Introduction

This guide will help you create a professional email system for your domain—like info@yourbusiness.com—using free or low-cost tools. You’ll use:

• SendGrid: Sends your outgoing emails with your domain.
• ImprovMX: Forwards incoming mail to your Gmail.
• Gmail: Your familiar inbox for reading, replying, and sending.

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Step 1: Set Up ImprovMX for Incoming Email (Forwarding)

1.1 Create ImprovMX Account and Add Domain

• Go to ImprovMX and sign up.
• Add your custom domain (e.g., yourbusiness.com).

1.2 Configure DNS Records for ImprovMX

• Log in to your domain registrar or DNS provider (e.g., GoDaddy, Namecheap, Cloudflare, Vercel).

• Add these MX records (delete any existing MX records first):

  MX   10   mx1.improvmx.com
  MX   20   mx2.improvmx.com
  

• Add SPF record (if not already present):

  TXT  @  v=spf1 include:_spf.improvmx.com ~all
  

• Save and wait for DNS propagation (can take a few minutes to a few hours).

1.3 Set Up Forwarding Rules

• In the ImprovMX dashboard, set up rules like:

  info@yourbusiness.com → yourbusiness@gmail.com
  

  (Or for other aliases, like support@yourbusiness.com → yourpersonal@gmail.com.)

1.4 Verify Forwarding

• In ImprovMX, verify your domain if prompted.
• Send a test email (from any outside address) to info@yourbusiness.com and confirm it arrives in your Gmail inbox.

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Step 2: Set Up SendGrid for Outgoing Email (SMTP)

2.1 Create SendGrid Account

• Sign up at SendGrid for a free account.
• Verify your email and log in.

2.2 Authenticate Your Domain with SendGrid

• In SendGrid: Go to Settings → Sender Authentication.

• Click Authenticate Your Domain and select your DNS provider.

• Add the DKIM, SPF, and (optionally) DMARC records provided by SendGrid to your domain’s DNS settings.

  • DKIM and SPF help your emails avoid spam folders.

• Wait for records to propagate, then verify domain in SendGrid.

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Step 3: Configure Gmail to “Send Mail As” Your Domain

3.1 Add Your Business Email as a Sending Address in Gmail

• In Gmail, go to Settings → Accounts and Import.
• Under Send mail as, click Add another email address.
• Enter your business email (e.g., info@yourbusiness.com).

3.2 Configure Gmail to Use SendGrid SMTP

• When prompted for SMTP settings, enter:

  SMTP Server: smtp.sendgrid.net
  Port: 587
  Username: apikey
  Password: (your SendGrid API key)
  

• Gmail will send a confirmation email to info@yourbusiness.com.

  • Since ImprovMX forwarding is working, you’ll receive it in your Gmail inbox. Click the link or enter the code to verify.

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Step 4: Test Your Full Setup

• Send a test email to info@yourbusiness.com from an external address.

  • Confirm it arrives in Gmail.

• Reply to the test email (from Gmail) using “Send as info@yourbusiness.com”.

  • Confirm your mail sends via SendGrid SMTP (check email headers if needed).

• Check authentication using a tool like MXToolbox for SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.

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Additional Tips & Scalability

• Multiple addresses: Set up more aliases in ImprovMX for each team member or department.
• Upgrade SendGrid: If you need to send more than 100 emails/day, upgrade your SendGrid plan.
• Alternative forwarding: Try Forward Email if you need a different free solution.
• Alternative inbox: Use Zoho Mail as a true business inbox if preferred.

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Conclusion

With this setup, you get a reliable, cost-effective professional email system—perfect for startups, freelancers, or small businesses—without expensive hosting. You can send and receive emails using your custom domain, all from your Gmail inbox.