Google Email App
You can use your domain name with Google's free Email App. This means that if you register the domain name eg. mygreatdomainname.com.au and you want an email address info@mygreatdomainname.com.au , you can use our free advanced dns management service with any domain name you register and manage through us to work with the Google Email Application.
There are a number of steps that are required to do this and if you prefer not to mess around with zone files, then you are better off simply ordering email hosting . Using Google Email App is free for personal users and it is a matter of spending about an hour or so, setting up your zone files and signing up for Google Apps and following all the instructions given to you.
Email forwarding without a full email hosting service is not as reliable as using Google Email App and setting up your zone files of your domain to work with Google Email App.
The steps you need to follow are:
(1) Register your domain. Visit http://domains.passioncomputing.com.au , search for your domain and enter your registrant details. Choose the option,
“I just want my domain names, proceed to enter Payment Details”
Once your domain is registered, you will receive a Tax Invoice and Certificate of registration.
(2) After your domain has been registered, order free advanced DNS management by following the instructions on this page. http://www.passioncomputing.com.au/hosting/advanced-dns-management/set-up-dns-hosting.aspx
(3) Setting up free Google Apps. Visit
https://www.google.com/a/cpanel/standard/new3?hl=en-GB and sign up for your free Google Apps.
At any stage of the Google Apps set up, it is possible to skip the steps which involve verifying your domain and setting up zone file records and come back to those steps later. However you will need to set up zone files and ask Google to verify the zone files you have set up in your domain name management BEFORE your domain will work with your Google Apps.
You will need to verify ownership of your domain name before you will be able to use Google Apps. Choose “Alternate Methods” and from the drop down box, for domain registrars choose “Other” and the page will display a text record that you will need to create.
Leave this page open and you will then need to login to your domain name management.
(4) Login to your domain name management and create a txt file.
Visit http://www.passioncomputing.com.au/hosting/advanced-dns-management/edit-zone-file.aspx for the instructions on how to create a txt file. The name field can be blank and the txt field is where you will cut and paste in the Google site verification code, which is a string, that starts with google-site-verification= and followed by a string of numbers and letters. Copy the code in its entirety and paste it into the txt field.
(5) Return to the Google Apps Setup and click “not now” and you will be able to continue and verify your domain name, when the domain name records have been updated across the internet. This can take from 24-48 hours but can often be much quicker.
(6) You will then be asked if you wish to set up mail using your domain name, under the option, Set up Gmail. Again for the domain host, choose “other” and then click “next”.
Google will then give you a list of MX records to create with priority numbers. You will then need to login to your domain name management and in the same area where you created your txt file, create MX records that match the MX records that Google has provided to you. See http://www.passioncomputing.com.au/hosting/advanced-dns-management/edit-zone-file.aspx for more information.
You can use the left hand menu and the horizontal menu to navigate to various functions in Google Apps. If you accidentally, come to a login page, simply login and then navigate back to the set up pages. Once you have followed the instructions on Google and added the zone files that Google want you to create using Advanced DNS Management, you will have email accounts that work with your domain name.
Google also offer a free do it yourself website builder which includes free hosting and the instructions to that can be found on the Google Sites page, which is a combined set of instructions for setting up both email and a website.