Google Domains halts registrations as it waits for the Google Grim Reaper
Google Domains has officially completed its last domain registration. Back in July, Google made the announcement of its imminent shutdown and revealed a partnership with Squarespace to transfer its existing customer base. As part of this transition, Google Domains’ functionalities are gradually winding down. Notably, 9to5Google was the first to observe that the service no longer allows domain purchases, awaiting the impending cessation.
Visiting Google Domains’ homepage, you’ll encounter a notice explaining that this transfer took place a few days ago, stating, “On September 7, 2023, Squarespace acquired all domain registrations and related customer accounts from Google Domains. Customers and domains will be transitioning over the next few months.” While existing domains can still be managed through Google Domains, no further domain purchases are possible.
Google Domains, introduced in 2015, spent seven years in a “beta” phase before exiting that status in 2022, only to meet its demise a year later. Initially, it garnered praise for its user-friendly interface, which set it apart from many domain registrars, particularly in its early stages.
The shutdown of Google Domains is surprising, given that it was a paid service, and offering domains for $12 annually likely generated profits. As one of the world’s largest Internet companies, Google Domains had substantial synergy with the broader Google ecosystem.
Google Domains played a pivotal role in enhancing Google Workspace, enabling customers to register domains and utilize them for customized business email addresses, all under one provider. For website creation, Blogger remained a staple (and seemingly immortal), and having a domain through Google was a convenient choice. Developers utilizing Google Cloud could conveniently acquire domains from the same source. Furthermore, Google was actively promoting new top-level domains (TLDs), with Google Domains facilitating their rapid availability. While some of these new TLDs, like .zip, may have been ill-conceived, others, like .blog, found their place.
Despite these advantages, Google has decided to discontinue Domains in order to refocus its efforts elsewhere.
