In today's business environment, which is as competitive as ever, every little advantage that you can create against competitors is going to benefit you, and having an e-mail address is one such advantage. Even something as small and as simple as an e-mail address can have a large impact on your business when it comes to determining whether or not you are going to land a deal, or create a sale before a competitor can.

When the internet was first taking off a few years ago, nearly everyone was signing up to utilize free web based email services such as free access mail. These were very convenient services at the time, and they gave us a means of communicating with other people all over the globe. Free browser based email services are still quite popular today, as there are millions of people subscribed any Free access mail. These free web-based e-mail services were primarily created for individuals that wanted email accounts, but businesses have also utilized these email services as well. In the past, having an account, an -at-free access account or an -at-yahoo-dot-com account was perfectly acceptable, even if the account was intended for business purposes, but this has changed significantly in recent years.

Now that we have moved so far forward in the realm of digital business, something looks fishy if you are still using one of these free email service providers as your primary business e-mail address. If you are using a free access mail account for your primary business contact, you may actually be giving people the wrong idea about your business by telling them that you are not serious about what you do. Because it has become so important for business people to have websites, you should already have an email to correspond with your domain name, meaning that there is absolutely no need for using a free web based service for your email needs.

Having an e-mail address is vitally important for communicating with other business people, clients, customers and people interested in what you do for a living. But you need to understand the difference that exists between being johnsmith-at-free access and being johnsmith-at-yourcompanyname-dot-com. If you are serious about having people take you and your business seriously, then you have to have a www-dot-yourcompanyname-dot-com website, and an accompanying e-mail address.

If for example you run a communications company, then telling people that your e-mail address is is definitely going to be better for your reputation and image than telling people that your email address is A1Communications-dot-free access mail-dot-com. Which company would you sooner rely on? For this reason, it has become vitally important for you to have a website and an accompanying email address that helps to build your reputation in the business world rather than to tear it down.

So how important is an email address these days? Vitally so, if you want your personal life, social relationships and business to go anywhere in this highly competitive world.