How long have you been using Hotmail? Or Outlook? Are you tired of the limitations of these accounts, and do you need more functionality from your email client?
Gmail has been around since 2004, but not everyone has made the move yet – people don’t like change. But there are many reasons you should consider moving to Gmail. It’s no wonder 1.5 billion users have chosen to use Gmail as their primary email client.
Benefits of a Gmail Account
1. It’s free.
2. It has excellent spam filters and keeps your inbox cleaner than any other email client.
3. It has a very generous storage space allowance, 10+ GB of email storage space.
4. You can change your theme and the way your inbox works (i.e.there’s more flexibility than with any other email client).
5. Countless plugins and extensions are available and free to use. These can help you customize your workflow and how you use email.
6. You have the power of Google search functionality right inside your inbox.
7. Easily Accessible – your account can be accessed anywhere where there is internet access.
8. It’s reliable and rarely crashes.
How to Set Up Your New Gmail Account
Step 1. First things first, you need to head over to gmail.com.
Step 2. Click on the button that says “Create Account.”
Step 3. After that, the sign-up form will appear. You’ll need to fill in all the details it requests: first name, last name, a new username, and a new password.
Step 4. Next, you’ll be asked to enter a phone number to verify your account. This is because Google uses a two-step verification process to boost security. You can find out more about two-step verification here.
Step 5. You should now receive a text message with a verification code from Google. If this hasn’t been delivered within a few minutes, you can use the automated call system instead.
Step 6. Once you’ve verified your account, you will see a form that asks for some personal information. This includes a recovery email, your birthday, and your gender. If you’re not comfortable giving these or want to find out why Google is asking for this information, there is plenty of information on offer during the sign up.
Step 7. You now need to accept Google’s Terms of Service and their Privacy Policy – it’s highly recommended that you review both of these in detail before clicking “I Agree.”
Step 8. You should now have your new Gmail account.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/89JeNwoFZpY
How to Open Your New Gmail Account
Step 1. Return to the main Google screen and click the Gmail link.
Step 2. Once you sign in you’ll be brought through the Gmail introductory steps. After the last introductory screen, a popup appears announcing that your new Gmail account is ready to use.
Step 3. Enjoy your new email account and look at ways to level up your Gmail account to get the most from it.
What to Do If Your Username Is Taken
Adding in Periods
Unfortunately, Gmail doesn’t distinguish between variations like brad.pitt, bradpitt and br.ad.pi.tt – they are all the same as far as Gmail is concerned.
What you need to do is take parts of your name and be creative with the periods.
Think:
- bradley.pitt@gmail.com
- will.pitt@gmail.com
Getting Creative
If you have a common name – like John Smith – you need to be even more creative when coming up with a Gmail username that will make sense to your recipients.
- Do you have a middle name you can use?
- Do you have a nickname? Although keep that one professional, please!
Register Your Own Domain
If you are using Gmail for business, then this is the ideal thing to do – especially if you have (or are setting up) a website.
Sign up for G Suite. You can do that here.
It’s relatively cheap and will help you send emails that look that bit more polished and professional.
Level up your Gmail Account
With so many benefits, you can see why swapping your Outlook or Hotmail account to Gmail might be a wise move. One of the major benefits of having a Gmail account is the free add-ons or extensions you can add to supercharge your account. Right Inbox is an email productivity extension that brings your emailing to the next level. Right Inbox gives your Gmail added functionality with the following features:
Email Tracking: Find out who reads and clicks your emails, how many times, and when. Real-time insights on who reads your emails and who’s ignoring you.
Email Follow-Ups: Set up follow-ups that automatically send if your prospect doesn’t reply. You can forget to follow up, because Right Inbox won’t.
Email Templates: Turn your most effective emails in templates you can insert and optimize with one click. Save time while adding consistency to your email communication.
How to Sign Out of Your New Gmail Account
By default, Gmail will keep you signed in on your device unless you manually sign out. If you share your device with someone else, or you’re using a public computer, it’s important you sign out of your account every time you’ve finished using Gmail.
Simply closing the tab or shutting down your laptop will not sign you out of your Gmail account. Here’s all you need to know
1. Go to Gmail.com where you’re logged in.
2. Go to your Google profile icon in the top right-hand corner of the screen.
3. In the drop-down window, click Sign out or Sign out of all accounts if you have more than one account attached to your profile.
4. You will now be instantly signed out.
Creating a New Gmail Account FAQ section
Can I use two email addresses in one Gmail account?
Yes. Having two or more mailboxes is a great way to keep track of different accounts. For example, you might use one account for your business and one account for your personal email accounts. They also come in handy if you want certain tasks prioritized over others every day, or maybe just one person’s messages that need to be prioritized over all other emails.
Can I delete my Gmail account?
Yes, you can easily delete your Gmail account but just keep in mind that doing so will result in you losing all of the data in your account, including any emails or any documents or pictures stored in your Drive. You’ll also lose access to any purchases you’ve made that are available to you through your Google account.
Can I change my name in Gmail?
Yes. You can change the name that’s linked to your Google email address. However, changing the name on the account does not mean that you’ll get a new username or email address. You’re more or less stuck with whatever email address you choose when you create your Google account, so keep that in mind if you think you might ever want to make a substantial change. Otherwise, changing your Google account name is easy.
Can I change my password in Gmail?
Yes, and it’s highly recommended that you do so every few months or so to keep unauthorized users from gaining access to your account. Whether you’re changing your password for security reasons or you’re simply resetting it because you forgot what it was, changing your Gmail password is a breeze.
