How to Set Up a Google Apps Account

How to Set Up a Google Apps Account

With Google Apps, data and the applications themselves are
served from Google's data centers. And since Google Apps is
web-based, employees of many companies can be productive
from anywhere, whether they're at their own desk, using a
different computer, or on the go with a mobile device. This
article explains how to connect a domain to the free edition
of Google Apps so that you can ensure more functionality in
your workplace.

!! Steps !!

Register your own domain for Google Apps. By subscribing you get
access to domain control panel through which you set up Google Apps,
and continue to manage user accounts and services. If you don't have
a registered domain and want to use it, then you'll need to register
a domain name [1] (com, net, org, biz, info) by means of any of the
numerous online services. You'll need to complete a short form with
basic information about the domain administrator and the company and
create a master account. To register your domain with Google Apps,
follow the steps below.

Head towards the Google Apps registration page at
https://www.google.com/a/cpanel/domain/new [2]. Enter your domain
name if you have one, or you can buy a domain from Google at a yearly
rate. Note that this is a free edition of Google Apps, and so it has
limitations. If you're looking for the paid services, you'll need to
sign up with the premier version.[1] [3]

Fill in the necessary details regarding the Account Administrator
and the organisation you're working for.

Carefully go through the Google Apps' Terms and Conditions and
accept them. You'll also be prompted to choose a user name and a
password for your email account.

Sign in to the administrative control panel. Although, you can't
use any of the Apps without verifying domain ownership, you could
have a look around and get used to all the new buttons (there are
lots of them).

Verify possession in the signed up domain for Google Apps. There
are four possibilities.

* Creating an HTML file and uploading files to your website.
Prepared HTML file should be placed on the website via FTP or via
cPanel administered by the chosen domain. Type the address into
the web browser and if it opens the page and displays the text, it
means that the verification of ownership is about to succeed. Now
click on the link "I've completed the steps above" to start
the verification. The process itself can take up to 48 hours (in
rare cases, but it's automatic most of the time) and it will
appear on the control panel (Dashboard). If it does not change
after that time, this means that the verification process has
failed.

* Add a CNAME record in DNS servers that are administering the
domain. That means that it will be adding a CNAME record and
routing (redirect) to the created domain. The CNAME record that
will be entered in the browser is going to redirect the browser to
some other address. In this case, it will be the verification
domain which is going to be used with Google Apps. Add a CNAME
record to the following instructions: Add the CNAME, for example
"wyx.com", and it will redirect that record to http://google.com
[4]. Other servers would need 48 hours to accept this change.

* Add a meta tag [5] to your site's home page. If you have access to
the site html, you can opt this method. But, this is less
recommended as most of the websites make use of software such as
WordPress and wikis and not direct html.

* Link your Google Analytics [6] account with the Apps account. If
you already have a Google Analytics account, this is an easy one
click solution. Its less time consuming when compared to other
available options.

* Activate the e-mail service (Gmail [7]). All the apps except Gmail
must be up and running after verification. You will also be
granted a temporary email account until your account is activated.
To activate the email service, you need to change certain DNS
records on a server administered by your domain. The record that
needs to be altered is called MX, which stands for "Mail
eXchange". Changes in this record authorize Google e-mail servers
to receive e-mail messages intended for certain domain and to send
e-mail messages from it. Enter the MX record values on cPanel from
which the domain is administrated. If you're not sure how to do
this, navigate to the Google support page for details.[2] [8]

* Create accounts for your staff and make the best out of the free
edition of Google Apps!

!! Video !!

!! Tips !!

* If you use emails actively in the domain that you want to use with
Google Apps it should be noted that it's necessary to pre-create
user accounts and set up e-mail addresses on these accounts so
e-mails regularly arrived at the address of the recipient.

!! Things You'll Need !!

* Google Apps account

* Domain

!! Related WikiHows !!

* How to Manage Your Google Apps Email Account [9]

* How to Turn Your Favorite Website Into Desktop Apps With Google
Chrome [10]

* How to Set Up a Google Personalized Homepage [11]

* How to Leave a Stuck Google Application [12]

* How to Get Cheap Clicks on Google [13]

!! Sources And Citations !!

* How to Set Up a Google Apps Account [14] - Content shared from
Techampere [15] under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike
License

!! Article Tools !!

* Read on wikiHow

*

Links:
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[1] http://www.wikihow.com/Register-a-Domain-Name
[2] https://www.google.com/a/cpanel/domain/new
[3] http://bemoreconfident.info/#_note-0
[4] http://google.com
[5] http://www.wikihow.com/Use-Meta-Tags
[6] http://www.wikihow.com/Add-Google-Analytics-to-Blogger
[7] http://www.wikihow.com/Install-the-Gmail-Drive
[8] http://bemoreconfident.info/#_note-1
[9] http://www.wikihow.com/Manage-Your-Google-Apps-Email-Account
[10] http://www.wikihow.com/Turn-Your-Favorite-Website-Into-Desktop-Apps-With-Google-Chrome
[11] http://www.wikihow.com/Set-Up-a-Google-Personalized-Homepage
[12] http://www.wikihow.com/Leave-a-Stuck-Google-Application
[13] http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Cheap-Clicks-on-Google
[14] http://techampere.com/index.php5?title=Set_Up_a_Google_Apps_Account
[15] http://techampere.com