Is Google A Good Place To Register A Domain
What Is Google Domains?
Google Domains is a domain proper noun registrar owned and operated by Google. Google rolled out the service starting in 2014. As of March 2022, Google Domains is no longer in beta. To celebrate, Google is offer xx% off whatsoever domain until April 15, 2022.
As an SEO consultant, I pretty much had to annals a domain with Google Domains the day they started back in 2014. I've been a customer of them always since.
Here's my experience and then far (going on over vii years) and my full Google Domains review with pros & cons.
Before we look at the pros & cons of Google Domains, there are two items to mention.
Google Domains is strictly a domain registration service.
They allow you to claim, register, transfer & manage domain names plus let your domain to resolve via their DNS servers.
Google does not offer complementary services such as web hosting in the traditional sense.
Google does have a simple website builder with Google Sites, but for most is too express. They also have electronic mail and business organization services through Google Workspace (read my explainer on plans & pricing). Google Workspace does require a custom domain proper noun to get started.
I'll explore this betoken more than later below, but it's of import to sympathize Google's purpose with Google Domains.
They desire "getting online" simpler & less daunting for very small and/or less tech-savvy businesses – that ways getting these businesses a domain name.
And fifty-fifty further, it means making the process of getting a domain as simple & transparent as possible.
Information technology's important to remember that a domain is not a website.
It'due south not email – or whatsoever other service you lot can access on the Internet. A domain proper name is analogous to your home address in the offline world – it helps people locate your property.
A domain proper noun merely tells an Internet service where to go to go whatsoever it wants (website files, emails, images, video, data, etc).
If yous are looking to set upward a website, you'll still demand to become something to host your website in addition to purchasing from Google Domains. I accept reviews of possible options to host your domain name. The options are:
- Web hosting
- WordPress hosting
- Website builders
- eCommerce hosting
All that said – let's expect at the pros & cons of using Google Domains as your domain registrar.
Google Domains Pricing
| Domain Ext. | Registration | Renewal | Transfer |
|---|---|---|---|
| .com | $12.00/twelvemonth. | $12.00/year. | $12.00/year. |
| .net | $12.00/yr. | $12.00/year. | $12.00/yr. |
| .org | $12.00/year. | $12.00/year. | $12.00/yr. |
| .biz | $xv.00/year. | $15.00/yr. | $20.00/yr. |
| .co | $30.00/yr. | $thirty.00/twelvemonth. | $thirty.00/yr. |
Google Domains Alternatives
Google certainly isn't the just option available to register your domain name. In fact, you can parcel your hosting with your domain name and oft become it for complimentary.
Get Your Domain For Free
If you are looking to create a website, Google doesn't offer any web hosting.
You tin can get a gratuitous domain name (one-year term) when you lot get web hosting with the providers listed below. Here's a list of companies I recommend using:
- Bluehost
- HostGator
- InMotion Hosting
It certainly will save y'all money compared to buying your domain name and hosting separately. To go on the domain name, you are usually required to stay with the web host for a specific flow or pay a counterfoil fee. Ultimately this is a improve deal than buying separately.
If you are looking to but buy a domain name, or desire to buy in majority check out these alternatives to Google Domains.
Video Review
Pros of Google Domains
Only Domain Registration
Google Domains promises to be simple and transparent. And you'll notice it right off with their homepage and backend design.
Information technology'due south then minimalist that it's nearly bare.
It has Google's trademark design ethos (aka – the nearly bare Google Search page). Google Domains focuses on doing one thing and i thing only – domains.
Everything that y'all might need to exercise with your domain management is front and center. You tin can practice a domain transfer, edit your DNS settings / DNS records, fix domain forwarding, edit an existing domain, or buy a new domain all on the primary screen. It's uncomplicated to manage multiple domain options at once.
The design has no upsells, no cross-sells, and no visual ataxia. It'southward honestly refreshing in contrast to the typical direct response offers from most domain & hosting companies.
Once you leave the site, you lot won't fifty-fifty see retargeting ads. On Facebook, y'all'll see simply classy reminder ads. No offers – but a promise of simplicity and transparency.
When you lot need to point your domain to a host or website builder, it's all there in a single identify in your Google Domains account. There are literally just three options on the backend sidebar.
Google Domains' interface is refreshingly simple. This is in an industry where almost small business owners have to put up with pop-ups, upsells, and confusing backends.
Integration With Third-Party Services
Although Google Domains does not offering complementary services (like web hosting), it does integrate very well with other spider web apps.
Information technology syncs merely with Google Workspace (for electronic mail, storage, records, etc). And Google runs i of the best DNS servers on the Internet.
In fact, many webmasters will utilise Google's DNS in place of their domain registrar'south or hosting service, which is a plus because information technology'south integrated well with Google Domains.
They take excellent email forwarding settings in improver to the Google Workspace integration. If y'all are just trying to gear up a custom email accost, it's all straightforward.
A carte of common website builders integrate with Google Domains. Such as:
- Shopify
- Weebly
- Wix
- Blogger
- Squarespace
All this leads to the next pro of overall simplicity.
Simplicity
If you are setting upwardly your own website with a web hosting provider, pointing your nameservers is directly in the domain menu. It'south one click.
But it's more than simply one click on a clean interface – even advanced functions are elementary to discover and operate.
If you want to leave Google Domains – unlocking your domain is uncomplicated (something that other domain name registrars brand quite difficult). Requesting a transfer potency code is correct in the domain settings. Updating addresses are unproblematic.
Discovering your billing history is unproblematic. Since Google Domains uses your Google Account, it's easy to pay and maintain (it pulls from your email and Google Wallet information).
Simplicity is the ane thing Google Domains promises and they alive up to it.
Straightforward Pricing
Google Domains maintains a single toll for each top-level domain (TLD). The .com domain extension is $12/year.
Their pricing across the board is non the cheapest long or curt term. They are a couple of dollars more expensive per year than Namecheap. They rarely exercise promotions like GoDaddy.
Google Domains does include WHOIS Privacy Protection with a domain buy. WHOIS protection gives your domain privacy from spammers and scrapers of your public information.
So although Google Domains isn't the cheapest, they do offer a solid total value pricing – and they are very transparent about what you're getting.
Large Selection Domain Extensions
In 2014, ICANN, the internet's governing body, added a lot more pinnacle-level domains (TLDs). This introduced a wide new pick into the domain proper noun market, which use to be express to .com, .net, a few other generics plus country-designated TLDs.
Now more businesses are looking for unique TLDs and domain extension options like .kitchen or .academy amid hundreds of others. The upshot at present is making sure your domain registrar has all the ones y'all want to register.
There is 1 catch – Google Domains does not have every country designated TLDs. Information technology's a Us-only service and has simply "generic" TLDs (plus the .us country TLD). If you want a .ie domain from the country Ireland – you'll be out of luck.
Cons of Google Domains
Plush
Similar I mentioned in the pros section, Google Domain's pricing focuses on simplicity and transparency. They include privacy in their pricing – and are cheaper than near spider web hosting companies that offering domain registration.
However, when Google Domain'south pricing goes upwardly against Namecheap or GoDaddy, they lose out. Namecheap'southward pricing is transparent and consistently cheaper over the long term.
Namecheap offers promotions all the time that tin can make them much cheaper than Google Domains.
GoDaddy is actually more expensive twelvemonth to year than Google Domains. However, they besides deeply discount domains in the showtime year (see their current promo).
If yous are but trying to secure domains quickly & cheaply, and then GoDaddy will exist a meliorate bet on toll for the start yr. Namecheap will still be the meliorate long-term option.
Lack Of Customer Service
Google Domain'south interface & product is focused on eliminating whatever possible demand for customer back up. That said – stuff happens. And when stuff happens, you need back up.
I've only had to use Google Domain'southward support a few times, however, their support options are non best in the manufacture. They are plainly just fine. Their contact forms are buried and their telephone support options are limited to US business hours. They do offer off-hours chat , email, and telephone call-backs.
Support isn't necessarily a con – but it's not really a reason to cull Google Domains.
No Complementary Products
Google Domain'due south focus on only domains is a pro – merely it's also a con.
And that's because at that place are several products that almost always go with a domain. If you want to make your site secure with SSL, you lot'll need an SSL certificate associated with the domain.
Y'all tin purchase information technology separately from a tertiary party, but from my feel, managing it with your domain is simpler.
I like to separate my domains and hosting, just many owners prefer that their hosting and domains get bundled into one (fifty-fifty if it's not ideal from a performance perspective).
Namecheap has competitive hosting; GoDaddy offers alright basic hosting with domains. Virtually hosting companies offering domain registration (or fifty-fifty free domains) with web hosting buy (such as InMotion Hosting or Bluehost).
These types of services aren't bachelor with Google Domains. And so if yous desire that kind of convenience and integration you're out of luck.
Selection of Country & Specific TLDs
Although Google Domains has a broad selection of generic domains, they practise not back up state-level or all high-dollar domains that other domain registrars exercise. Equally of 2022, they have effectually 300 TLDs bachelor. For example, .fm is a common podcast domain.
with Namecheap that domain extension is bachelor.
Preptual Google Beta
The last con of using Google Domains as your domain provider is Google itself and the way the company is run.
Equally of March 2022, the production is finally out of "beta" – or testing. It has been in Beta for virtually 7 years.
While Google says that it'southward a long-term project and a natural fit with their other business organisation products similar Google Workspace – Google too has a long history of shutting down well-known Google services.
The list is unfortunately rather long. They've killed Google Reader, iGoogle, Google Apps for Teams, and Google Glass. Google has gone through endless changes with their local business production (aka Google Places, Google+ Local, Google MyBusiness, etc) and fifty-fifty Google+ – their highest-profile side project ever.
In other words, even though Google Domains has a lot of benefits with Google, domain names is non and never volition exist Google's priority. Google Domains will always be under threat of shutting down – even if information technology's doing well. If they did shut down – y'all wouldn't lose your domain name only would have to transition companies on Google's timeline.
Namecheap, GoDaddy, Hover, or other domain name registration companies just do domain name registration. They might become out of business organisation, but as long equally they are making money, they will never be unceremoniously shuttered.
Google Domains For SEO Reasons?
Earlier looking at the next steps, I accept to bear on one bit of SEO (search engine optimization) mythology. In the SEO world, there are 3 camps on Google products.
The commencement camp says that Google is inherently untrustworthy. They say you should never use their products because they just spy on you and are out to punish yous. Information technology's all about tricking and outsmarting Google.
The 2nd military camp says that Google is SEO. They say you should utilize all their products and do everything they say. Google will e'er prefer their own products and will reward anybody that uses them. It's all about cooperating and sucking up to Google.
The third army camp says that neither of the outset ii camps relies on evidence or testing. The reply to all things SEO is "information technology depends." Use Google products that suit your business organization; don't use Google products that don't work for y'all. Either fashion, focus on testing and doing the correct things for your customers.
I have never seen whatever evidence that Google Domains helps with SEO.
Don't buy into SEO snake oil when you are looking for a domain name registrar. The only tested SEO truth is that the internet is fabricated up of domain names. And you practice demand a custom domain to build a long-term project effectually.
The registrar yous cull should be based on pricing, convenience, usability, and support.
Next Steps
If y'all:
- are just looking to annals a few generic domains for your business
- value simplicity and transparency
- don't need a wide product selection
- don't need a super-competitive cost bespeak
- trust Google as a visitor
Then Google Domains is a solid fit for you.
If you want lots of options and better pricing from a reputable company without the upsells, I'd recommend checking out Namecheap instead.
If you just desire a super-cheap domain correct now and programme to delete it or transfer it out in one case you put information technology to use, then go cheque out a GoDaddy domain special.
Lastly, if you are more than confused than always, explore my best domain registrar listicle.
FAQs
Larry Ludwig is an entrepreneur, financial expert, tech & marketing guru with over 25 years of manufacture experience.
In July 2018, Larry successfully sold Investor Junkie for $6 million.
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Source: https://larryludwig.com/google-domains-review/
Posted by: hultgrenevessureary.blogspot.com
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