We employ a multitude of different SaaS products here at Kinsta to go on everything running smoothly behind the scenes and to improve the productivity of our squad. One production that we couldn't alive without is definitely Google Workspace! We aren't afraid to come up correct out and say it's by far the best email solution on the market correct now for your business. 👍 Not to mention the other features that information technology comes with, such every bit Google Drive storage and tools such as Google Docs and Google Sheets.

Today we'll swoop into the unparalleled benefits of Google Workspace (formerly G Suite), why we use it and recommend it to all of our clients, and how it compares to other like solutions on the market.

  • What is Google Workspace?
  • Unparalleled Benefits of Google Workspace
  • Google Workspace vs Office 365 vs Zoho
  • Disadvantages of Google Workspace
  • How to Move to Google Workspace
  • Google Workspace Tips

What is Google Workspace?

Google Workspace is Google's suite of intelligent apps. This was formerly known as Google Apps, till information technology was re-branded in late 2016. We primarily recommend Google Workspace for clients that are needing e-mail hosting for their concern. However, Google Workspace is much more than merely email. Information technology too includes a variety of apps and features that can come in quite handy. In fact, you're probably already using or are familiar with some of them.

Features We Utilise on a Daily Basis

Google Workspace has three different plans you can use (of which we'll dive into a little subsequently on). We employ the Bones Google Workspace plan for our employees here at Kinsta. This starts at merely $5/user/month. For many of yous, the basic plan is probably all y'all'll always demand. Here'south what it includes:

Gmail

According to Litmus, Gmail leads the way equally the most popular email customer, with a whopping 26% of the market share based on open rates. It's no surprise as Gmail has been around since 2004 and now boasts over one.2 billion users. One of the best things about Google Workspace is you basically get an enhanced ad-free version of the online email customer you lot're probably already using.

Gmail

Google Workspace essentially allows your employees to have their own Gmail accounts with e-mail addresses with your business concern domain proper name (instance: [email protected]). A very small business organization with ane or two users might be able to get away with costless Gmail accounts and some allonym+forwarding rules. Simply once yous start hiring two or three employees, y'all'll observe yourself needing accounts that can be managed separately.

Google Workspace Gmail custom domain
Gmail custom domain

Google Calendar

None of us here at Kinsta could live without Google Calendar. Many of us rely on it for scheduling calls with clients and setting due dates and reminders for important projects. Google Agenda tin can assist you keep your schedule organized.

G Suite Google Calendar

I of the neat things most using Google Calendar in Google Workspace is the ability to create multiple calendars that are accessible to everyone in your visitor (or even a subset of users). For example, you might want a group calendar for events similar team holidays and regular meetings. Having all your employees attached to the same organization makes tasks like these even easier when compared to the free version.

Google Calendar
Google Calendar

Google Drive

Google Bulldoze allows you to store, access, and share your files in ane secure place. Y'all then take piece of cake admission to them from whatsoever device. Google Workspace Basic plans come with 30GB of storage for every employee. Google Workspace's Business concern, Enterprise, and Teams editions provide unlimited storage and so you volition ever take enough infinite for your files. Note: If you're a smaller team with fewer than 5 users, you only go 1TB/user.

G Suite Google Drive

If you oasis't used Google Drive before, one of the best things nosotros like about it is the amazing search functionality! Although, information technology'due south probably not besides surprising seeing every bit they also run the largest search engine in the globe. Did you know that y'all can search based on the content within a document (regardless of the file proper noun)? Pretty handy. This means you tin hands find what yous're looking for, no matter how disorganized y'all are. 😉

Google Drive search
Google Drive search

The paid version of Google Bulldoze gives you twice the storage of your free personal drive and Gmail, 24/7 support, sharing controls, and avant-garde reporting.

Google Docs and Google Sheets

Google Docs and Google Sheets pretty much speak for themselves and again are tools we use every single day. You tin fifty-fifty import Google Docs into WordPress. These allow you lot to create and edit text documents and spreadsheets right in your browser. Import your documents to make them instantly editable, including Microsoft Word, Excel, and PDF files (.docx, .doc, .pdf, .rtf, .txt, xlsx, .csv, .html, .ods). As of February 2018, y'all can now even collaborate and comment on Microsoft Office files without it having to automatically catechumen to Google's format.

You can also consign to common third-party formats. This makes it easy to interact with other individuals or companies and send files back and along, without ever needing to install or purchase additional software.

Notation: Google Docs and Spreadsheets created directly in Google Workspace don't count towards your storage limit. 👍

G Suite Google Docs and Google Sheets

Here are just a few of the common tasks nosotros use them for:

  • Getting feedback and comments from team members on new website content.
  • Working with guest bloggers on content for our blog.
  • Sending content to others when writing on third-political party sites. We've never had anyone in the past couple years request a Word certificate, anybody always requests a Google Doc. Why? Because it's just super uncomplicated and like shooting fish in a barrel to use.
  • Crunching spreadsheet data from Ahrefs exports.
  • Running quick financial figures.
  • Keeping track of PPC budgets and online advertizement copy variations.
  • Analyzing CTR changes as information technology pertains to SERPs.
  • Writing up content for paid sponsorships (WordCamps).

1 of the best features of Google Docs and Spreadsheets is the real-time commenting and unlimited versions. Previous versions are kept indefinitely and they don't count toward your storage. This makes it super like shooting fish in a barrel to rail changes made to a document or undo a mistake. Sharing documents with your coworkers or other individuals is besides incredibly easy.

Google Docs versions
Google Docs versions

Google Keep

Google Keep seems to be i of those well-kept secrets that nobody knows near. If you're looking for a bones Evernote alternative, Google Keep rocks! This is a not bad little tool regardless of whether or not yous're using Google Workspace. Being a Google product, it works flawlessly within the Google ecosystem.

G Suite Google Keep

It tin can be an easy fashion to keep those oftentimes asked questions you get from customers in a user-friendly identify. Create to-do lists, notes, and set reminders to stay on track. Everything syncs across your devices, then what's of import is e'er in reach. Easily share them with your team and archive them when y'all're done. And again Google's search works flawlessly with it.

Google Keep
Google Keep

Google Workspace Admin Console

The Admin console for Google Workspace allows business organization owners easily manage everything from one single place. It got an overhaul recently and is a lot better than it was previously with Google Apps.

G Suite Admin

Do everything from adding new users and groups, manage devices, configure security settings (like ii-factor authentication), add new custom domains for your business organisation which tin be used for Gmail.

Google Workspace admin console
Google Workspace admin console

Most, if not all of the features in Google Workspace accept to be enabled by the administrator in order to be used. Some of these are also just bachelor in higher plans. If a feature is not enabled and a user tries to access information technology, they'll see a "not available" message (every bit seen below).

Google Workspace not available
Google Workspace non available

Additional Features

Here are some boosted features that nosotros don't use at Kinsta very often, but you might be interested in:

  • Google Conversation: Have yous heard of Slack? The Google Chat is basically Google's new competing tool. It's a dedicated grouping workspace with 1:i conversation and group chat.  Y'all can make conversations more efficient by interacting directly with deeply integrated Google bots and 3rd party apps. Google chat is included for costless with all Google Workspace plans.
  • Google Encounter: Nosotros adopt Zoom or Slack video chat ourselves here at Kinsta, but Google Run across still makes video calls and conferencing a cakewalk. Encounter is fully integrated with Google Workspace, so you tin can bring together meetings directly from a Calendar event or electronic mail invite. If you're running the Enterprise version of Google Workspace, you tin also have advantage of dial-in numbers for when people are on the route or peradventure without internet access.
  • Google Forms: Most of you have probably all filled out a Google Form before. While we prefer to use other applications for this, preferably branded forms in our WordPress site, information technology can be an incredibly quick and piece of cake way to gather information.
  • Google Slides: Desire a decent culling to Microsoft Powerpoint? Google Slides is just that. Just like with their other products you tin take advantage of their real-time collaboration and commenting, equally well equally unlimited version history.
  • Google Sites: We don't recommend using Google Sites equally WordPress is much better for this. Check out the reasons why you should use WordPress.
  • Endpoint Management: If you lot're worried about an employee's device getting stolen, don't. That is what Endpoint Direction is for. Hands enable this as an admin and remotely wipe Google Workspace information from devices if needed.

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Additional Features for Google Workspace Business and Enterprise Users

It's as well of import to brand a note of the additional features in Google Workspace Business and Enterprise plans. If y'all're a bigger business and rely on electronic mail heavily, these tin can help ease some of your worries.

  • Cloud Search: Want to accept search capabilities in Google Workspace fifty-fifty further? The Cloud Search feature allows you to search beyond your visitor'south content in Google Workspace. From Gmail and Drive to Docs, Sheets, Slides, Agenda, and more than.
  • Vault: Yous can never take likewise many backups. Vault allows you to manage, retain, search, and export your organisation'south email, Google Drive file content and on-the-record chats. Basically, you lot can archive all your data and prepare retentivity policies.

Unparalleled Benefits of Google Workspace

While all those features higher up are great, at present it's time to dive into some of the existent benefits of using Google Workspace for your business.

Google Workspace Logo

Hosting Email With Tertiary-Party Is Always Recommended

Information technology's never recommended to host your email with the same company you utilize for WordPress hosting. That's why we don't and will never offering electronic mail hosting to our clients (other than perhaps a Google Workspace add-on downwards the route in MyKinsta. 🤫) Nosotros go into great detail nearly the reasons here. But we'll give you lot a quick summary of why below:

  1. If you utilize your host, y'all're tied to IP addresses that your host has configured for approachable electronic mail. If something goes incorrect with that, such equally a client all of a sudden spamming, there is a chance the IP accost could become blacklisted for spam. So you're suddenly left hanging with no control.
  2. One of the biggest downfalls to relying on your WordPress host for emails is deliverability issues. With Google Workspace, you tin authenticate outbound post using DKIM and SPF records which can positively impact your spam rating.
  3. Sending emails via your WordPress host could potentially effect in server resources issues. Past offloading email to a tertiary-party, especially Google Workspace, you'll never accept to worry nigh this.
  4. Spreading services across multiple providers is always a good affair. We always recommend separating DNS (we include Amazon Route 53 DNS for all clients), WordPress hosting, and email. This fashion if annihilation goes incorrect with 1, your email is always flowing. Most likely your DNS will still route regardless, but by using multiple providers y'all tin can guarantee this.

So every bit you can see, going with a tertiary-party for email hosting is actually beneficial to your business concern.

Caveats (Transactional and Marketing Emails)

While Google Workspace accounts don't have an SMTP limit, for those of you lot sending thousands of emails every month, we more often than not don't recommend them for sending bulk emails or transactional emails (purchases, registering, resetting a countersign, etc). You can read the laundry listing of their bulk sender guidelines. For these types of emails we recommend the following transactional email services:

Mailgun transactional email service
Mailgun
  • Mailgun
  • SendGrid
  • SparkPost
  • Mailjet
  • Amazon SES

If yous're minor and just starting out, don't worry nearly your transaction emails until you start sending out big volumes. You lot can get started with just Google Workspace for everything and exist just fine. Too, some of the providers like Mailgun above, permit you ship ten,000 transactional emails per month for free. So in a lot of cases, this doesn't have to exist an extra expense. And boosted emails after that are pennies to send. Read more than most transactional emails, SMTP ports, and gratuitous SMPT servers for WordPress.

You so have marketing emails, such as newsletters. The same thing applies hither. Typically yous'll desire to use a third-party provider due to better deliverability rates and tools for listing building, A/B testing, etc. Here's a few we recommend:

MailChimp email marketing software
MailChimp
  • MailChimp (we utilise them hither at Kinsta for our weekly newsletter – hither is our guide on how to go started with MailChimp)
  • MailerLite
  • Baste
  • ActiveCampaign
  • AWeber
  • GetResponse

Some of the transactional providers to a higher place also handle marketing emails and mention that on their sites. So in some cases, yous could ever combine your transactional email service and email marketing software. Read more near email marketing software.

Familiar, Compatible, and Like shooting fish in a barrel to Use

One of the greatest benefits of going with Google Workspace for your business is that about of your employees are probably already used to using products similar Gmail for email and Google Docs. This makes the transition super like shooting fish in a barrel and ensures y'all don't have to waste fourth dimension explaining to new hires how to utilize company tools; unlike Zoho or Office 365 where at that place might exist more explanation needed.

Google Workspace also has the best compatibility on mobile devices compared to any other email provider. It simply works, everywhere!

And if you already have a personal Gmail account, Google makes it super like shooting fish in a barrel to ane-click switch betwixt accounts (personal Gmails and Google Workspace accounts).

Google Workspace switch accounts
Google Workspace switch accounts

Uptime

When it comes to uptime, Google is 1 of the best when information technology comes to reliability. If you want to dig into the technical details, Google Workspace offers a 99.9% Service Level Agreement (SLA) for covered services, and in contempo years they've actually exceeded that. Too due to the fact that email is such an important function of every business organization, Google Workspace has no scheduled downtime or maintenance windows. All of their data centers are congenital with redundant infrastructure.

But merely like any service, they can never be up 100% of the fourth dimension. Therefore, you can always bookmark the Google Workspace status dashboard for updates on all of their products.

Google Workspace status dashboard

Google Workspace Isn't The Cheapest, But Information technology's Extremely Affordable

In that location are other providers out there that are cheaper, such every bit Zoho (we'll dive into a comparison farther below). Nevertheless, just like we always recommend you lot invest in managed WordPress hosting, your business concern e-mail is not one of those areas you should try to save a buck. Having an e-mail host that you can rely on can save you money downwardly the road.

Hither's a await at Google Workspace'south pricing and what'southward included in each plan.

Google Workspace Business organisation Starter

Google Workspace Business Standard

Google Workspace Business concern Plus

$half dozen/user/month $12/user/month $18/user/calendar month
Business email through Gmail Business email through Gmail Business organisation email through Gmail + eDiscovery, retention
100 participant video meetings 150 participant video meetings + recording 250 participant video meetings + recording, attendance tracking
Shared calendars Shared calendars Shared calendars
Docs, Spreadsheets, Slides Docs, Spreadsheets, Slides Docs, Spreadsheets, Slides
24/7 support (phone, email online) 24/7 support (telephone, email online – Enhanced Support upgrade available) 24/seven support (phone, email online – Enhanced Support upgrade available)
Security admin controls Security admin controls Enhanced security admin controls, including Vault and advanced endpoint direction
30 GB cloud storage per user 2 TB cloud storage per user 5 TB deject storage per user
Cloud search Cloud search
Vault (archive and retention) Vault (archive and retention)
Audit reports Inspect reports
Information loss prevention (Gmail + Drive)
Hosted S/MIME for Gmail
Gmail tertiary-political party archiving
Enterprise-grade security
Gmail log analysis

Here are some quick estimations for y'all:

  • For 5 employees you're looking at $30/month
  • For 10 employees you're looking at $60/month
  • For 15 employees you're looking at $ninety/month

For everything that Google Workspace includes, that'southward a pretty neat deal and kind of a no-brainer!

You can likewise opt-in to a discounted rate by switching to an annual subscription. An annual subscription offers savings of upwardly to 20% more than the standard monthly subscription. The great function is you can however exist billed monthly on the annual subscription if you adopt.

Google Workspace Is as Secure as Information technology Gets

Google Workspace is built on top of Google Deject Platform, which offers the highest security on the market. It's trusted by some of the biggest companies in the globe; such as HP, Verizon, Whirlpool, and Salesforce. As Google says, they are leading with a "security-first mindset." They have industry-leading knowledge and expertise backing each and every one of their products, including Google Workspace.

Google Workspace security

Here are a few highlights of ways Google Workspace protects you and your information:

  • Google Workspace Admin: Offers administrator the power to command how data is protected, view reports, and even command mobile devices. Google Workspace administrators can besides disallow employees from having the ability to enable "less secure apps."
  • Encryption (TLS): Google Workspace provides e-mail encryption in transit.
  • Certs, Audits, and Assessments: Google Workspace undergoes several independent third-political party audits on a regular basis.
  • Data Retention: Google Workspace offers the ability to retain, archive, search, and export your data.
  • Privacy:Google does not collect, scan, or use your data in Google Workspace services for advertizing purposes. There are also no ads in whatever of the Google Workspace products. You own your own data.
  • Transparency: Google continuously provides transparency reports to proceed consumers informed.

You tin check out Google Cloud's security and compliance whitepaper for more information.

Google Workspace vs Function 365 vs Zoho

There are thousands of email hosts on the market. Just when it comes downward to serious business email hosting, y'all can really narrow it down to these three providers: Google Workspace, Part 365, and Zoho. And so below we'll do a little comparing.

Google Workspace vs Office 365 vs Zoho

Pricing

For pricing, nosotros are taking the monthly cost from each provider.

Google Workspace Business Starter

Function 365 Business Essentials

Zoho Standard

$half dozen/user/month $6/user/month $4/user/month

Additional notes:

  • Some practice offer slightly cheaper plans if you commit to their annual plans or purchase licenses in bulk. For case, you tin can get Office 365 down to $5 /user/month and Zoho downwardly to $3/user/calendar month.
  • Zoho does, in fact, accept a costless program for five users. Notwithstanding, it is limited to 5GB with single domain hosting.
  • It's important to notation that Office 365 Business Essentials doesn't include their Function desktop software, only their web-based apps.

Software and Tools

Below are comparable products across providers.

Google Workspace Business Starter

Role 365 Business Essentials

Zoho Standard

Gmail Outlook (50GB) Zoho Post
Google Bulldoze (30GB) OneDrive (1TB) Zoho Docs (30GB)
Google Docs Microsoft Give-and-take Zoho Writer
Google Sheets Microsoft Excel Zoho Sheet
Google Slides Microsoft PowerPoint Zoho Evidence
Google Sites Sites (SharePoint) Zoho Sites
Google Come across/Chat Skype + Microsoft Teams Zoho Meeting + Cliq
Google Proceed Microsoft OneNote Zoho Notebook
Microsoft Yammer Zoho Connect

Additional notes:

  • Google Workspace's 30GB of storage is counted as combined storage across Google Bulldoze and Gmail.
  • Zoho's 30GB of storage is counted as combined storage across Zoho Docs and Zoho Mail.
  • If you're comparison presentation software, Microsoft PowerPoint still probably wins easily down.
  • Gmail also has a lot improve integrations with third-party add-ons and extensions than that of its counterpart Outlook.
  • Zoho supports external integrations with various third-party apps within your mailbox using eWidget.

But as yous can encounter, all iii of the above providers have very similar offerings when it comes to the tools and services they provide. So a lot of your decision volition probably come down to toll and ease of employ for your employees.

Disadvantages of Google Workspace

To be completely honest, there aren't many disadvantages that we've establish using Google Workspace, and our team has used it for over 4 years. Although it definitely depends on the type of business you are. Here are a few things you might consider:

  • Google Workspace is entirely web-based with no options for software. If y'all're used to using Microsoft Function you'll probably discover that Google Docs and Sheets aren't equally powerful.
  • Office 365 is still winning the enterprise market, while Google Workspace is still playing catch upwards.
  • Office 365 does offer more than storage off the bat. However, Google Workspace does offer unlimited storage if you upgrade to higher plans.

How to Move to Google Workspace

We personally think that Google Workspace is your all-time selection for email hosting and other tools, and that'due south why we recommend information technology to all of our clients. They likewise offer a free 14-mean solar day trial, so you can even give it a endeavor before committing to annihilation. Their onboarding procedure is as well incredibly easy.

Here are some quick steps to get started with Google Workspace for your business:

Step 1

Sign upwardly for your free trial.

Free trial Google Workspace

Step 2

Activate your account past signing into your Google Admin Console. (Note: Sign in with your Google Workspace email address and countersign. (This address ends with @yourbusiness.com, and isn't a @gmail or personal Google Account.)

Google Workspace admin console
Google Workspace admin console

Step three

In the Admin panel, click "Beginning Setup" to launch the setup sorcerer. You'll requite each team fellow member an electronic mail address at your domain (like [e-mail protected]), so they can start using Gmail, Calendar, Meet, and all the other Google Workspace services. You lot can as well manually add boosted users at any time.

If you take additional domains, you lot tin also add them or create email aliases.

Google Workspace domain alias
Google Workspace domain alias

Pace four

In your Admin panel, yous'll so demand to follow the steps to verify that you own your domain. Y'all'll become a verification code to add to your website or your domain settings. Google Workspace has excellent instructions for literally every DNS registrar and DNS provider on how to verify your domain.

If you're using Kinsta DNS, we also take a tutorial on how to add your Google MX records in our MyKinsta dashboard. When creating your domain, yous tin add the records with a single click.

Add Gmail MX records
Add Gmail MX records

If you're coming from another electronic mail host, such equally GoDaddy, BlueHost, OVH or Office 365, yous'll most probable too want to migrate your sometime emails over. Here are some helpful links:

  • Migrate e-mail from Exchange or Office 365
  • Migrate from other webmail providers to G Suite
  • Drift email from one G Suite account to some other
  • Migrate from Gmail to Thou Suite

Note: If you're merely starting to use email for your business organisation for the first fourth dimension, you tin can skip the in a higher place migration process.

Pace 5

The final stride is to then follow Google Workspace's quick start guides for setting up the boosted apps, such as Google Drive, Google Calendar, Google Contacts, etc. And that'southward it!

Google Workspace Tips

Afterward Google Workspace is up and going there are a few little warnings or errors you'll probably run into. One is the post-obit message when trying to save a profile photo.

Sad! We could not save your profile photo. Please endeavour again subsequently.

Google Workspace could not save profile photo
Google Workspace could not salvage profile photograph

In Google Workspace the admin has to requite permission for users to relieve a contour photo. This can exist done from "Directory → Directory settings → Contour editing."

Google Workspace directory profile editing rights
Google Workspace directory profile editing rights

Cheque the "Photo" selection and hit "Salve."

Google Workspace photo
Google Workspace photograph

Note: It usually takes a couple of hours for Google Workspace settings to propagate across. So we recommend waiting a bit before trying to upload a photo again.

Summary

As yous can see, Google Workspace tin can be a bang-up solution for any business when it comes to e-mail hosting and providing an all-in-one solution for document collaboration and storage. It's extremely affordable and easy to use. Near of your employees are probably already familiar with Gmail, which helps reduce the time required to learn new tools.

If yous're just getting starting with Google Workspace, we recommend subscribing to their blog to go along upwardly to date with new features and releases. Practice y'all have any questions about Google Workspace or how information technology works? Nosotros'd love to hear what you prefer when it comes to email hosting. Let us know below in the comments.


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