After much anticipation, Google Domains is finally available for public use. The tech giant entered the domain name registrar market back in June 2014, but until now, the service has only been offered to a select group of testers. While still in the beta state, Google Domains is only available for users who are based in the United States. However, it’s quickly gaining traction against competitors like GoDaddy and NameCheap. Google is currently offering customers an array of features alongside 60 new available TLDs.
Key Features Customers Can Expect
Google Domains caters to small businesses. It’s simple, straightforward, and reasonably priced. While it’s not necessarily the place to host a bulk load of domain names, it does come with a growing number of features. Thanks to suggestions from the initial test group, these features are designed to make setup and management easy, especially for single-site owners:
- Email forwarding: Customers can generate up to 100 email handles with each domain and have them automatically forwarded to a Gmail inbox.
- Domain forwarding: After transferring a domain to Google, web forwarding is used to direct users to a single location. For example, the owner of example.net could forward traffic to www.example.com.
- Personalized subdomains: Google offers domain owners the chance to create up to 100 different subdomains with which to customize the pages within their websites. For example, the same owner of example.com could pair blog.example.com with shop.example.com.
- Straightforward management tools: Customers can easily manage domain names with a solid set of tools, including add and manage name servers, domain locking, configure TTL, add and manage resource records, and Google app integration.
- Easy integration with website building providers: During the beta launch, Google partnered with big names, such as Shopify, Squarespace, Wix, and Weebly. Moreover, the company’s own Blogger platform is now fully supported. Subscribers can create a website with one of these partners while taking advantage of secure hosting, custom templates, and mobile site management.
- Free private registration: Google assumes all costs of maintaining private registration and details of your domain, including name, address, phone number, and other contact data.
- Speed, security, and reliability: Google boasts a robust, secure Internet infrastructure, and domain customers are able to use the company’s own DNS servers. This boosts connection speeds as well as site reliability. Google will also throw in 10 million resolutions on each domain annually.
- A dedicated support center: Subscribers also enjoy ongoing technical and account support via phone, chat, or email. The company’s focus on business customers has not gone unnoticed.
New TLDs and Pricing
The price per year for each domain is determined by the top-level domain (TLD). This is perhaps the most significant element of Google’s undertaking. Users are charged the same registration amount each year that a domain is active. Moreover, they have the option to add up to ten years (with the exception of a 5-year maximum on .co) or simply renew year after year. For accounts that go expired for more than 30 days, Google will charge an added fee to restore the domain.
Google also offers aftermarket or resale domains that can be purchased at premium prices for multiple years or renewed at the standard price of each TLD. A registry domain also comes at a premium price but with varying charges for renewal and registration.
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names (ICANN) plans to release over 1400 new TLDs over the next few years, and Google intends to keep up. The following is a list of currently supported TLDs and the corresponding prices for registration:
- .academy $30
- .actor $40
- .bike $30
- .biz $12
- .builders $30
- .cab $30
- .camera $30
- .camp $30
- .careers $30
- .cc $20
- .center $20
- .clothing $30
- .co $30
- .com $12
- .coffee $30
- .company $20
- .computer $30
- construction $30
- .consulting $30
- .contractors $30
- .dance $20
- .democrat $30
- .diamonds $50
- .directory $20
- .domains $30
- .education $20
- .email $20
- .enterprises $30
- .equipment $20
- .estate $30
- .florist $30
- .futhol $13
- .gallery $20
- .glass $30
- .guru $28
- .haus $110
- .holdings $50
- .house $100
- .immobilien $30
- .industries $30
- .info $12
- .institute $20
- .international $20
- .kaufen $30
- .kitchen $30
- .land $30
- .limo $50
- .maison $50
- .management $20
- .me $20
- .moda $30
- .net $12
- .ninja $19
- .org $12
- .partners $50
- .parts $30
- .photography $20
- .photos $20
- .plumbing $30
- .productions $30
- .properties $30
- .pub $30
- .recipes $50
- .rentals $30
- .repair $30
- .reviews $20
- .shoes $30
- .singles $30
- .social $30
- .solar $30
- .solutions $20
- .supplies $20
- .supply $20
- .support $20
- .systems $20
- .technology $20
- .tips $20
- .today $20
- .tools $30
- .training $30
- .us $12
- .vacations $30
- .ventures $50
How to Purchase
Buying a domain is easy. Shoppers simply enter a name (with or without an extension) directly into the search box at the top of the Google Domains page. Results will show whether or not that name is available as well as all possible variations. Once a name is chosen, an order is easily finalized and paid for using Google Wallet. For premium domains, buyers should expect longer processing times for transferring ownership. Further restrictions apply to any.US TLD.
Buying a domain means assuming all rights to that name for a designated time period between one and ten years. Buyers become domain owners and can renew registration indefinitely. Once registration is complete, owners are granted access to Google’s user-friendly dashboard where they can view, renew and manage all account settings
Transferring in and Out
If a domain has recently been transferred or purchased, the potential buyer must wait at least 60 days before transferring to Google Domains. The same applies to owners wishing to transfer out of Google’s service.
Furthermore, ICANN requires all transferred domains to remain registered for an additional year. If this causes a name to exceed the 10-year maximum period, that domain cannot be transferred in or out of Google Domains. Verification is needed if owners want to continue using any of Google’s services.
Only the Beginning
Even though Google Domains remains in beta status, the online empire is continually working to add more features and more TLDs as they become available. Services remain exclusive to users in the United States, but full international expansion is definitely in the works.
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