Setting up or sorting out Google Workspace for a small business
Google Workspace is easy to sign up for, which is exactly why so many small businesses end up with a messy one: the owner's personal account as the only administrator, files scattered across individual drives, and email that lands in spam. A little structure at the start, or a tidy-up later, saves a lot of trouble.
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The short answer
Verify your domain, make sure the business controls the main administrator account, create a user for each person, put shared files in shared drives rather than personal ones, turn on two-step verification for everyone, and add SPF, DKIM and DMARC records so email is delivered. If you already have Workspace, check those same things, because most problems come from one of them being missed.
What Google Workspace is
Google Workspace is Google's paid business version of Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Docs, Sheets and Meet, running on your own domain name. Unlike free Gmail, the business owns the accounts, controls who has access and can recover files when someone leaves.
What a good setup includes
Business-owned admin
At least two administrator accounts that belong to the business, not one person's login, so access is never lost when someone leaves.
Email on your domain
Mail records pointing to Google, plus SPF, DKIM and DMARC so your emails are trusted and not marked as spam.
Shared drives
Company files stored in shared drives the business owns, organised by team or function, instead of in individual staff drives.
Two-step verification
Required for every user, so a stolen password alone cannot open the account.
Sensible sharing rules
Settings that control how files are shared outside the business, set to suit how you actually work.
A leaver process
A routine for transferring a departing person's email and files and removing their access, so nothing important disappears.
Who this is for
- New businesses setting up email and files for the first time.
- Businesses moving from free Gmail, an old email host or Microsoft 365.
- Owners who set up Workspace themselves and are now the accidental IT administrator.
- Teams whose files are spread across personal drives and nobody can find anything.
Setup steps in order
- Choose the plan and verify the domain. Pick the plan that matches what you need and prove you own the domain with a DNS record.
- Set up admins and users. Create a business-owned admin account, then a user for each person, with groups for shared addresses like info@ or accounts@.
- Move email and files. Copy existing mail, calendars and contacts across, then switch the domain's mail records to Google at a quiet time.
- Secure and organise. Turn on two-step verification, add SPF, DKIM and DMARC, create shared drives and show the team where things live.
How WaTo can help
- We set up Google Workspace for Adelaide businesses and move existing email across without losing mail.
- We tidy up existing Workspace accounts: admin access, shared drives, sharing and security.
- We can manage users and licences ongoing so the owner does not have to.
Google Workspace setup questions
Can I set up Google Workspace myself?
Yes, the basic signup is straightforward. The parts that are easy to get wrong are domain email records, admin ownership, shared drives and security settings, and those are the ones that cause problems later.
Why do emails from our new Workspace account land in junk?
Usually because SPF, DKIM or DMARC records are missing or wrong on the domain. Adding them tells receiving servers your mail is genuine.
What happens to a staff member's files when they leave?
If files are in their personal drive, they need to be transferred before the account is deleted. Keeping company files in shared drives avoids the problem entirely.
Should we use Google Workspace or Microsoft 365?
Google Workspace suits teams that work mostly in the browser and value simple sharing. Microsoft 365 suits businesses that rely on desktop Word, Excel and Outlook. Both work well when set up properly.
How WaTo can help with this
WaTo Consulting. Last reviewed 2026-10-04. Review when Google changes Workspace plans or admin settings.
Want Google Workspace set up properly?
WaTo can set it up from scratch or tidy up the one you already have.
Mon to Fri, 8:30am to 5pm
