How to create hello@yourdomain.com
You bought a domain. Now you want a simple business email address like hello@yourdomain.com. This guide explains the moving parts in plain language and shows the shortest path in Shipmail.
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What you are setting up
Email on your own domain needs two things. First, DNS records tell the internet that Shipmail handles email for your domain. Second, a mailbox gives you an actual inbox for the address you want.
Domain
Your domain is the name you bought, like yourdomain.com. It can point your website, email, and other services to different places. You keep it at Namecheap, Cloudflare, GoDaddy, or wherever you bought it.
MX
MX means Mail Exchange. It tells the internet where to deliver email for your domain. If someone sends email to hello@yourdomain.com, the MX record tells their mail server to send it to Shipmail.
SPF
SPF is a TXT record that says which services are allowed to send email for your domain. It helps receiving inboxes trust that email from hello@yourdomain.com really came through Shipmail.
DKIM
DKIM adds a digital signature to outgoing email. Shipmail signs the message, and your DNS record publishes the public key that other mail servers use to verify it was not changed on the way.
DMARC
DMARC ties SPF and DKIM together. It tells receiving mail servers what to do if a message claims to be from your domain but fails the checks.
Mailbox, alias, or forwarding?
People often use these words interchangeably, but they solve different problems.
| Option | Best for | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Mailbox | You want to receive and send as hello@yourdomain.com. | A mailbox has its own inbox, password, IMAP/SMTP access, sent folder, and storage. This is the best fit for a real business address you will use every day. |
| Alias | You want another address name that lands in an existing mailbox. | An alias is an extra address, not a separate inbox. For example, hi@yourdomain.com and hello@yourdomain.com can both deliver to the same mailbox. |
| Forwarding | You only want mail copied to another address. | Forwarding sends incoming mail somewhere else, like a Gmail address. It is simple for receiving, but it is not the same as having a full mailbox that can reliably send from your domain. |
For hello@yourdomain.com, start with a mailbox. You can add aliases or forwarding later if you need them.
The simple Shipmail path
- Add your domain in Shipmail.
- Copy the DNS records Shipmail shows you.
- Open DNS settings at your domain provider and paste the records there.
- Come back to Shipmail and click Verify.
- Create a mailbox named hello on that domain.
- Use hello@yourdomain.com in the Shipmail inbox or connect it to Apple Mail, Outlook, Thunderbird, or any IMAP email app.
You do not need to learn server administration. Shipmail gives you the exact records, checks them for you, then lets you create the mailbox once the domain is ready.
What to paste into DNS
Use the values shown in your Shipmail dashboard, especially for DKIM because it is unique to your domain. The records usually look like this:
- MX: routes incoming email to Shipmail.
- SPF: authorizes Shipmail to send email for your domain.
- DKIM: lets inboxes verify Shipmail signed your outgoing email.
- DMARC: tells inboxes how to handle email that fails authentication checks.
For the exact DNS table, see DNS records. For provider screenshots and field names, see DNS setup by provider.
FAQ for domain owners
I bought my domain at Namecheap. Where do I go?
Open Namecheap, choose your domain, then go to Advanced DNS. Add the MX and TXT records from Shipmail there. Remove old MX records if they point to parking email, Namecheap Private Email, Google Workspace, or another provider you no longer use.
I use Cloudflare. Should the records be proxied?
No. Email records should not use Cloudflare proxy mode. MX and TXT records are DNS-only. If you see an orange cloud on a related record, turn it off so it becomes DNS-only.
I bought my domain at GoDaddy. Why is verification failing?
GoDaddy sometimes keeps default MX records or adds the domain name for you. Check that there is only one mail provider in your MX records, and enter hosts like @, _dmarc, and shipmail._domainkey exactly as Shipmail shows them.
Do I need to move my website to Shipmail?
No. Your website can stay exactly where it is. You are only changing email DNS records, so your A, CNAME, and website records do not need to change.
Can I start with hello@ and add more later?
Yes. Start with hello@yourdomain.com, then add support@, billing@, team member mailboxes, aliases, or a catch-all address later.