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HOSTING GUIDE
Email on your own domain: what hosting and DNS each do
Your website and email can run with different providers. It therefore helps to decide separately on web hosting, mailboxes and messages sent by the application.
MX records determine where mail for a domain is delivered. Changing them can affect every mailbox even if you are only rebuilding the website. Messages from a contact form or online shop also need a reliable outgoing service. Check whether the provider supports your application, what sending limits apply and how you will learn about undelivered messages.
Ask about mailboxes and access
For each plan, check the number of mailboxes, storage, attachment size, IMAP and SMTP access, recovery options and migration procedure. Sometimes mail shares the same allowance as the website. Also check whether users can enable multi-factor authentication and who manages access to shared mailboxes.
Domain authentication helps recipients
SPF specifies authorized sending sources, DKIM signs messages and DMARC ties the results to the domain shown as the sender. The setup must cover every real mail source, including bulk messages and the online shop. Without a complete list, legitimate messages may be harmed. The DMARC standard describes how these checks work together.
Before editing DNS, export the current records and test receiving and sending mail from every system you use. A website can work after migration while order confirmations or replies to customers stop arriving.
When choosing a service, ask how mailbox history will be moved. Some migrations only change delivery of new messages, while older folders and contacts need a separate transfer. Before closing the old service, check several old messages with attachments, forwarding rules and mobile access. Record who is responsible for the mailbox and where its backups are kept; web hosting may not cover that responsibility.