Google Workspace (Formerly G Suite) Setup Part 1

The setup process can be broken up into two quick parts, leaving you with more time to focus on your business aspects that demand your attention. Part 1 will cover the following steps:

• Step 1: Google Terms of Service⤵
• Step 2: Verify Your Domain⤵
  • Domain Verification Failure⤵
• Step 3: Set Up MX Records⤵

Bringing the power and innovation of Google to your business is now easier than ever with HostGator's integrated Google Workspace Dashboard, found within your very own Customer Portal. For information on how to purchase Google Workspace for your new or existing account, please refer to the following article:

• What is Google Workspace (Formerly G Suite)?

To begin your Google Workspace setup, you will need to do so from within your Customer Portal. For information on how to log in, please refer to the following article:

• Customer Portal - How to Login

Step 1: Google Terms of Service

The first portion of the setup process focuses on providing you with the Google Terms of Service Agreement. After logging into your Customer Portal, please click on the Hosting tab. Then click the Google Workspace icon from your menu bar to navigate to your Google Workspace Dashboard.

As illustrated in the image below, you can view and accept the Google ToS by clicking on the associated link:

When you click View and Accept Google's ToS, you will be redirected to log into your Admin Console. To login, please use the Admin Email and password you chose when ordering as your login credentials.

Step 2: Verify Your Domain

My Domain is Utilizing HostGator Name Servers

Domains using HostGator name servers will automatically be verified when adding this service to your account. This step can be overlooked as you will not need to verify your domain to utilize Google Workspace manually.

For additional information on how to point your DNS to HostGator, please see the following articles:

• How to Point My Domain to HostGator When Using DNS Elsewhere
• What Are My Name Servers?
• How Do I Change My DNS or Name Servers?

My Domain is NOT Utilizing HostGator Name Servers

For domains that are not using HostGator name servers, manual verification through your DNS provider can be used to verify your ownership of the domain. You will be provided a verification code that you will use to create a TXT Record.

Once you're in your Admin Console, you will see a notification that states Finish setting up Admin Console on the upper left-hand side. Clicking on this will take you to the Admin Console setup experience, which will walk you through verifying your domain, creating users, and adding the necessary MX Records to route your email to Google Workspace.

1. Click Verify in the first box.
   

2. The next screen will walk you through verifying your domain by adding a TXT record to your domain settings. The Verification Code is a unique code that is automatically generated for you.
   

3. The verification code will go into the TXT Data field of your DNS record, as illustrated below. The verification code will begin with "google-site-verification=," followed by your unique code.
   Note: The following example is based on the cPanel Advanced DNS Zone Editor and may not directly resemble your DNS provider's management portal. You may need to consult with your domain's DNS hosting provider for more direct support and instructions on creating TXT records.
   
   

After you have completed the above steps and allowed time for propagation, you may click the Verify Domain button to determine if your domain name has been successfully verified. Once your domain has been verified, you will see a green confirmation message and be returned to the main setup screen.

Domain Verification Failure

Propagation

Attempts to verify your domain's ownership will fail if the changes made are still propagating. Simply put, propagation is the projected length of time it takes for root name servers and cache records across the entire web to be updated with your website's DNS information. Because of propagation, Google may not detect the DNS changes made right away. For TXT Records, this time frame is most commonly between 0 and 4 hours but can take up to 48 hours.

For additional information on propagation times for TXT records, please refer to the following article:

• Propagation Times

Step 3: Setup DNS Records

My Domain is Utilizing HostGator Name Servers

Domains using HostGator name servers will be given the option to update their DNS records from within their Customer Portal. If you're not ready to enable this service right away, you can return to this page at any time to update your MX records. Clicking the I understand, setting my MX records to go to the Google button will automatically add all of the MX and SPF records to your DNS settings.

Once the records have a chance to propagate, you will be able to return to the Admin Console setup, and click Activate in the third box, Activate Gmail for yourdomain.com.

My Domain is NOT Utilizing HostGator Name Servers

If your domain is not using HostGator name servers, then you can follow the steps below to add the MX, SPF, and optional CNAME records needed to route your email to Google Workspace.

The following article will help assist you with changing your MX records in cPanel:

• How do I change my site's MX record to point mail to another server or domain?
• How to Set Up Your MX (Mail Exchange) Record

The SPF and CNAME records can be created or edited from the Advanced DNS Zone Editor in cPanel. More information on creating and editing DNS records can be found here:

• Changing DNS Records

The DNS records you will need to create are as follows:

Google MX Records

MX Records also referred to as MX Destinations, are entries in your domain's DNS that route your email to a specific server. To take full advantage of the Google Applications suite, you will need to update these entries for your domain.