Domain aliases with Gmail: Complete Guide

Gmail allows users to create email aliases linked to their Gmail account using custom domains. This powerful feature enables setting up professional-looking email addresses with a custom domain name instead of the standard @gmail.com address.

For example, if you own the domain name mybusiness.com, you can set up email aliases like [email protected] or [email protected] that will deliver emails to your regular Gmail account inbox.

What are Gmail Domain Aliases and How Do They Work?

A Gmail domain alias allows you to send and receive emails from additional domains, besides your primary Gmail address domain. It works by verifying ownership of your other domains in your Gmail account.

Once verified, you can add those domains as aliases. Emails sent to those alias addresses will be delivered to your Gmail inbox.

For example, if your primary Gmail is [email protected], you could add a domain alias like [email protected]. Any emails to [email protected] would automatically route to [email protected].

Key Components for Domain Aliases

Here are the key components that enable domain aliases in Gmail:

Primary Gmail account – The core Gmail account where alias emails get delivered.
Verified domains – Additional domains you verify ownership of in your Gmail account.
Domain aliases – Alias email addresses set up using your verified domains.

Domain alias routing – Forwards email from your alias addresses to your Gmail inbox.

Benefits of Using Gmail Domain Aliases

Domain aliases provide some great benefits, including:

Use a single Gmail inbox to manage multiple email addresses across different domains.

Maintain brand consistency by having emails match your domain names.
Easier to track conversations by domain when all emails arrive in Gmail.
No need to pay for multiple business email accounts.

Add or remove aliases easily in Gmail settings.

In summary, key reasons to use domain aliases are cost savings, brand consistency, improved email tracking, and convenience of one unified inbox.

Gmail Account Requirements for Domain Aliases

To set up domain aliases for your Gmail account, you need:

A G Suite or Google Workspace business or enterprise plan
Ownership of the domain you want to use for aliases
Admin access to set up DNS records and verify domain ownership

If you have a free Gmail account, you won’t be able to configure domain aliases. You would need to upgrade to a paid G Suite plan first.

Steps to Verify a Domain with Gmail

Before you can set up domain aliases, you first need to verify ownership of any domains you want to use. Here are the steps to verify a domain in Gmail:

In Gmail, go to Settings > Accounts and Import > Add another email address you own.

Click Add custom address.
Choose the option to send verification code to DNS server.
Enter your domain name and click Next. For example: johnsmith.com

Copy the TXT record that is generated.
Go to your domain registrar and create a TXT record with the value copied from Gmail.
Click Verify in Gmail to check if the record validates your ownership successfully.

It may take some time for the TXT record to propagate after being added. If verification fails initially, try again later.

Once your domain is verified, you’ll see it listed as a verified send-as address in your Gmail settings.

Important Considerations When Verifying Domains

You must have admin access to update DNS records for a domain.

Each user can only verify 21 domains due to Google limits.
Verification may fail if there are restrictions on adding TXT records.
It can take up to 72 hours for DNS changes to fully propagate.

How to Add a Domain Alias in Gmail

After your domain is verified, follow these instructions to add it as a domain alias in Gmail:

Go to Settings > Accounts and Import > Send mail as.
Find the verified domain in the list and click Add new email address.

Enter the desired alias email. For example, you could enter [email protected].
Choose Treat as an alias.
Click Next and select which Google Account the alias will be for.

Check that from now on messages sent to the alias will appear in your Gmail inbox.
Click Add email address.

And you’re done! The domain alias will now be configured. You can repeat these steps to add multiple email aliases under your verified domains.

Tips for Managing Domain Aliases

Add a descriptive account label in Send mail as to identify aliases easily.
Click the down arrow next to an alias to Edit, Remove, or Set as primary.
Chooselegacy Gmail address as primary for the best deliverability support.

Forwarders count toward your max aliases so manage those carefully.

Setting Up Routing for Your Domain Alias

For your domain alias emails to reach your Gmail inbox, routing needs to be configured at your domain registrar.

There are two main methods to route emails from a domain alias:

Method 1: Update MX Records

This method updates the Mail Exchange (MX) Records for your domain to direct email to Google servers. Here are the steps:

Go to your domain registrar’s DNS setting or management pages.
Create or edit the MX records for your domain.

Point them to the servers below with a priority of 1:

Server name
ASPMX.L.GOOGLE.COM.
ALT1.ASPMX.L.GOOGLE.COM.
ALT2.ASPMX.L.GOOGLE.COM.
ALT3.ASPMX.L.GOOGLE.COM.
ALT4.ASPMX.L.GOOGLE.COM.

This will reroute all emails for your domain directly to Google for delivery to your Gmail. The benefit is simplicity, but the downside is it affects your entire domain rather than just specific aliases.

Method 2: Create Email Forwarders

The second approach is to set up email forwarders for each individual alias. Here are the steps:

In your domain control panel, find the email forwarder or rules settings.
Create a new forwarder for the alias email address.
Point the forwarder to send email to your primary Gmail address.

Optionally enable forwarding verification and add other settings like SPAM filtering.

The main advantage of forwarders is flexibility to customize how each alias handles email. The downside is needing to configure each one individually.

That covers the key concepts around routing domain alias emails to your Gmail. Choose the method that best meets your domain email configuration and needs.

Using Gmail Domain Aliases

Once you’ve created one or more domain aliases, you can start putting them to use. Here are some of the top ways teams use custom Gmail addresses:

Shared Team Inboxes

Create aliases like sales@, support@, or info@ to establish shared inboxes that your whole team can collaborate on. Set up forwarding to have messages sent to the alias address go to a group of recipients.

Segment Outreach

Use targeted aliases for specific campaigns – like webinars@ for promoting an upcoming webinar. See open and click rates for each alias to gauge engagement.

Send Mail as Alias

When composing a new message, click the “From” line to change the send address and select your custom alias to have responses go to that mailbox.

Consolidate Messages

If you maintain multiple email addresses across different providers, create matching aliases in Gmail to consolidate messages into one interface.

Use Case	Example Aliases
Shared team inboxes	info@, sales@, support@
Segment outreach	webinars@, events@, newsletter@
Consolidate accounts	[email protected], [email protected]

Managing Your Domain Aliases

Now that you have your domain aliases configured, here are some best practices for managing them.

Use Labels and Filters

Take advantage of Gmail’s labeling, filtering, and searching capabilities to easily manage incoming emails from aliases.

Apply labels specific to each alias or domain.
Set up filters to categorize alias emails automatically.

Use search operators to quickly find messages from a custom alias address.

Check the Send Mail As List

Periodically review your full list of added aliases in Settings > Accounts and Import > Send mail as. Checks for:

Errors or bounce messages on aliases.

Forwarders still active when no longer needed.
Verify all aliases are working as expected.

Adjust Alias Use Settings

Configure advanced settings for each alias to control how they are used:

Disable the “Treat as an alias” setting to use the address as a standalone account.
Turn on forwarding verification to confirm recipient addresses.
Prevent aliases from being used to send emails.

Tracking Opens and Clicks

Wondering how effective a certain campaign is or want to compare engagement across aliases? Gmail allows you to easily track opens and clicks.

View Quick Open Stats

When viewing your inbox, click the arrow next to any message. In the expanded details view, you’ll see quick stats showing how many recipients opened the email and how many times links were clicked.

Install Chrome Extension

For more robust tracking, install the open source Email Tracking Chrome extension. It shows detailed analytics as you scan through your inbox.

Check Gmail Reports

Your Gmail settings has built-in tracking reports. Navigate to Reports > Email opens to filter stats by time range. Switch to the Links report to see domain alias click-through rates.

Access Aliases from Multiple Devices

A great benefit of using Gmail aliases is you can access emails from any device. Just add your Gmail account using IMAP or POP settings to your:

iOS or Android smartphone

Email clients like Microsoft Outlook or Thunderbird
Other apps like CRM or support ticketing systems

This way emails sent to your custom aliases are available across all your apps and devices. Replying also works seamlessly no matter the device or client.

On iPhone & iPad

To access Gmail aliases on your iPhone or iPad:

Go to Settings > Passwords & Accounts
Tap Add Account

Select Google from the account types
Sign in using your full Gmail ID and password

This syncs your entire Gmail including sent and received emails from aliases. You can add multiple Gmail accounts as well.

On Android Phones & Tablets

The process is quite similar for Android devices too:

Open the Gmail app
Tap the hamburger menu and choose Settings

Select Add Account from the menu
Tap Google and sign-in with your Gmail ID

Again, this makes all domain alias emails accessible right within Android’s Gmail app interface.

Desktop Email Clients

Popular desktop email clients like Microsoft Outlook, Thunderbird etc can also connect to Gmail accounts using IMAP or POP3 protocols:

IMAP – Gets emails from server in real-time. Allows syncing read/unread status across devices.
POP – Downloads emails to your computer. No automatic syncing with server.

The exact steps to add a Gmail account varies for each client but essentially involves:

Click Add Account or New Account
Select Google or Gmail account type

Enter name, full Gmail address, password
Select IMAP or POP configurations
That’s it! Emails including aliases get synced

So whether it’s your work computer or personal laptop, accessing custom alias emails is simple from any desktop mail client.

Use with Third-Party Apps

Gmail aliases integrate beautifully with external apps like:

Helpdesk & support ticketing systems

Live chat platforms
CRM and marketing automation software
Appointment scheduling tools

Billing solutions

These apps can point to your Gmail aliases to send transactional emails. For example:

A visitor books an appointment via Calendly scheduling

Confirmation email is sent from [email protected] alias
Email reaches visitor’s inbox from your professional domain!

Most apps provide an option to route emails through a custom address. This presents a streamlined experience to your customers and clients.

Troubleshooting Domain Alias Issues

If your domain aliases have problems receiving emails, try these troubleshooting tips.

Verify MX Records

Check that your domain MX records are properly configured to route mail to Google.

Confirm MX records are pointing to the servers listed earlier.

Clear cached DNS records and test mail routing to identify issues.
MX record edits can take 72 hours to fully update across DNS caches.

Check Forwarder Status

If using forwarders for routing, verify each alias address:

Ensure the forwarding email address is correct.
Check forwarder activity to see if emails are arriving.
Disable then re-enable forwarding to reset the configuration.

Review Gmail Logs

Enable access to detailed Gmail delivery logs.

Check recent email delivery activity for failures.
Confirm if alias emails are arriving but having trouble getting delivered.

Scan for errors related to invalid or blocked addresses.

Using Domain Aliases with Gmail Professionally

For business use, domain aliases allow you to maintain consistent branding and appear more professional.

Create Role-Based Aliases

Set up addresses that reflect different common roles or departments:

[email protected]

Use Domains Matching Branding

Obtain domains matching your brand names to inspire confidence:

[email protected]

[email protected]

Show Emails Alongside Branding

Display domain aliases prominently alongside logo, address, and phone:

Website footer

Business cards
Letterhead
Marketing brochures

Online profiles
Social media bios

This reinforces brand identity every time someone views or uses the email aliases.