So why don’t I recommend having a Gmail email address on your website?
Over the last few years, there have been an increasing number of reasons why I advise against using Gmail as your main point of contact with website visitors. Here they are in two separate categories:
Technical issues with Gmail
Gmail is trying to move all ‘business’ users of Gmail over to their Workspace program which costs $9 a month per email address. This not only means they don’t support people using for a business purposes, but they are actively causing it to be slower.
- Email Filtering: Gmail’s spam filters can sometimes be overly aggressive with emails coming from contact forms, especially if they are automated or contain certain keywords. This can result in legitimate messages being marked as spam and not reaching the recipient’s inbox.
- Delivery Delays: Contact form submissions might experience delays in delivery to Gmail addresses, especially if another address is being used as an alias on that Gmail account.
- Misclassification: Gmail’s algorithms may occasionally misclassify contact form submissions as promotional or social emails, leading them to appear in tabs like “Promotions” or “Updates” instead of the primary inbox, where they might be overlooked.
- Limited Visibility: Users may not immediately notice contact form submissions if they are not prominently displayed in the Gmail inbox, potentially leading to delayed responses or missed opportunities.
Visitor reaction to seeing Gmail
- Perception of Unprofessionalism: Some users might perceive a Gmail address as less professional compared to a custom domain email (e.g., info@yourdomain.co.nz). This perception could impact the credibility of your business or website and mean that visitors are less likely to trust your website.
- Branding and Consistency: A custom email address that matches your domain name (e.g., contact@yourdomain.com) reinforces your brand identity and provides consistency across your website and communications.
- Customer Perception: Depending on your target audience, using a Gmail address might not align with their expectations for professional communication.
- Local Presence Concerns: Customers may prefer businesses that appear local and established in their region. A generic Gmail address does not suggest a local identity, which could affect their trust and willingness to engage with your services.
- Accessibility and Communication: Concerns about accessibility and communication channels may arise if customers prefer local businesses or expect quick and direct contact methods. A generic email address could be seen as less responsive or harder to reach than a local, branded email.
If we host your website, we will always recommend using a domain based email address. We can help you set this up on your devices (you won’t be able to use the Gmail app).
In short – don’t use a Gmail email address on your website!