: Creating Custom Email Addresses

You‘re now ready to create custom email addresses using your domain!

In your Microsoft 365 admin center:

1. Go to ‘Users‘ and click ‘Active users‘.

2. Click ‘Add a user‘.

3. Enter the user‘s name, username, password, etc.

4. In the email address field, enter:

   [email protected]

5. Complete adding the user.

6. Repeat to add more email accounts as needed.

Your new users can now login with their professional @yourdomain.com emails powered by Outlook!

Accessing your Custom Outlook Emails

Your new branded Outlook emails can be accessed from:

• The Outlook website at outlook.office.com
• The Outlook mobile and desktop apps
• Email client apps like Thunderbird or Apple Mail

Users can login using the email address and password you created for their accounts.

With Microsoft 365‘s business-class email protection, your custom Outlook accounts will be safe from spam, viruses, and other threats.

Conclusion

I hope this guide was helpful in learning how to create professional custom email addresses with Outlook 365.

Having branded email makes your business look more legitimate and builds customer trust.

With some simple setup steps, you can establish @yourcompany.com emails that elevate your brand.

Let me know in the comments if you have any other questions! I‘m happy to help you get your custom emails up and running.