Cheap Domain Mail

1) AWS SES – Outbound Email

AWS Simple Email Service (SES) handles outgoing messages for your domain. Verify your domain, add DNS records, request production access, and create SMTP credentials.

1.1 Verify Your Domain

1. Open the SES Console.
2. Go to Verified identities → Create identity.
3. Select Domain, enter your domain (e.g., yourdomain.com), leave DKIM enabled.
4. Save the verification and DKIM records shown by SES.

Screenshot: SES domain verification workflow.

1.2 Add DNS Records (TXT + DKIM CNAME)

At your DNS provider, create the records exactly as SES displays. A typical set looks like:

; SES Domain verification
Type: TXT
Name: _amazonses.yourdomain.com
Value: "random-string-from-SES"

; DKIM (3 CNAMEs)
Type: CNAME
Name: abcdefghijklmnopqrstu._domainkey.yourdomain.com
Value: abcdefghijklmnopqrstu.dkim.amazonses.com

Type: CNAME
Name: vwxyz0123456789abcd._domainkey.yourdomain.com
Value: vwxyz0123456789abcd.dkim.amazonses.com

Type: CNAME
Name: 123456abcdef7890ghi._domainkey.yourdomain.com
Value: 123456abcdef7890ghi.dkim.amazonses.com
    

DNS propagation can take time. Wait until SES shows the identity as Verified.

1.3 (Optional but Recommended) Set a Custom MAIL FROM Domain

In SES → your domain → MAIL FROM, set something like mail.yourdomain.com. SES will provide additional MX and TXT (SPF) records.

; MAIL FROM (example)
Type: MX
Name: mail.yourdomain.com
Priority: 10
Value: feedback-smtp.us-east-1.amazonses.com

Type: TXT
Name: mail.yourdomain.com
Value: "v=spf1 include:amazonses.com -all"

This helps SPF alignment and improves deliverability.

1.4 Request Production Access (Move Out of Sandbox)

1. Go to AWS Support → Create case.
2. Choose Service limit increase → SES Sending Limits.
3. Explain your use case (transactional or personal business email), target region, expected volume.

1.5 Create IAM User & SMTP Credentials

1. Open AWS IAM → Users → Add users → Name: ses-smtp-user.
2. Access type: Programmatic access.
3. Attach policy (minimal example):

{
"Version": "2012-10-17",
"Statement": [
{
    "Effect": "Allow",
    "Action": [
    "ses:SendEmail",
    "ses:SendRawEmail"
    ],
    "Resource": "*"
}
]
}

4. Save the Access key ID and Secret access key.
5. Convert them to SMTP credentials (SES docs provide a converter; many SDKs do as well).

SMTP settings (example for us-east-1):

SMTP Host: email-smtp.us-east-1.amazonaws.com
Port: 465 (SSL) or 587 (TLS)
Username: <SES SMTP username>
Password: <SES SMTP password>

2) ImprovMX – Inbound Forwarding

ImprovMX forwards inbound mail to your Gmail address. You’ll add your domain and set MX records.

2.1 Add Your Domain & Default Forward

1. Go to ImprovMX and sign in.
2. Add domain → enter yourdomain.com.
3. Set default forward: you@yourdomain.com → yourgmail@gmail.com.

Screenshot: Domain added in ImprovMX with default forward.

2.2 Update DNS MX Records

; ImprovMX MX
Type: MX
Name: @
Priority: 10
Value: mx1.improvmx.com

Type: MX
Name: @
Priority: 20
Value: mx2.improvmx.com

Ensure there are no conflicting MX records for the root domain left over from other providers. You can optionally add aliases (e.g., support@, info@) to forward to different Gmail addresses.

3) Gmail – Send Mail As (Using SES)

Add your custom address in Gmail and point SMTP at AWS SES.

3.1 Add the Address

1. Open Gmail → Settings → See all settings → Accounts and Import.
2. Under Send mail as, click Add another email address.
3. Name: your display name, Email: you@yourdomain.com.
4. Check Treat as an alias (usually yes).

Screenshot: Adding your custom address in Gmail.

3.2 SMTP (AWS SES)

SMTP Server: email-smtp.us-east-1.amazonaws.com
Port: 465 (SSL) or 587 (TLS)
Username: <SES SMTP username>
Password: <SES SMTP password>
Secured connection: SSL/TLS (465) or STARTTLS (587)

Gmail will send a verification email to you@yourdomain.com which ImprovMX forwards to your Gmail inbox. Click the link or paste the code to confirm.

3.3 Optional Settings

• Reply-to: set a different reply-to if desired.
• Default send: set your custom address as default for new mails.
• Signature: create a signature tied to this address.

Screenshot: Gmail successfully sending from your custom domain.

4) Testing

1. Outbound: From Gmail, compose a message using you@yourdomain.com and send to a non-Gmail address you control.
2. Inspect headers of the received mail: verify DKIM=pass, SPF=pass, DMARC=pass if configured.
3. Inbound: From a different account, send a message to you@yourdomain.com; verify it arrives via ImprovMX forwarding.

5) Common Pitfalls & Fixes

• Still in SES Sandbox: You can only send to verified emails. Request production access in AWS Support.
• Wrong Region: SMTP host must match the region where your identity is verified (e.g., email-smtp.us-east-1.amazonaws.com).
• DNS Not Propagated: TXT/CNAME/MX records can take time. Use your DNS provider’s lookup tools to confirm live values.
• Mixed MX Records: Make sure only ImprovMX MX records exist for your root domain if ImprovMX handles inbound.
• SPF Failures: If you use a custom MAIL FROM, ensure the TXT at that subdomain includes include:amazonses.com.
• DMARC Alignment: Consider adding a DMARC record:

  Type: TXT
  Name: _dmarc.yourdomain.com
  Value: "v=DMARC1; p=quarantine; rua=mailto:dmarc@yourdomain.com; ruf=mailto:dmarc@yourdomain.com; fo=1"
  

  Adjust p= (policy) as you gain confidence.
• Gmail Verification Email Not Arriving: Confirm ImprovMX default forward is correct and MX records are active.
• SES Sending Rejected: Check identity verification status, sending limits, bounce/complaint rates, and IAM permissions.

Appendix – Sample DNS Zone Snippets

A. Minimal SPF/DMARC with SES only

; SPF at root (if NOT using custom MAIL FROM)
Type: TXT
Name: yourdomain.com
Value: "v=spf1 include:amazonses.com -all"

; DMARC (monitoring mode)
Type: TXT
Name: _dmarc.yourdomain.com
Value: "v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc@yourdomain.com; ruf=mailto:dmarc@yourdomain.com; fo=1"

B. With Custom MAIL FROM

; MAIL FROM domain records (from SES)
Type: MX
Name: mail.yourdomain.com
Priority: 10
Value: feedback-smtp.us-east-1.amazonses.com

Type: TXT
Name: mail.yourdomain.com
Value: "v=spf1 include:amazonses.com -all"

C. ImprovMX MX

Type: MX
Name: @
Priority: 10
Value: mx1.improvmx.com

Type: MX
Name: @
Priority: 20
Value: mx2.improvmx.com