You may not need a website – perhaps you already have a company site – but having private domain name email addresses can be really beneficial nevertheless. For a start, you'll be able to use your real name before the @ sign, such as johnsmith@yourownaddress.com, or even just your first name, instead of something like "johnbsmith1993@freemail.com".

A private domain name email address also sounds rather more professional and impressive than a free one. Even if you have a work email address, it can be useful to have a professional-sounding address of your own, in case you need to apply for another job, or do some freelance work. Your colleagues, friends and family will probably find a personalised email address easier to remember, as well.

Most domain registrars, including DomainMonster.com, can set up mail forwarding for you. What this means is that your personal domain name email addresses will redirect to your current mailbox (so any mail sent to johnsmith@yourownaddress.com will end up at johnbsmith1993@freemail.com). This is the cheapest option because your mail will all be managed by the free mail service; you don't need to pay for mailbox hosting. It can also be the best option for many users because they don't have to check two email addresses.

Another option is to ask a hosting company to arrange POP3 mailboxes for your domain name email addresses. This is pricier – usually about £5/month – and is not really worth paying for, since it comes free with most hosting packages. Unless you can find a really low price for this service, you may just as well have your email addresses redirecting to a free webmail account.

By Natalie Catchpole