Your Domain With Google Apps (PART 1 - Domain Setup)

I thought I would take the time to write about setting up your own Domain with Google Apps. I use this for segura.org and have a blog, full email, and everything . . .

So the first step is to get a Domain. I use Go Daddy for my domains. Go there first and register a Domain (or you can use Google to register). The registration process is pretty simple, grab a Domain and you are all set.

Now we need to sign up for Google Apps. Select the “Administrator: I own or control this domain” radio button, and enter the domain name in the box. For these instructions, we are going to use segudavr.com as the domain. Press “Get Started”.

Now you will need to enter your information as best as you can. Use an email address you have access to . . . Press the “Continue” button when finished. Enter a user name and a password. For this domain, I entered david as the user. Press “I accept. Continue with set up”. So as a verification, Google requires you to either upload an HTML file or change a CNAME record. The easiest thing to do is to select “Change segudavr.com CNAME record” and press the “Continue” button. You will now be given a CNAME record to add. Mine was googleffffffffbf4cc94c.

Now open a new browser window and go to godaddy.com and complete the following steps (change the CNAME that Google gave you to match yours)

• Login to GoDaddy
• Select Domain Manager (on the left navigation bar)
• Select your domain from the Domain Name column
• Select the “Total DNS Control” link
• To the right of “CNAMES (Aliases)” select “Add New CNAME Record”
• Enter an Alias Name: googleffffffffbf4cc94c
• Points To Host Name: google.com
• TTL: ½ Hour
• Press OK

Now this will be in “Pending Setup” for a little while. Just take a 5 minute break and grab a cup of coffee. When this is done, go back to the Google Apps webpage you left open and click on “I’ve completed the steps above”. You can now view the “Google Apps Setup Guide”. This will pop-up in a new window, so just minimize this, and now we are set up. We will continue the setup in PART 2 in my next blog post.