Two weeks after GoDaddy filed for its IPO, Google expanded upon their ever-increasing Internet dominance with Google Domains, a domain name registration service. With this service users will be able to purchase and sell new and existing domain names directly through Google.
“Businesses will be able to search, find, purchase and transfer the best domain for their business – whether it’s .com, .biz, .org, or any of the wide range of new domains that are being released to the Web.” -Google
The service is currently in invite-only beta, offering select companies a free one-year registration for a standard domain. It has never been easier for an individual, versus a web design company, to register domains.
Users can apply for a trial code by visiting http://domains.google.com/about/ and searching for a domain name. When the project leaves Beta, registration is expected to be $12 a year.
Features of Google’s service include:
- Free private registration (other services charge to keep name and personal information private. Go Daddy for example, changes $7.99 for privacy protection).
- Up to 100 branded emails. Google also includes free email forwarding from user’s company accounts to their personal Gmail addresses.
- Access to domain management tools, and easy integration with popular website builders.
- Complete email and phone support is available once you purchase through Google Domain services.
- Up to 100 custom sub-domains.
- Domains will use Google’s DNS servers so users can expect a quick response time when hitting your favorite websites!
Given the fact that they were once partners, it’s noteworthy that Google would choose to reveal their domain registry services just after GoDaddy filed for it’s IPO. It will be interesting to see how Google’s new service affects GoDaddy’s share prices.
