Most small firms that move to Google Workspace do not need an IT company. They need a list of the steps in the right order and a warning about the two places it can go wrong. This is that list.
It assumes you already own a domain (yourfirm.co.uk), you can log in to wherever its DNS is managed (often the company you bought the domain from, or Cloudflare), and you have a few people on old hosted email, Outlook or a mix of free accounts.
If you are still deciding whether Workspace is worth it, start with what Google Workspace costs a UK small business.
Before you start: a ten minute checklist
- Who needs an account. Write down every person and every shared address (sales@, accounts@). Shared addresses can usually be groups rather than paid users.
- Where your DNS lives. Log in and find the page where you can add TXT and MX records. If you cannot find it, sort that out first. Everything below depends on it.
- What email you want to keep. Decide how many years of old mail is worth moving. Ten years of history for twelve people takes longer than last year’s.
- Your current renewal date. If you pay for Microsoft 365 or hosted email, aim to finish before it renews.
Step 1: Start the free trial
Business plans come with a 14 day free trial. Sign up with the domain you already own, not a new one, and pick the plan you expect to stay on. Business Standard suits most firms with shared files and client meetings. Starter is fine if people mainly need email and calendar, and you can mix the two on one account.
Step 2: Verify your domain
Google needs proof that you own the domain. The setup wizard gives you a TXT record that starts with google-site-verification=. Add it at your DNS provider exactly as shown, then click verify. It often works within minutes. If it does not, wait an hour and try again before changing anything.
This step does not touch your email. Adding a verification record is safe while your old mail system is still running.
Step 3: Create your users and groups
Add each person with the same address they use now, so jane@yourfirm.co.uk stays jane@yourfirm.co.uk. Set a temporary password and tick the option to make them change it on first sign in.
Create shared addresses such as info@ and accounts@ as groups, add the right people, and allow external senders to post to them. A group costs nothing, whereas a separate user would.
Step 4: Turn on two-step verification
Before anyone starts using the account, switch on two-step verification in the Admin console’s security settings and give people a week or so to enrol before you enforce it. A business mailbox without it is the easiest way into your firm for anyone sending fake invoices.
Step 5: Copy old email across
Google’s data migration tool in the Admin console can pull mail from Microsoft 365, Exchange and most hosted IMAP accounts while the old system keeps working. Run it per user, check a couple of mailboxes by hand, and leave it running until it catches up.
Two things catch people out:
- Shared mailboxes and archives. Old PST files on someone’s laptop are not on the server, so the migration tool cannot see them. Ask around before you finish.
- Calendars and contacts. These move separately from email. Check that recurring meetings came across before you rely on them.
Step 6: Lower your DNS TTL a day early
TTL is how long other servers remember your DNS records. If yours is set to a day, some senders will keep delivering to the old system for a day after you switch. Drop the TTL on your MX records to five minutes or so the day before, and the switch becomes almost instant.
Step 7: Switch your MX records
This is the moment email starts arriving in Gmail. At your DNS provider, remove the old MX records and add Google’s:
| Type | Name | Priority | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| MX | @ | 1 | smtp.google.com |
Do it at the start of a quiet morning, not on a Friday afternoon. Send a test from a personal account to each address, then run the migration tool once more to pick up anything that arrived at the old system in between.
Step 8: Set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC
These three TXT records tell other mail servers that Google is allowed to send for your domain. Without them, quotes and invoices are more likely to land in spam.
- SPF. One TXT record on your domain:
v=spf1 include:_spf.google.com ~all. If you already have an SPF record, add the Google part to it rather than creating a second one. Two SPF records on one domain break both. - DKIM. In the Admin console, go to Apps, then Google Workspace, then Gmail, then Authenticate email. Generate a key, add the TXT record it gives you, then click Start authentication. If the option is not ready, wait a day after switching MX and try again.
- DMARC. Add a TXT record named
_dmarcwithv=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:you@yourfirm.co.uk. Start withp=noneso nothing is blocked while you check the reports, then tighten it later.
If something else sends mail as your domain, such as your accounts package, website forms or a newsletter tool, add it to SPF too, or its messages will start failing.
Step 9: Get everyone signed in
Send each person their temporary password, then sit with anyone who is nervous. Set up Gmail and Calendar on phones the same day, because that is where most people notice problems first. Remove the old accounts from phones and Outlook once people are happy, so nobody keeps replying from the old system.
Step 10: Choose a plan before the trial ends
Add a payment method and pick your plan before the 14 days are up. The annual plan is cheaper per user. The flexible plan lets you add and remove people month by month. Cancel the old email service only after a week or two of everything arriving where it should.
Where it usually goes wrong
Changing MX before the users exist. Mail for anyone you have not created yet bounces. Create every user and group first.
Two SPF records. Very common when the domain already had one for the old host. Merge them into one.
Forgetting the systems that send as you. Website contact forms, invoicing tools and booking systems often send as your domain. Test each one after the switch.
If you would rather hand the whole thing over, we do Google Workspace migrations for a fixed fee, including the DNS, the mailbox copy and a training session on Gemini once everyone is in.
What people ask about this.
How long does it take to set up Google Workspace?
For a firm with a handful of users, the setup itself takes an afternoon. Allow a few days end to end, because DNS changes can take time to spread and you want old email copied across before you switch MX records.
Will I lose email while I switch to Google Workspace?
Not if you do it in the right order. Create users and copy old mail first, then change your MX records last. Lowering the TTL on your DNS records a day before the switch shortens the window where some mail still goes to the old system.
Do I need to set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC?
Yes. Gmail and Yahoo now expect senders to authenticate their mail, and without these records your quotes and invoices are more likely to land in spam. All three are TXT records you add at your domain provider.
Can I keep my existing email addresses?
Yes. You verify the domain you already own, create the same addresses in Google Workspace, and point the domain's MX records at Google. Customers and suppliers see no change.
We move your email, files, calendars and permissions without leaving your team to untangle the cutover. Then we turn Gemini from another unused feature into practical help for writing, research, meetings, documents and the repeated work unique to your business.
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