Professional email address: the complete guide

Security, tools tailored to your business needs, and impactful communication are all characteristics that make a professional email address a must-have for professionals.

To ensure effective communication with your collaborators, clients, and prospects while safeguarding your data, it's essential to choose your email service carefully. But with so many options available, it's not always easy to decide...

Don't worry! We provide you with a complete guide to choosing your professional email service, and explain how to create your professional email address for free.

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Is it mandatory to have a professional email address?

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Quick answer: of course not! Nothing obliges you to create a professional email address. However, three solid reasons can encourage you to take the plunge:

• Strong communication that reflects your company image;
• Tools that meet your needs;
• Enhanced security of your data.

Pair it with a professional email signature and your communication will simply shine!

Having a professional email account in 3 simple steps

So, concretely, how to get a professional email account? Although the creation protocol varies from one email service to another, generally, you just need to follow these three steps:

First, you need to select an email service that fits your specific needs. We'll detail below the key criteria to help you choose the right provider, but it should be secure, convenient, and easy to use.

To give you a first boost of inspiration, here's a shortlist of the best email services (free and paid) that meet these characteristics:

• Microsoft Outlook Business, Microsoft's professional email service, offers a full range of features to organize and coordinate your tasks;
• Google Workspace, the professional email integrated into the Google ecosystem, allows for smooth navigation between its various applications;
• ProtonMail, an email service whose major advantage is its security and high-level protection of your data;
• Infomaniak allows you to create multiple professional email addresses and provides nearly unlimited data storage at an affordable rate;
• Mailfence, a service particularly committed to protecting users' privacy and data;
• Hushmail uses specific data encryption protocols like OpenPGP to protect your information;
• Tutanota also integrates full encryption of your data, including the body of your emails, subject line, and attachments;
• Fastmail stands out with its intuitive interface that allows for smooth use;
• Neo offers a free, complete, and secure professional email service, ideal for micro-entrepreneurs and small businesses.

It's then up to you to browse the different offers and features to determine the email software that best meets your needs.

Once you've chosen your email service, you'll need to buy a domain or connect your existing domain.

Note that some email services offer the creation of your own domain name to ensure strong communication. Others help you get closer to domain registration offices for purchasing a domain. Some even allow you to check whether a domain name is available.

In any case, your email service will guide you step by step to select the domain name that will best suit your future professional email address.

The final step to launch your professional email account: configure your email addresses.

At this step, you create a user address for yourself and each team member. Each user has a name, email address, and a personalized password to log in to the email box.

This is also the time to define a variety of settings, such as the receiving protocol (POP or IMAP) and sending options (name and email address that will appear when sending an email). You will also be asked to configure your SMTP server (which manages your outgoing emails) and then confirm your email address.

Don't worry, you'll be guided step by step to ensure the correct configuration of your new email address.

You can also take this opportunity to decide on other secondary elements, like the format of your email signature.

Once this third phase is completed, your professional email address is officially up and running!

Essential criteria for a professional email service

Now let's focus on the criteria you need to consider to ensure you're choosing the right professional email service.

Features and practical tools

Let's start by looking at the features offered by your email service. It should provide you with applications that simplify your work life and streamline your communication with your contacts.

For example, you could choose an email service for its integrated organization tools. Some software offers a video conferencing tool for meetings, as well as a calendar to plan your company's tasks and important moments.

Also, check the data management and storage options offered by your email service. Many of them provide unlimited storage space for emails and the ability to attach large files (up to several GB).

Avec certaines boîtes de messagerie, vous pouvez également importer des emails depuis d'autres fournisseurs. Idéal si vous souhaitez rassembler toutes vos correspondances au même endroit !

Finally, look at the various customization options. Some providers allow you to change the appearance of your interface to match your company's colors. An interesting option for internal communication, which you could combine with a custom email signature tool.

Ease of use and intuitive interface

As a professional, every minute counts! To save you time and energy, make sure to choose an email service with a clear and easy-to-use interface. You should be able to navigate the different sections and features intuitively, without spending hours trying to find your way.

N'hésitez pas à tester différents fournisseurs; même les services de messagerie payants vous proposent en général une période d'essai gratuite. Vous pourrez ainsi déterminer si l'interface correspond à vos attentes et vous permet une navigation fluide.

Moreover, email services are constantly improving the user experience by integrating more and more tools into a single ecosystem. This is the case with Microsoft 365, where Outlook is directly connected to other Microsoft professional features such as Word, Excel, and Teams.

This way, you can switch from your email to another tool in the blink of an eye! It's definitely more pleasant than having to open 40 tabs at once...

Security and data protection

The last important criterion to carefully consider when choosing your professional email service is security! Your email address must be secure enough to ensure the complete protection of your company's data. This characteristic is all the more important as phishing attempts, data theft, and account hacks are becoming increasingly common.

Email software offers a wide range of protection features, such as:

• Encryption of information (emails, contacts, and other account-related data);
• An anti-spam filter to combat phishing, malware, and unwanted emails;
• An integrated anti-virus;
• A password system for recipients to open your emails;
• Regular automatic backups of emails and chats.

To conclude this section, here are some additional tips about encrypting your data! On one hand, it’s best to opt for end-to-end encryption. This guarantees that no one but you and your recipients can read your emails. On the other hand, note that some encryption protocols are more effective than others, such as the OpenPGP protocol, which is considered one of the most powerful.

What are the best professional email services?

A few paragraphs ago, we provided a list of the best-performing professional email software. But three of these services hold a special place in our hearts... Here are, according to us, the top 3 professional email services!

Outlook: the most complete professional email service

Attention Microsoft users! If you're already immersed in the American tech giant’s universe, the logical next step is to create your Outlook Business email address.

With its numerous features and well-integrated email service in the Microsoft ecosystem, Outlook is ideal if you're looking for a provider with a wide variety of tools.

The email service itself includes several practical options, such as:

• Scheduling emails;
• An integrated calendar;
• An inbox with different categories to sort emails;
• An anti-spam filter;
• A "Do Not Disturb" mode.

But the best part with Outlook is its seamless integration into the Microsoft 365 suite. From your email space, you can easily access the entire range of Microsoft apps, including Excel, Word, Powerpoint, and OneDrive, which provides you with online storage. The email service also has a mobile app, so you can access your communications anytime.

Gmail: the smoothest professional email service

If your main goal is time-saving and fluidity (and Google is your friend), Gmail is probably the best option for you. Its major advantage: perfect integration of Gmail email into the Google Workspace suite.

From the paid version of Gmail, you can quickly access all the cloud features, including:

• Google Docs, the online word processor;
• Google Calendar, the online calendar;
• Google Chat, the collaborative messaging tool;
• Google Sheets, the Google spreadsheet;
• Google Meet, the video conferencing tool;
• Google Drive, the storage and file-sharing space.

And for an even smoother experience, Gmail and all Google tools have their own mobile app. Perfect for staying connected when you're on the go!

The Gmail service also integrates several advantageous features, such as 15 GB of data storage and a confidential mode. As for security, Gmail is also up to par, offering a two-factor authentication system, a powerful anti-spam filter, and advanced protection against phishing.

Finally, note that the basic version of Gmail, already very satisfactory, is free. The paid version gives access to more advanced tools.

ProtonMail: The Most Secure Professional Email Service

Your primary concern is security? We understand! In this case, it's better to choose ProtonMail, one of the most secure email providers.

Designed by MIT researchers, this provider is entirely dedicated to protecting your data. So much so that the company does not have the encryption keys: in other words, even ProtonMail employees will not have access to your email correspondence.

The service ensures end-to-end encryption of your data, which includes your emails, but also your contacts. All this information is stored in Switzerland, a country known for its particularly strict information protection standards.

Still on the security front, emails are protected by a password, which you will need to provide to your recipients so they can access them.

In addition to these multiple protection measures, ProtonMail has a smooth email interface and many practical features, including:

• 15 GB of storage;
• Up to 25 MB of attachment size;
• Unlimited folder volume;
• The ability to create multiple aliases and up to 10 emails per user;
• An auto-reply feature, perfect for setting up your out-of-office messages;
• Many customization options (signatures, domain, interface appearance...).

Finally, note that ProtonMail offers a free version, but it has limitations, particularly in terms of storage.

How to Create a Free Professional Email Address

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Now that you've chosen your email service, it's time to create your free professional email address! Here's how to do it with our three favorite providers.

Note: If the services included in the free versions are not enough, you can always upgrade by subscribing to a paid plan.

Create an Outlook Account

Creating an Outlook address is done in a few simple steps:

• Go to the Microsoft 365 website, scroll down the menu, and click on Business. In the first column on the left, labeled "Outlook," click "Create a free account."
• Then fill in your account information, including your username and domain name. As a professional, you will likely choose a custom domain for your business name. Don’t forget to create a unique email address for yourself and your team members if you work in a team!
• Choose your password. It goes without saying, but just in case, we’ll remind you to choose a strong password to avoid hacking attempts! It should be of a certain length and include uppercase letters, lowercase letters, special characters, and numbers.
• Fill in your personal information (first name, last name, date of birth, etc.), and configure your email addresses. Choose your sending options, reception protocol, and SMTP server.

Your Outlook professional email address is ready to use!

Create a Gmail Account

To create a Gmail account:

• Sign up for Google Workspace, Google’s professional tools suite. During this registration, you will be asked to choose your domain name. You can either provide an already acquired domain or purchase one (if available) from Google. Be careful, this last option involves extra fees!
• Set up your various email addresses. At this stage, you can personalize your accounts by creating email aliases or importing your company’s logo.
• Adjust the sending settings, reception protocol, and SMTP server.

Your Gmail address is now ready to use!

Create a Professional ProtonMail Address

If you’ve chosen ProtonMail, the ultra-secure email service, creating your Proton address takes 5 simple steps:

• Sign up for one of the 4 Proton Business plans (Mail Essentials, Mail Professional, Proton Business Suite, and Enterprise). Then, provide your contact information and the number of users.
• Set up your domain. Proton Business allows you to configure a custom domain.
• Create your organization. You’ll enter your company name and choose the level of encryption for your data. This is also the time to select the storage space allocation.
• Add new user accounts for your team members.
• Import your emails from another provider using its Easy Switch feature.

That's it, your Proton email address is up and running.

Now you know the best professional email services and how to create your professional email address! All that’s left is to dive into your correspondence with your team. By the way, if you need some inspiration, here are some examples of professional emails. It's a gift!

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