5 Popular Small Business Email Providers in 2023
Did you know that a domain-based email address makes your brand more trustworthy?
According to studies, 74% of people trust companies with websites and professional email addresses. Around 75% of customers who shop online in the United States believe that having a domain-based email is crucial in trusting a small business. Using a generic email address like @yahoo.com makes your business appear less professional compared to a custom business email.
This article will explore how having an email provider can drive your business to new heights.
What are Email Providers?
Email providers, also known as email service providers (ESPs), are services that offer email hosting, allowing you to create and manage business email accounts. Unlike a free service like Gmail or Yahoo Mail, email providers give you more control and professional features for your small business.
Typically, email providers provide the following features and functionalities:
- Email account creation: Users can make an email account by picking a unique username and domain given by the email service provider.
- Search functionality: Let users search for specific emails quickly using keywords, sender information, dates, or other details.
- Spam filtering: Recognize and move unwanted emails to a separate folder or delete them to protect users.
- Security and encryption: Email providers include encryption for transmitting and storing emails, two-factor authentication, and anti-malware scanning.
Best Email Hosting Platforms for Small Businesses
As a small business owner, choosing an email provider is important. You need a provider that offers robust features at an affordable price. Here are five popular options for 2023:
1. Google Workspace
Google Workspace, formerly G Suite, is great for big teams with people with different expertise levels. It offers domain-specific email addresses using the popular Gmail interface. Google Workspace also has a simple and user-friendly design. In that sense, anyone can easily join and use the platform.
Key Features
- Personalized and safe emails
- Access to Sheets, Docs, Calendar, and Slides
- Mobile and desktop applications with integrated video conferencing tools and chat
- Unlimited storage
- All plans include every feature
Pricing
Google Workspace starts at $6 per user per month. This includes popular tools like Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Meet for web conferencing. The Business and Enterprise editions provide extra features such as audit logs, data loss prevention, and Vault for eDiscovery and archiving.
2. Zoho Mail
Zoho Mail has well-designed web and mobile interfaces that help you stay on top of your workloads. If you work in digital marketing, this is also a great choice. It allows you to send and receive large files easily due to its generous attachment size limits.
Key Features
- Free email hosting for up to five users with a custom domain name
- Strong security features like two-factor authentication, spam filtering, and email encryption
- Generous storage space, with 5GB per user for free accounts and more for paid plans
- Simple email migration so you can easily switch from another provider
Pricing
Zoho Mail’s premium plan is affordable, priced at $6, like Gmail’s basic plan. Additionally, their paid plans offer free SSL/TLS certificates to enhance security.
3. Microsoft 365
Microsoft 365 is an excellent email hosting choice for small businesses. It offers robust email features tailored for companies with 1 to 300 employees. With this platform, you can focus on growing your business rather than managing it.
Microsoft 365 provides an easy-to-setup, simple-to-use solution tailored to small companies. With familiar Microsoft apps and powerful cloud services, your team can stay productive from anywhere.
Key Features
- A secure and reliable email with 50GB of storage per user
- Custom domains to build brand recognition
- Industry-specific spam filtering and security
- Integrated with the familiar Microsoft Office apps like Word, Excel, and Teams
Pricing
Microsoft 365 offers a range of pricing plans. This includes options for individuals such as Microsoft 365 Personal (around $69.99/year).
4. IONOS
IONOS helps you connect with customers and strengthen your company’s communications. If you need more email storage or accounts, IONOS offers scalable solutions to match your business needs as you grow. With over 4 million customers worldwide, you can trust their web hosting and cloud services.
With IONOS, you get:
- A free domain to use with your email
- 5GB of storage space per email account
- Ability to send attachments up to 25MB in size
Key Features
- Create a customized email address with your own domain name, like you@yourbusiness.com, to represent your brand.
- Reliable customer support is available 24/7 via phone, email, and chat.
- Spam filtering, virus scanning, and encryption keep your data and communications safe.
Pricing
With domain inclusion, IONOS can save your business around $10 to $15 per year or even more. Their premium plan offers that benefit and extra storage, all for as low as $2.50 per user.
5. Bluehost
Bluehost is one of the most popular small business email providers, offering simple yet affordable email hosting. Their email service lets you set up your business email in Gmail, so you can access all your emails in one place.
Plus, their low-cost plans and useful features make professional email accessible for companies of any size.
Key Features
- All plans include a free domain name
- Site hosting and email hosting for just $2.95 per month
- Users of the Plus, Choice Plus, and Pro plans have access to an unlimited number of accounts and websites
- Domain privacy policy and SSL/TLS security certificates
Pricing
Bluehost email service starts at just $6 per user per month. They also offer a free 30-day trial to test out their service.
How to Choose the Right Emails for Small Businesses
Choosing an email provider for your small business is an important decision. You want a business email service that will empower your communications efforts, not hold you back. Consider the needs of your small business and look for providers that offer:
Customer Support
When choosing an email service for your small business, customer support should be on your list of priorities. After all, if something goes wrong or you have questions, you’ll want help immediately.
Some of the key points to look out for include the following:
- Look into the average response and resolution times the customer support providers offer.
- Research the reputation and customer reviews of the support providers you are considering. Look for feedback about their responsiveness, knowledge, and customer experience.
- Look for providers that offer features aligned with your needs. This includes ticketing systems, knowledge bases, chatbots, or CRM integrations.
Security Features
Encryption scrambles your emails to protect them from prying eyes. Authentication verifies your identity and helps prevent phishing.
These features give you peace of mind that your communications and sensitive data remain private. When evaluating, consider their advanced security features before other factors. This includes storage space or custom domains.
With cybercrime on the rise, look for services offering:
- High-grade encryption (like AES-256-bit)
- Two-factor or multi-factor authentication
- Options for PGP encryption and secure messaging
- A focus on privacy with zero-knowledge encryption
Custom Domains
Your domain name is your brand, and your custom domain helps your small business make a professional first impression.
When choosing an email provider, look for ones that make it easy to connect your custom domain. Services like Zoho Mail, Bluehost, and Google Workspace allow you to map your domain to their email servers using DNS records. Some even provide a free domain when you sign up for their email hosting plan.
A custom email domain does more than just improve the image of your business. It also:
- Allows for professional-looking email addresses that match your brand.
- Gives you more control and flexibility. You can take your domain and email with you if you switch providers.
- Improves deliverability and spam filtering. Emails from a custom domain are more likely to reach the inbox.
- Enhances security. It’s harder for hackers to spoof an email from your own domain.
Storage Space
As a small business owner, having enough storage space for your emails and attachments is crucial. Most email providers offer 5 to 50 gigabytes (GB) of storage per account.
Some popular small business email options like Zoho Mail offer “forever free” plan storage space. For larger storage amounts, some offer up to 10GB of storage per account by default, with affordable paid add-on storage.
No matter which email service you choose, understand their storage policies, especially:
- Attachment size limits: Most providers allow 10 to 25MB attachments. Larger files may need to be compressed or uploaded elsewhere.
- Email quota: The maximum storage allocated to your email account before you can’t send or receive new messages. Look for at least 1 to 2GB to avoid issues.
- Archiving and deletion: These emails and attachments older than a certain timeframe will be automatically archived or deleted.
With the right email storage solution, you’ll have plenty of room for all your messages, files, and team collaboration. Your small business communications will be as smooth as possible.
Attachment Limits
Consider the attachment size allowed when choosing an email provider. As a small business owner, send files like documents, spreadsheets, images, and more to clients and colleagues. If the provider’s attachment limit is too low, it can hamper your ability to share important files.
No matter which email provider you choose for your small business, be aware of the following tips:
- Check if the email provider integrates with external cloud storage services such as Google Drive, Dropbox, or OneDrive. This allows you to share large files, bypassing attachment size restrictions.
- Ensure seamless file sharing that aligns with common recipient limitations.
- If limits seem too confining for your needs, look for a service that offers higher limits.
Amplify Your Communications Efforts With Us
Want to make a big difference in how you communicate with customers and run your operations?
Indeed, strengthening your communications, brand, and security is vital, and my team at The Email Marketers understands that. With our affordable and feature-rich services, there’s no need to settle for a basic free email account!
Chat with us, and together, we will take the time to choose a provider that will set you up for success as you grow.
