Once you have your own domain, you can create almost any address you like in front of the @. That freedom leads to a common mess: a mix of info@, admin@, nicknames and old staff names, with nobody quite sure who reads what. A little planning up front makes your business look more established, keeps customer emails from getting lost, and makes it far easier when people join or leave. This guide covers how to choose address formats, which role addresses are worth having, and how to set them up without paying for mailboxes you don't need.
Two kinds of address
Every business email address is one of two kinds:
- Personal addresses belong to one person:
thandi@,thandi.mokoena@,t.mokoena@. - Role addresses belong to a job or function:
info@,sales@,accounts@,support@.
Most small businesses need both. Customers write to role addresses printed on your website, invoices and vehicles; colleagues, suppliers and ongoing customer relationships use personal addresses.
Choosing a format for personal addresses
Pick one format and use it for everyone, so people can guess an address correctly:
| Format | Example | Works well for |
|---|---|---|
| First name | thandi@ |
Small teams where first names are unique |
| First.last | thandi.mokoena@ |
Growing teams; avoids clashes as you hire |
| Initial + last | tmokoena@ |
Shorter, but harder to say over the phone |
| First + initial | thandil@ |
A compromise when first names clash |
First name only is friendly, but think ahead: the second Thandi you hire will need a different format, and changing everyone's address later is painful. For a team that may grow, first.last@ is the safest choice.
Tips that save trouble later
- Avoid nicknames, numbers and in-jokes.
thandi2@orbigboss@look unprofessional on a quote. - Keep it easy to spell over the phone. If you constantly spell out an address, it will be mistyped.
- Use lower case. Email addresses aren't case-sensitive in practice, and lower case is easier to read.
- Don't use a person's address as the company's main contact. When they leave, every printed brochure and web listing still points at their inbox.
Role addresses worth having
Not every business needs all of these. Start with the ones that match how customers contact you:
info@- the general enquiry address on your website and social profiles.sales@orquotes@- for quote requests, if someone specific handles them.accounts@- for invoices, statements and remittances. Suppliers expect it, and it keeps financial mail out of personal inboxes.support@- for existing customers who need help.orders@- for online shops that send and receive order mail.careers@orjobs@- so CVs don't flood a manager's inbox.privacy@- a dedicated address for POPIA requests from people asking about their personal information. Your privacy policy should name a contact for this.
The special case of postmaster@ and abuse@
Some mail systems expect postmaster@ to exist for delivery problems, and abuse@ is a common place to report spam or misuse. They rarely receive much mail, so make them aliases or forwarders to someone responsible rather than separate mailboxes.
Mailbox, alias or forwarder?
You don't need a full mailbox, with its own password and storage, for every address. There are three ways to make an address work:
| Option | What it does | Use it when |
|---|---|---|
| Mailbox | A separate inbox with its own login and storage | A person, or a role that a team works from directly |
| Alias | Another address that delivers into an existing mailbox | The same person handles both addresses |
| Forwarder | Sends copies of incoming mail to one or more other addresses | Several people need to see the mail, or it should go to an outside address |
A sole proprietor might have one mailbox, thandi@, with info@, accounts@ and sales@ as aliases delivering into it. As the business grows, accounts@ can become its own mailbox for the bookkeeper without changing the address customers use. Our guide to forwarders, aliases and shared mailboxes explains each option in detail.
When someone leaves
Plan for this from day one, because it will happen:
- Change the departing person's mailbox password so they can no longer sign in.
- Set an auto-reply or forward their mail to a colleague for a few months, so customers aren't left waiting.
- Export or move any mail the business needs to keep.
- Remove the mailbox when it's no longer needed, keeping in mind how long you must keep records.
This is much easier when customers mostly use role addresses that stay put while the people behind them change.
Protect the addresses that handle money
accounts@ and the addresses of anyone who approves payments are prime targets for fraudsters, who impersonate suppliers or take over mailboxes to change banking details on invoices. Use strong, unique passwords, check bank detail changes by phone, and make sure your domain has SPF, DKIM and DMARC records so others can't easily spoof your addresses. See invoice fraud and email compromise and SPF, DKIM and DMARC explained.
Frequently asked questions
Is info@ unprofessional?
No. It's widely recognised and easy to remember. Just make sure someone checks it every day, and reply from a named person where it makes sense.
Should I use a free webmail address for my business?
Customers trust an address on your own domain more, and it keeps working if you change email provider. Our guide to why to use your own domain for business email covers the reasons.
Can one person send from several addresses?
Yes. Most email programs let you send as an alias as well as the main address, once it's set up on the mail server.
How many mailboxes do I need?
One per person who needs their own login, plus any role address a team works from directly. Everything else can usually be an alias or forwarder.
NewHost email hosting gives you mailboxes on your own domain, plus aliases and forwarders for info@, sales@ and every other role address, with webmail and spam filtering. Don't have a domain yet? Search for one first.