Skip to main content

Google moves into GoDaddy territory with domain registration service

Perhaps the only surprising thing about the news that Google’s getting into the domain name registration space is that it didn’t do it earlier.

When you consider that so much of its business is Web based and that it seems to try its hand at just about every Internet-related venture going, it’s taken a while for it to come around to the idea of registering domain names. Perhaps it’s only just found a way of making money out of it.

Recommended Videos

The service is currently in beta and is invite-only (you can register for an invitation code here), but should Google Domains get a proper launch down the road, it’ll go up against the likes of GoDaddy, a giant in the business of domain name registration. GoDaddy has been operating since 1997 and just a couple of weeks ago filed for an IPO.

Google’s service, imaginatively called Google Domains, offers a number of features for those looking to register a domain name, including:

– no additional cost for private registration (a fee you currently have to pay with GoDaddy)

– creation of up to 100 email aliases, eg. help@your_company.com or sales@your_company.com, and so on.

– domain forwarding enabling you to point your domain to an existing one.

– domain management tools

– support for the hundreds of new domain endings (.guru, .photography, etc.) rolling out over the next few years

– phone and email support

Google won’t offer hosting for websites, but has partnered with services such as Squarespace and Wix to provide hosting services to its customers.

“We aren’t ready for everyone to join yet (you currently need an invitation code to buy or transfer a domain), so we want those who join to play an active role in helping us improve,” the Mountain View company said on its new Google Domains page. “We’re working hard to offer our customers the best domain experience possible, and we welcome your input, questions and feedback.”

Recent research conducted by Google showed that just over half of small businesses are operating without a website. It’s this group Google will be focusing on once its new domain name registration service is open to all.

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
I found an app that overhauled my Mac’s audio, and I wish I found it sooner
People with headphones listening to Spotify on a MacBook.

Apple’s macOS is a brilliant operating system, but there’s one thing it handles pretty poorly: audio. It’s such a fundamental part of any computing experience, yet it’s left me feeling disappointed, despite going through a ton of macOS updates over the years.

Sure, macOS has some audio controls, but they’re fairly basic. There are sliders for volume and left/right balance, options for which speakers to play sound effects out of … and not a huge amount more.

Read more
4 things I’m excited about in the new Microsoft Surface laptops
Microsoft Surface Laptop Studio 2

Microsoft's new Surface laptops have arrived, and they're more than just routine refreshes. According to Microsoft, powered by Snapdragon X processors and built for the Copilot+ AI experience, they promise significant battery life, performance, and usability improvements. After reviewing the key updates, here are four standout features that make Microsoft's latest Surface laptop worth the upgrade.

Better battery life

Read more
Gigabyte GPUs are ‘leaking’ — here’s what you need to know
Thermal gel leaking from a Gigabyte branded GPU

Gigabyte's RTX 50-series graphics cards are facing an unusual manufacturing defect where the pre-applied thermal gel is leaking out of the heatsink. The first known report came from Quasar Zone, a popular Korean PC forum, where a user found their one month old Aorus Master RTX 5080 leaking gray putty-like material after light gaming of two hours per day. Notably the user mentioned that the card was mounted vertically via a riser kit. 

The problem was quickly recognized as affecting multiple Gigabyte RTX 50 models in the same forum thread with various owners seeing the thermal compound oozing out of the heatsink onto the PCB and PCIe slot area. The issue was confirmed to be affecting Gigabyte’s Gaming OC, Windforce, and Aorus Master variants.

Read more