Google Domains is shutting down... where do we go from here?
Squarespace.com splash page ad for the Google Domains buyout
NOTE: At the time of writing this post, I am not affiliated with ANY of these companies, and I get NO money for you clicking on any of these links, or for you ultimately choosing to use them. These are my 100% honest opinions, and even if my business relationship happens to change with any of them in the future, I won't change any major part of this post or alter any parts relating to my opinions about them.
When I originally planned to write this post, it was going to be titled something like: "Google Domains: Looking to buy a name for your church website? Look no more!"
The end of an era
And this was with good reason. I myself have recently been through the rigorous and painful process of learning which domain registrars to avoid (i.e. registrars with "intro" deals that triple or quadruple in year 2+, or ones that "bundle" expensive packages of hosting/website builder services by enticing users with a "free" domain name for the first year).
Needless to say, when I stumbled upon Google Domains after a bad experience of bait-and-switch with Bluehost, it felt akin to finding an oasis in a literal desert of domain name registrars!
I could go on and on about how amazing Google Domains has been for me since I made the switch. The whole process of transferring my domain names (which were previously with Bluehost), linking up all kinds of Google services, Googles Sites, and so much more was smooth as butter. It was so easy that I even recently recommended them (wholeheartedly, I might add) to a friend.
...but unfortunately, if you read the title, you know where this is going.
Is Google Domains really shutting down?
No, technically speaking, Google Domains isn't shutting down. The full, complicated story involves Squarespace planning to purchase all of the current Google Domains customers for roughly $180 million dollars. Google Domains has stated that once the deal is officially closed/complete, current customers will slowly be transitioned over to Squarespace management. So, everyone can essentially "sit tight" and wait for the process to roll out over time. Sounds simple enough, right?
The shady part that that no one's really emphasizing in all of the public statements is that Squarespace has only agreed to honor current pricing for Google Domains customers for 12 months after the "closing of the transaction." If you know anything about domain name registration, you'll know that 12 months (read: 1 year) is a pretty standard term for registering a domain name. And, going off of the basic/general ".com" rate, Google Domains will give you something like "yourchurchname.com" for $12/year. So, essentially, what Squarespace is saying is: you will get 1 (ONE), I repeat, ONE renewal at your original rate. After that, it's up to Squarespace as to what they want to charge you.
Considering that Squarespace currently charges $20/year for the ".com" type of domain name, that means you're looking at an $8/year increase right out the door. And there's no guarantee that they won't hike rates even higher after that. Another thing to keep in mind is that Squarespace is primarily a high-end, high-cost website building and hosting platform, and they typically make their money off of that side of the business. So, I'd say it's fair to expect a LOT of push from them to upsell you or migrate your hosting over to their platform.
So, what's the best alternative?
This isn't an easy question to answer, and honestly there is no "best" alternative out there. In my opinion Google Domains was "the best." However, I've seen many, many tech writers suggesting things like NameCheap, CloudFlare, and Dynadot as cheap alternatives. There are pros and cons to all of these, like price increases after year 1 deals, requiring you to pay additional fees for security add-ons, etc., but it would take a long time to break them down one-by-one, so I won't go into all that. Instead, I'll talk about who I chose instead, and why.
WordPress.com: a cheap, straightforward blog-hosting site domain name registrar
To preface: before switching to WordPress.com, I did not know that they offered domain name registration. Back in my early days of looking for domain name hosts, I skipped right over that fact because I wasn't looking to host through them. But, as it turns out, they do offer domain name registration, and for very similar rates to Google Domains. Remember ".com" domains? $12/year. Flat.
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| WordPress.com domains registration splash page |
I was also pleasantly surprised to find that all of their pricing was very clearly advertised. If you buy a domain with a steep discount off of the first year's rate, you won't be shocked when year 2 rolls around and the rate is much higher. You can see it all up front, so you know exactly what you're getting into, before you make the purchase. It's not hidden on the checkout page, or written in microscopically fine print.
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| Choosing a domain on WordPress.com |
On top of that, some of the key security features (Privacy Protection, SSL Certificate, etc.) are included at no extra cost, just like Google Domains. This was what made the switch a no-brainer for me, since I like to keep things cheap, easy, and simple. I don't want to buy a cheap domain name and then pay monthly to add on 10 different features that aren't included in the original cost.
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| Features of WordPress.com's domain name services |
WordPress domain services may not be as robust on the backend, but it's a great value
Now, if all of this doesn't have you sold, get this: WordPress.com is offering a deal right now for anyone who transfers from Google Domains. If you choose to transfer to them, they'll let you transfer all of your domains over, give you an extra year of registration, and cover the renewal fee for you. No transfer fees, no renewal fees. I have a few personal domains that I keep up as a hobby, and I was able to transfer all of them (and get an extra year of registration) for a whopping $0, yes, ZERO dollars.
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| Intro deal for customers switching from Google Domains to WordPress.com Domains |
The process is extremely simple, and within minutes I had all of my domains transferred over -- without any issues. They carried over most of my DNS settings, so very few things got disconnected or mixed-up in the transfer process! (For the things that did... stay tuned for a future post to help get your DNS settings sorted out).
All of that to say...
In conclusion, I'm happy with my decision so far, and even though I'm still a bit bummed about the Google Domains situation, I think it ended up working out in my favor. I secured a free extra year of domain name registration with very little effort on my part, and while WordPress.com's backend for domain name management isn't quite as robust and simple as Google's, it's a lot better than the vast majority that I've seen. It's still simple enough that with a small amount of effort, even those with very little technical know-how can get a new or existing domain name up and running with them in no time.
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