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25 min fix 4 min read Recently reviewedBeginner

By , IT support technician

Quick Answer

Sign up for Google Workspace, add your domain name, and follow the setup wizard to add TXT and MX records to your domain registrar (like GoDaddy) so Google can route your email.

How to Set Up Google Workspace for a Small Business ​

Estimated Time to Fix: 25 minutes

Applies to: Google Workspace
Article Type: How-To
Last Updated: 2026-07-21

Summary ​

Google Workspace gives you professional Gmail (using your own domain like [email protected]), Google Drive storage, and Google Meet. Setting it up requires proving to Google that you own your domain and updating a few DNS settings so your emails route correctly.

Prerequisites ​

  • You must own a domain name (e.g., from GoDaddy, Namecheap, or Squarespace).
  • You must have the login credentials for your domain registrar.
  • A credit card to set up billing (though Google offers a free trial).

Instructions ​

1. Sign up for Google Workspace ​

  1. Go to workspace.google.com and click Get Started.
  2. Enter your business name, number of employees, and contact info.
  3. When asked if your business has a domain, click Yes, I have one I can use.
  4. Enter your domain name (e.g., yourbusiness.com).
  5. Choose your primary username (this will be your main email address, like [email protected]) and create a password.

2. Verify your domain ​

Google needs to verify that you actually own the domain you typed in.

  1. Once logged into the Google Workspace Admin console, click Verify domain in the setup wizard.
  2. Google will provide a TXT record (a long string of text starting with google-site-verification=).
  3. Open a new browser tab and log in to your domain registrar (where you bought the domain).
  4. Navigate to your DNS Settings or DNS Management page.
  5. Create a new record:
    • Type: TXT
    • Name/Host: @ (or leave blank depending on the registrar)
    • Value: Paste the verification code from Google.
  6. Save the record, go back to Google, and click Verify my domain. (Note: This can take 5-10 minutes to process).

3. Add your team members (Optional) ​

Before you switch over your email routing, add your employees so they have inboxes waiting for them.

  1. In the Google Admin console wizard, click Create new users.
  2. Enter the first name, last name, and desired email username for each employee.
  3. Click Add User. Google will generate a temporary password for them.

4. Set up MX records for email ​

This is the most important step. MX records act like a post office sorting facility — they tell the internet to send your domain's emails to Google's servers.

  1. In the Google setup wizard, click Activate Gmail.
  2. Go back to your domain registrar's DNS settings page.
  3. Delete any existing MX records. (If you don't do this, your emails will bounce).
  4. Create a new MX record with the following details (Google currently uses a single, simplified MX record for new setups):
    • Type: MX
    • Name/Host: @
    • Priority: 1
    • Value/Destination: smtp.google.com
  5. Save the record, go back to Google, and click Activate Gmail.

Google will check the internet for your new MX record. Once it finds it, your professional Gmail is live and ready to use!

Troubleshooting ​

WARNING

DNS changes can take anywhere from 10 minutes to 24 hours to fully propagate across the internet. If Google says it can't find your records, take a break and try clicking the verify button again in an hour.

Symptom / ErrorPotential CauseSolution
Google says domain verification failedDNS propagationDouble check that you saved the TXT record correctly, and wait 15 minutes before trying again.
I'm not receiving any emailsConflicting MX recordsEnsure you deleted all old MX records from your registrar. The only MX record should be the one pointing to Google.