The Fun Blog

I Bought a Custom Domain and So Should You

Today I decided to get a custom domain for my email and honestly I think it's one of the best things I've done for my online privacy.

Here’s why.

The problem with relying on an email provider

Imagine you have been using the same email address for years. It is probably linked to all of your accounts, subscriptions, banking and pretty much everything else. Now imagine your email provider shuts down, stops providing the service or you decide to leave because you're not happy with it. Changing your email address everywhere would be a nightmare. This is where owning your custom domain comes in.

Your email address, your choice of provider

By owning a custom domain you can create an address like hello@yourdomain.com and use it with a compatible email service. If you ever want to change providers you can update your domain’s email settings to point to the provider while keeping the same email address. Your provider might change but your email address doesn't have to.

How I set it up

I decided to use two services:

Why use SimpleLogin for email aliases?

Email aliases let you use email addresses for different services without showing your main email address.

For instance you could create:

All these addresses can send emails to the same mailbox.

If one address starts getting spam you can turn it off without affecting the others. You can also reply to emails by copying a reverse-alias address (from SimpleLogin) from a specific alias you have created e.g. social@yourdomain.com and paste it in the recipient’s address so that when they receive the email the only address they will see is your chosen alias (e.g. social@yourdomain.com).

The role of the email provider

I can use for example Proton Mail as my mailbox and SimpleLogin to handle my aliases. Once I link SimpleLogin to my chosen mailbox and set up my custom domain I can create aliases from the SimpleLogin dashboard. Emails that arrive are sent to my Proton mailbox. I can send or reply through my aliases using the SimpleLogin reverse-alias feature.

The benefit: Independence

For me the main advantage isn't just having unlimited aliases or keeping my main email address hidden. It is having control over my digital identity. My domain is separate from my email provider, which means I have freedom if I ever want to switch services. Of course I will have to keep my domain active, protect my registrar account, keep my DNS settings right and have an email service. Overall I think the freedom is worth it.

My takeaway

If you have been using the same email address for years and want more control over your digital identity think about getting your own domain and pair it with an email service that supports custom domains. You can make switching providers much easier in the future.

It's a cost that can save you a lot of trouble later.


Thanks for reading :)