Examples for people
Pick one format and use it for everyone. For Jane Smith at yourbusiness.co.uk:
| Format | Example | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| firstname.lastname | jane.smith@yourbusiness.co.uk | Any business that expects to grow. The most common format. |
| firstname | jane@yourbusiness.co.uk | Sole traders and small teams. Friendly, but runs out when you hire a second Jane. |
| initial + lastname | jsmith@yourbusiness.co.uk | Larger organisations. Short, but harder to spell out on the phone. |
| firstname + initial | janes@yourbusiness.co.uk | A fallback when two people share a first name. |
Whichever you choose, add aliases for obvious alternatives — jane@ and j.smith@ delivering to jane.smith@ — so mistyped mail still arrives.
Examples for teams and departments
Role addresses survive staff changes and keep enquiries out of one person’s inbox. Set them up as shared mailboxes, not as a login everyone shares.
- info@ or hello@ — general enquiries. hello@ reads friendlier; info@ is what people guess.
- enquiries@ or sales@ — new business.
- accounts@ or invoices@ — bills in and out. Worth having even in a one-person business.
- support@ or help@ — existing customers.
- bookings@, appointments@ or quotes@ — trades, clinics and services.
- careers@ or jobs@ — applications, kept away from the main inbox.
Addresses to keep in reserve
A few addresses have special jobs, so do not give them to a person or use them for marketing:
- admin@, administrator@, hostmaster@, postmaster@ and webmaster@ — certificate authorities can email these to confirm you own the domain before issuing a security certificate. Whoever reads them can get a certificate for your website.
- postmaster@ and abuse@ — other mail providers expect these to reach someone who deals with delivery problems and complaints.
- security@ — where people report security problems with your systems.
Point them at a shared mailbox someone actually reads.
Addresses that look unprofessional
- Free or broadband addresses — janesmithplumbing@gmail.com or an address from your internet provider. They look temporary, and a broadband address can disappear when you change provider.
- Numbers — jane1985@ invites the question of who the other Janes are.
- Nicknames and jokes — fine among friends, not on an invoice.
- Hyphens, underscores and long names — every one is a chance for a sender to get it wrong.
Getting your own
You need a domain name and an email provider. Our step-by-step guide on how to get a business email address covers both, and why use a business email address explains what it changes beyond appearances.