With Google Apps, you get web-based email, calendar and documents served from Google’s data centers, so you can be productive from anywhere you have access to the Internet—whether you’re at home, in the office, or on the go with a mobile device. This article will show you how to set up a Google Apps account so that you can take advantage of the tools and connectivity you and your business need.
Get started!
Head towards the Google Apps signup page at the Google Apps for Business page, and select the plan you would like to start with.
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Fill out the application. To start the process, you will need to fill in the usual necessary information.
- Your name, email, and business information.
- Next, select whether you will be using an existing domain, or if you will be buying a new one. Choose which option is most applicable to your needs. If you choose your existing domain, a field will appear on the form asking for the domain name. If you opt to buy a new domain, the following form will open, where you can search for a suitable domain name at a competitive price point:
- Finalize the form with your username, password, enter in the Captcha words, and agree to the terms and conditions. You’re in!
- Google Apps for Business will present a welcome screen. Click on the blue Go to Control Panel button, sign in with your new username and password, and you’ll be in the main Google Apps control panel page, where you will complete the signup process.
Verify possession in the signed up domain for Google Apps.
There are four possibilities:
- The recommended way (the default):
- Using the service that sold you your domain name takes just a couple minutes. It defaults to GoDaddy, but the list is extensive. Select yours, and proceed through the verification process.
- The alternate methods:
- Add a meta tag to your site’s home page. If you have access to the site html, you can opt this method. But, this is less recommended as most of the websites make use of software such as WordPress and wikis and not direct html.
- Create an HTML file and upload it to your website. An HTML file should be placed on the website via FTP or via cPanel administered by the chosen domain. Type the address into the web browser and if it opens the page and displays the text, it means that the verification of ownership is about to succeed. Now click on the link “I’ve completed the steps above” to start the verification. The process itself can take up to 48 hours (in rare cases, but it’s automatic most of the time) and it will appear on the control panel (Dashboard). If it does not change after that time, this means that the verification process has failed.
- Link your Google Analytics account with the Apps account. If you already have a Google Analytics account, this is an easy one click solution, and is less time consuming when compared to other available options.
Explore!
You’re now able to set up accounts and email for you and your staff, and take advantage of the tools and reliability of Google Apps. The trial period lasts 30 days, after which you will need to give them a credit card for billing purposes. Currently, the price is $14 per user, per month for the Business account. But, you can go into your Billing and downgrade to a Basic account, it is $7 per month per user, which is great if you have flexible staffing.
