As a startup founder, freelancer, or web developer, your digital identity speaks volumes about your professionalism. Whether you’re pitching to potential clients, collaborating on projects, or building your personal brand, having a customized professional inbox that matches your domain name instantly elevates your credibility in today’s competitive landscape.
This setup is particularly valuable for solo entrepreneurs, creative professionals, and small business owners who want to distinguish themselves from the crowd. By moving beyond generic free services, you demonstrate a commitment to your craft and an understanding of professional digital presence. For web developers and tech professionals, it’s also a practical showcase of technical competence, proving you can handle the fundamental aspects of digital infrastructure.
Prerequisites
To get started, you’ll need three things:
- Registered domain name for your brand
- Gmail account
- Cloudflare account
Initial Setup
Create a new Cloudflare account using your Gmail address. Once you’ve signed up for Cloudflare and added your domain, you’ll receive new nameservers to update at your registrar.
Following the alteration of your NS records, please allow for a reasonable timeframe for the changes to propagate fully across the DNS system. It usually takes only a few minutes.
Email Routing Configuration
Once the NS records have propagated, proceed to the Cloudflare Email Routing page.
Next, click “Get Started” and enter your preferred version from your email. Enter your Gmail address in the “Destination” field and press “Save”.
Go ahead and click on “Enable Email Routing”.
DNS Records Setup
Next, you’ll receive DNS records to add in your Cloudflare DNS settings. Simply click “Add records and enable,” and the system will handle the rest.
This is how it should look.
Check your Gmail now to verify your Cloudflare routing address.
Gmail Configuration
Now that we’ve finished the Cloudflare setup, let’s move on to Gmail.
At the top right of your Gmail page, click on your profile icon to access “Manage your Google Account”.
App Password Generation
Find “app passwords” using the search bar at the top of your Google account, then select it.
In the “App Passwords” section, generate a new password and label it “gmail smtp” for this project and clikc “Create”.
Your password will be displayed once; store it securely. Please ensure there are no spaces in the password; otherwise, it won’t work.
Email Alias Setup
Go back to your Gmail inbox, click the settings icon in the upper right, and then click “See all settings.”
Next, select the “Accounts and Import” tab and click “Add another email address.”
A new window will appear, prompting you to enter your name and the custom email address we previously set up in Cloudflare.
Select the “Treat as alias” box and proceed by clicking “Next Step”.
SMTP Configuration
The next step requires your SMTP information. In the “SMTP Server” field, enter “smtp.gmail.com” and select port 587. Use your Gmail address for the “Username” field. In the “Password” field, enter the password you created on the “App passwords” page.
Click “Add Account,” then verify your new address with Gmail. Keep this window open, then go back to your Gmail account, open the email, and click “Verify your email address”.
Filter Creation
Congratulations on your new custom email address! We’re not finished yet, though. We can make individual filters for each custom domain and each custom email address.
In Gmail settings, select “Filters and Blocked Addresses” and click “Create a new filter”.
Next, add your filter settings and click “Create filter.” This is what my settings look like:
Up next, the following section. Choose “Apply the label,” create your new label, and then click “Create filter.”
Testing
The setup is finally complete. Let’s send a test email from a different address; avoid using your Gmail account, as it might cause errors.
You can now send and reply to emails from your new Gmail alias.
All done! I hope you enjoyed this guide and were able to create a custom email for your startup or brand. I’d appreciate your feedback and any questions. Talk to you soon.
