How to Set Up Business Email Hosting(Step-by-Step)

We’ve been helping hundreds of Filipino business owners migrate to and set up professional email hosting.

And here’s what we learned:

Most businesses struggle with DNS configuration. One DNS mistake can send all your client emails to spam for weeks.

This guide shows you exactly how to set up business email hosting in under 30 minutes. 

I’ll walk you through each step on how it’s done, and by the end, you’ll have professional email addresses working for your entire team.

Let’s get started.

Step 1: Choose Your Email Hosting Provider

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Before you can set up email, you need a hosting provider.

Think of your email hosting provider as the foundation for your business communications. If you choose poorly, you’ll deal with spam issues, downtime, and support headaches for years.

Take your time and do the research. Really look out for the review sections of these providers to know what their customers are saying. 

To make the right decision, look for these key features:

• Automatic spam filtering.
• Custom domain support. 
• Easy DNS configuration. 
• Reliable uptime. 
• Responsive customer support.

At Truehost, we include professional email hosting with all our plans starting from as low as  P26/month. This package contains SpamAssassin spam protection, automatic SPF/DKIM setup, and free migration assistance.

If you need help choosing between providers, check our detailed comparison guide.

Once you’ve selected your provider, move to the next step.

Step 2: Register or Verify Your Domain

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Your domain is the central part of your email address.

If you already own a domain like yourbusiness.ph, you’ll verify ownership with your hosting provider. If you don’t have one yet, you’ll register first.

For existing domains:

Log in to your domain registrar. Point your domain’s nameservers to your hosting provider. This process usually takes 24-48 hours to update fully.

For new domains:

Search for available domains through your hosting provider. Choose something professional and memorable, and complete the registration process.

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Pro tip: Use .ph domains for Philippine businesses. They build local trust and often rank better for Filipino customers searching locally.

Once your domain is connected, you’re ready to create email accounts.

Step 3: Create Your First Email Account

Now comes the fun part: creating professional email addresses.

First, decide how you want to name your emails. The most common formats are:  [email protected] for individual team members, or department-based, like [email protected] for shared accounts.

Through Truehost’s cPanel interface, creating email accounts takes about 30 seconds. Here’s the process:

Log in to your cPanel dashboard.

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Navigate to the Email Accounts section. 

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Click the Create button and enter the email username that is the part before @.

Set a strong password and use a password manager. 

Set the mailbox quota or storage limit, and click Create Account.

For password security, use at least 12 characters with a mix of uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and symbols. Never reuse passwords from other services.

Repeat this process for each team member who needs an email address.

But creating accounts alone isn’t enough. The next step helps ensure your emails don’t go to the spam folder.

Step 4: Configure DNS Records (The Most Important Step)

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DNS configuration separates emails that reach inboxes from emails that land in spam.

You need to set up three types of DNS records:

• MX records, which tell servers where to send your incoming emails. 
• SPF records, which specify which servers can send from your domain.
• Finally, DKIM records, which add digital signatures to verify your emails.

Here’s what each does in simple terms:

• MX Records: Think of these as your email’s return address. They point incoming Mail to your hosting server.

• SPF Records: These create a safelist of approved servers that can send email from your domain. Without SPF, spammers can easily forge emails claiming to be from you.

• DKIM Records: This adds an encrypted signature to your emails. This encrypted signature verifies that your message is the same.

Truehost automatically configures SPF and DKIM records when you create email accounts. You don’t need to edit DNS settings manually. We handle the technical complexity behind the scenes.

For other providers, you’ll need to add these records manually through your DNS control panel. Your hosting provider should give you the exact values to copy and paste.

To verify everything configures correctly, use a tool like MXToolbox.com. Enter your domain and check that all records appear correctly.

Once the configuration of the DNS is over, it’s time to add some convenience features.

Step 5: Set Up Email Aliases (Bonus Productivity Boost)

Email aliases let you create multiple email addresses that all forward to one inbox.

For example, you might set up [email protected], [email protected], and [email protected] that all forward to your primary inbox. 

This email looks professional to clients while keeping your email management simple.

Email aliases are essential because:

Privacy protection.

You can give out department aliases instead of personal addresses. Organization becomes easier when you filter incoming Mail by the alias.

 Security improves because you can delete compromised aliases without changing your primary email.

How to set up Email aliases in Truehost :

• Log in to your Truehost Business Email panel. 

• Navigate to Domain Settings, then the Accounts tab. 

• Click the Alias tab, then New.

• Enter the alias name, like support or sales.

• Select which email account should receive forwarded messages. 

• Choose your forwarding settings and click Save.

You can create unlimited aliases on Truehost plans. Use them strategically to organize communications without creating separate email accounts for everything.

Now that you have set up aliases, let’s connect your email to devices.

Step 6: Connect Your Email Client

You can access business email through webmail or connect it to email clients like Outlook, Apple Mail, or Gmail.

Webmail works through your browser. Just visit webmail.yourdomain.ph and log in. There isn’t a complicated setup required. And it is also perfect for quick access from any device.

For desktop and mobile clients, you’ll need to choose between IMAP and POP3:

• IMAP (recommended): Keeps emails on the server. Perfect for accessing from multiple devices. Changes sync across all devices automatically.

• POP3: Downloads emails to your device and removes them from the server. Only valid if you access email from one device exclusively.

To set up in Outlook:

• Open Outlook and go to File, then Add Account. 

• Enter your email address and choose Manual setup.

• Select IMAP and enter the incoming server: Mail.yourdomain.ph. 

• Enter outgoing server (SMTP): Mail.yourdomain.ph. 

• Set the incoming port to 993 (SSL) and the outgoing port to 465 (SSL). 

• Enter your email username and password and click Finish.

• For mobile devices (iOS/Android):

• Go to Settings, then Mail.

• Tap Add Account

• Select Other and enter your name, email, password, and description. 

• Choose IMAP. Use the same server settings as above.

You can watch the full process on this video.

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Your hosting provider should provide the exact server settings. Some providers include detailed setup guides for every major email client.

One more step: testing everything.

Step 7: Test Everything

Before announcing your new email addresses to clients, test thoroughly.

Send test emails:

Send an email from your new business address to a Gmail account. Also, send one to an Outlook account and one back to yourself. Check that all messages arrive within a few minutes.

Check spam placement:

Make sure test emails land in the inbox, not spam folders. If they go to spam, your DNS configuration likely has issues. Double-check your SPF and DKIM records.

Verify authentication:

Visit mail-tester.com. Send an email to the address the mail tester provided. Check your authentication score. You want 10/10. It misconfigures if something is missing.

Common issues and quick fixes:

Emails going to spam: Check SPF/DKIM records. Verify domain authentication. Remove any spam trigger words from test emails.

Can’t send emails: Verify SMTP settings. Check outgoing port (usually 465 or 587). Ensure the password is correct.

Can’t receive emails: Check MX records point to the correct server. Verify the domain name server configuration. Wait up to 48 hours for DNS propagation.

You’re All Set

Your professional business email is now up and running.

In just about 30 minutes, you’ve connected your domain, created branded email addresses for your team, configured DNS for proper authentication, set up aliases, linked your devices, and tested everything to ensure smooth delivery.

You now have a secure, professional system built to support your business as it grows.

If you’re ready to make the process even easier next time, Truehost simplifies everything with automatic DNS configuration, free migration support, and 24/7 assistance.

Plans start at P26/month and include unlimited email accounts, advanced spam filtering, and local Philippine servers for faster delivery.

Explore our email hosting plans or learn how to keep your inbox consistently spam-free.