You built a WordPress site. You have a beautiful domain. But you're still sending emails from yourname@gmail.com. The obvious next step is professional email — hello@yoursite.com. But the "obvious" solution (Google Workspace) costs $7/month per user.
There's a smarter way. Email forwarding gives you the same professional appearance at a fraction of the cost — or even free. Here's how to set it up for your WordPress site in 10 minutes.
Why Your WordPress Site Needs Custom Email
If you have a WordPress site at mybusiness.com, clients expect to reach you at hello@mybusiness.com — not a random Gmail address.
- Contact forms — notifications should come from your domain, not "wordpress@somethingrandom.com"
- Client communication — replies from your domain build trust
- WooCommerce orders — order confirmations from your brand look professional
- Newsletter signups — confirmation emails from your domain have better deliverability
The Expensive Way vs. The Smart Way
| Google Workspace | Forward + Gmail | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly Cost | $7/user/month | Free – $3/month |
| Annual Cost (1 user) | $84/year | $0–36/year |
| Setup Time | 30–60 min | 10 min |
| New Inbox Required? | Yes (new Gmail) | No (use existing) |
| Professional Email | ✓ | ✓ |
| Send-As from Domain | ✓ | ✓ |
| Google Drive/Docs | ✓ | Use free Google account |
The truth: Most WordPress site owners only need email — not Drive, Sheets, or admin consoles. You're paying $84/year for features you already get free with a personal Google account.
Step-by-Step: Set Up Email for Your WordPress Domain
Step 1: Sign Up for Forward
Create a free account at Forward. You'll use this to manage your domain's email forwarding.
Step 2: Add Your WordPress Domain
In your Forward dashboard, click "Add Domain" and
enter your WordPress site's domain (e.g.,
mybusiness.com).
Step 3: Update DNS at Your Hosting Provider
Forward will give you MX and TXT records. Add them in your DNS settings. Where you do this depends on your setup:
- Domain at GoDaddy/Namecheap? Log into your registrar's DNS settings
- Using Cloudflare? Add records in Cloudflare's DNS panel
- Managed WordPress hosting (SiteGround, WP Engine)? Check your hosting dashboard for DNS management, or use your registrar
You're just copy-pasting two records. No coding, no SSH, no terminal.
Step 4: Create Your Email Addresses
Back in Forward, create the addresses you need. For a WordPress site, you'll typically want:
- hello@yoursite.com → your main inbox (general inquiries)
- support@yoursite.com → customer support or FAQ
- orders@yoursite.com → WooCommerce notifications (if applicable)
Each address forwards to your existing Gmail (or any email you already use).
Step 5: Configure WordPress to Send from Your Domain
By default, WordPress sends emails as
wordpress@yourdomain.com — which often ends up in
spam. Fix this with WP Mail SMTP:
- Install the WP Mail SMTP plugin (free)
- Set the "From Email" to hello@yoursite.com
- Configure SMTP using your preferred outbound email provider or WordPress mail service
- Send a test email to verify it works
Now every email WordPress sends — contact form notifications, password resets, WooCommerce order confirmations — comes from your professional domain address.
Step 6: Set Up "Send As" in Gmail
So you can reply to emails as hello@yoursite.com from Gmail:
- Gmail → Settings → Accounts and Import
- "Send mail as" → Add another email address
- Enter hello@yoursite.com
- Complete Gmail's send-as verification flow
- Verify and set as default
If you need the same send-as workflow for a Shopify store, read How to Reply From Your Shopify Domain Email in Gmail.
WordPress-Specific Tips
Contact Form Emails
If you use Contact Form 7, WPForms, or Gravity Forms, update the "From" and "Reply-To" fields to use your custom domain email. This prevents forms from going to spam and looks professional to visitors.
WooCommerce Email Settings
In WooCommerce → Settings → Emails, update the "From" address to orders@yoursite.com. Combined with WP Mail SMTP, your order confirmations and shipping notifications will look polished and land in inboxes, not junk folders.
Multisite or Multiple Domains?
If you run a WordPress multisite or have multiple domains, Forward supports multi-domain setups on higher plans. Create separate aliases for each site:
- hello@siteone.com → your inbox
- hello@sitetwo.com → your inbox
- support@siteone.com → your VA's inbox
One inbox to rule them all.
Common Questions
Do I need cPanel for this?
No. Forward works at the DNS level, completely independent of your hosting. No cPanel, no Plesk, no hosting-specific setup required.
Will this work with managed WordPress hosts?
Yes — SiteGround, WP Engine, Kinsta, Flywheel, all of them. You just need access to your domain's DNS settings (usually at your domain registrar, not your host).
Can I switch from Google Workspace to Forward?
Absolutely. Update your MX records to point to Forward instead of Google, create your aliases, and you're done. Your domain email address stays the same — only the infrastructure changes.