You're too good at your trade to still be quoting from a @hotmail address. Here's why a business email matters, and how to switch without missing a single message.
Why it matters
- Trust. Customers are often comparing several quotes. One from dan@williamselectrical.co.uk looks like an established business. One from sparkydan1982@hotmail.com makes people wonder.
- Bigger jobs. Commercial customers, landlords and letting agents expect a business email, and some won't deal with a personal one.
- Your name everywhere. Every email you send advertises your web address.
- It's yours. Your domain belongs to your business. If you ever change email provider, your address stays the same.
What you need
A business email address needs two things: a domain name (like yourbusiness.co.uk) and an email service to send and receive mail on it, such as Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace.
How to switch without missing messages
- Register your domain and set up the new mailbox.
- Forward your old address to the new one, so nothing gets missed.
- Update your website, Google Business Profile, van, cards and invoices.
- Add a professional signature. Our free email signature generator does it in a minute.
- Reply to customers from the new address, and keep the old one forwarding for at least a year.
The easy way
Our trades website plan includes a proper .co.uk domain, a professional email address, a 5-page website and a lead form for £49 a month, with no upfront cost. We set it all up for you.