Google’s Google Workspace service is quickly becoming a must-have tool for the modern internet and application-dependent businesses. With the help of Google Workspace, a company can get access to premium features for everyday applications like Gmail, Drive, Docs, etc.
To achieve these features and functionalities, the need to set up Google Workspace properly cannot be denied. Fortunately, Google provides a tool for setting up Google Workspace, which verifies your domain and helps create a base. This provides users a simple way to get the Google Workspace up and running.
Using the Setup Wizard
Setting up Google Workspace with the help of the Setup Wizard makes the process smooth and fully automated. The time required setting generally depends on the size of the organization. For example, if it is purchased for a company with an employee count of 50 or less, it might take almost an hour or two. And, if it is for a larger organization, the setup can take around 24-hours.
One of the essential features of this Setup Wizard is taking permission to interact with other systems. As Google Workspace coordinates with a variety of other applications to provide users ease of access, a lot of the data is migrated and shared.
Hence, with Setup Wizard, the process of setting up records and verifying the domain is done in an interactive manner. To access the Wizard, all you need to do is obtain your admin console (admin.google.com).
Here, you need to select the account option at the bottom left and select Domains from the drop-down menu. To begin the Wizard, select add/remove Domains.
The Wizard follows five steps for setting up your Google Workspace, such as:
- Start the Wizard
- Creation of user accounts
- Domain verification
- Initiating Gmail and other services
- Shifting emails, devices, etc
You can check the full step by step set up guide here
Verify your domain
Before starting with Google Workspace, you would have to verify the purchased domain. If you have bought the domain from Google, this verification process is done automatically. However, in case you have purchased from a different source, you would have to go through verification of your domain as Google needs to make sure who is the owner.
Once your domain is verified, you’ll get all the allocated services. To add a Domain to Google Workspace, there are three known methods. The first and the most common one involves the use of Setup Wizard through the admin console. This process follows the same steps that are needed to open the Setup Wizard.
To begin, first, go to the admin console and select the accounts option in the lower-left corner. Selecting this option will trigger a drop-down box in which you would have to click the Domain option. Now, select the add domain option and start to add the domain manually.
Once you have opened the Wizard, it will provide you with a meta tag. This meta tag is needed to be pasted in the code of your homepage between the head tags(<head> </head>). This helps Google to verify your website’s homepage by recognizing who is the site’s owner.
There are two other records-based verification processes for people who cannot access their website’s code.
Adding domain TXT records
The other two methods for verification are adding a TXT record file or uploading an HTML file. Adding a TXT record to your domain is one of the easiest and most convenient ways for verification.
The process is simple; all you need to do is access your domain’s control panel. The Setup Wizard, in most cases, identifies the hosting company of your domain. This step will give you an option to access the domain’s control panel. Here, you would have to add a new TXT record file and save it. Google will use these record files to verify your domain.
MX and SPF record
Google Workspace setting up process also involves two special records regarding the flow and control of your emails. These records are the MX record and SPF record.
The MX record is used to ensure email delivery to both your domain and Google Workspace simultaneously. Adding this record also needs you to access your domain’s control panel and select domain management settings. Here, add the new MX record, delete all the old files and save.
The Sender Policy Framework (SPF) record protects your recipients from spoofing. Sometimes, your recipients may receive emails from spammers that appear to come from your domain. Adding an SPF record to your domain helps the receivers to differentiate between you and the spammers. Generally, they are added along with the TXT record file.
Takeaway:
Google Workspace is not just a tool that helps companies to communicate better and work efficiently. It also provides a level of safety and security for all the information stored related to the business. So, if you haven’t set up your company’s Google Workspace yet, now is the time to do so.