Estimated Time to Fix: 25 minutes

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.

Before You Start

• 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 / Error	Potential Cause	Solution
Google says domain verification failed	DNS propagation	Double check that you saved the TXT record correctly, and wait 15 minutes before trying again.
I'm not receiving any emails	Conflicting MX records	Ensure you deleted all old MX records from your registrar. The only MX record should be the one pointing to Google.

Related Articles

• Understanding Calendly vs Microsoft Bookings for Small Business

• How to Set Up Email on a Custom Domain in Microsoft 365

• How to Migrate from Google Workspace to Microsoft 365

• How to Organize Google Drive for Client Work

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