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Google is now jumping into the world of domain-name registration with a new Google Domains initiative that the company hopes will bring it even closer to its customers as it serves them in different ways, from domain names to advertising and more.
Google Domains was unveiled June 23 in a post on the Google Business Google+ page as a startup project that is beginning on a trial basis to a limited number of users the company is inviting.
“We’re beginning to invite a small number of people to kick the tires on Google Domains, a domain-registration service we’re in the process of building,” the post states. “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.”
Trial participants, if selected, will be charged $12 per domain name per year starting now. The same $12 per year per domain name will be charged to others as the service is opened up later.
So far, the domain-name site has not yet been fully developed, the post said, but Google began it now to collect feedback on the domain-creation and transfer services it will offer. Participating users must have an invitation code from Google to participate in the early trials.
“We want input on all the ways we can help make finding, buying, transferring and managing a domain a simple and transparent experience,” the post states. “We also want to make sure our customer support and infrastructure work flawlessly, and that we have the right additional services (like mobile Website-creation tools and hosting services from a range of providers, as well as domain-management support).”
Google partners for the project include Website-building providers such as Shopify, Squarespace, Weebly and Wix.com, the company said.
One reason for the domain-name initiative, according to Google, is that the company’s research shows that 55 percent of small businesses still don’t have their own Websites. “So as we explore ways to help small businesses succeed online (through tools like Google My Business), we thought it made sense to look more closely at the starting point of every business’s online presence—a Website. And that starts with a domain name.”
Customers of the new service will be able to look for desired domain names, register them for a low fee with Google Domains and then work on building their sites with help from one of the Google partners or on their own.
Interested users can seek an invitation code for the project by contacting Google Domains.
The service will provide domain-name registrants with features, including private registration, at no additional charge, up to 100 email aliases for your business, easy domain forwarding, Google Domain Name System (DNS) server infrastructure, simple domain-management tools and more, according to the company.
Google often provides help and advice to businesses and developers about how they can drive sales and use of their apps and Websites.
Google Will Soon Begin Selling Domain Names, Too
Earlier this month, Google launched its free, new “Google My Business” offering that aims to better connect business owners with the online customers who want to buy their products and services. The new offering will bring together a raft of existing Google services such as Google Maps, Search and Google+ into one place to help business owners and marketers improve customer connections. For business owners on the go, an Android app for Google My Business is available immediately, with an iOS app to follow soon, so that the services can be used with mobile devices, according to Google.
In April 2014, Google shared important tips to help businesses improve their mobile Websites to make them easier for customers to use in an effort to increase their ROI. The information centered on subtle Website design factors that can make the difference between customers finalizing their purchases or buying from another site.
In March 2014, Google presented a series of free virtual workshops to help small businesses get their products and services online and in front of more customers as part of its “Get Your Business Online Week” event. The online workshops provided advice and assistance for how businesses can move online, as well as creating and posting Websites and more.
In April 2013, Google began inviting local small businesses in Kansas City to create their own free Websites and receive a year’s worth of free Web hosting so that they could offer their products and services to more customers on the then-fledgling Google Fiber network that was being installed in the area. Google Fiber started bringing its high-speed gigabit Internet and cable television services to the Kansas City area in the fall of 2012 and continues to leverage that investment by getting more local businesses online in an effort to drive the local economy.