Creative Tech Support

IMPORTANT: These instructions cover opening an organization's initial Google Apps account and configuring from scratch. This is a major undertaking that requires DNS changes and could have an effect on your entire online presence. Contact Creative Tech Support for help.

Signing up for Google

1. Go to http://www.google.com/enterprise/apps/business.
2. Click Get Started.
3. Use an existing domain or buy one for $10/year.
4. Fill out the form with company information. Be sure to enter an email address you can access during configuration (preferably on another domain). You can always change it later.
5. Create your first account. We suggest admin. You cannot create an admin account with a name that’s already used for Google but you can add that account as a user later.
6. Confirm that you own the domain. The host may be auto-detected, or try an alternate method.

Configuring the domain host

If Google cannot verify your domain automatically, follow these steps. Some hosts don’t allow directly changing settings and require sending an email to support.

1. Sign into the host and create a TXT record.
2. Set the host name to @ or leave it blank. For record value, paste the Google verification string.

Setting up Google Apps features

After domain verification, configure the following app features.

1. Sign into Google Apps admin at http://admin.google.com.
2. Click Company Profile and click Profile. Verify the primary administrator account and a secondary email address outside the domain.
3. Set time zone. Check the boxes for rapid release and automatically add new services. Save changes.
4. Click Personalization. Upload a custom logo PNG sized to 143 x 59 pixels. Click Save Changes.
5. Go back to the main dashboard and click Apps, then Google Apps. Click Gmail and User settings. Let users delegate access to their mailbox to other users in the domain and Allow users to automatically forward incoming email to another address. Save changes.
6. Go back to the main dashboard and click Apps, then Google Apps. Click Calendar and Sharing settings. Share all information, and outsiders can change calendars. Within the domain, Share all information. Click Save changes. Click General Settings and Share all information, and outsiders can change calendars. If users don’t typically use video calls, uncheck Automatically add video calls to events created by a user. Click Save changes.
7. Go back to the main dashboard and click Apps, then Google Apps. Click Talk/Hangouts and Advanced settings. Automatically accept chat invitations. Save changes.
8. Go back to the main dashboard and click Apps, then Google Apps. Click Mobile and Device Management Settings. Enable Android Sync & Google Sync. Check Automatically enable Delete email as trash. Click Save changes.
9. Create user accounts and groups. Sometimes it’s helpful to create an account to be advertised on the web page (such as info).

Setting up email

Complete these steps only after the domain has been verified and you’re ready to switch email hosts. Email may be interrupted until all DNS changes have been completed and users are configured.

1. Sign into Google Workspace admin at http://admin.google.com.
2. Click Apps, then Google Apps and Gmail. Activate Gmail.
3. Route mail through Google Service.
4. Follow the steps to activate email.
5. Sign into the host and edit MX records. See instructions on the Google page.
6. On the Google Apps page, click I have completed these steps.

Within 30 days, you must set up a subscription plan and pay fees.

Requesting DNS changes

If DNS host doesn’t allow directly changing DNS, email the following instructions to the host’s tech support. Replace the TXT address with the actual verification string from Google.

We’re transitioning to Google Apps for email. Please change the DNS for our domain. First, create a new TXT record with the Google verification string. On a specified date and time, delete all MX records and create the following with host name @ and TTL of 1 week.

MX Records – priority and addresses as follows

• 10 – ASPMX.L.GOOGLE.COM.
• 20 – ALT1.ASPMX.L.GOOGLE.COM.
• 20 – ALT2.ASPMX.L.GOOGLE.COM.
• 30 – ASPMX2.GOOGLEMAIL.COM.
• 30 – ASPMX3.GOOGLEMAIL.COM.

Learn more about Google Workspace administration.