What do I need to know about Google Domains shutting down?

So, what was Google Domains all about?

Google Domains was released in beta on January 2015. It continued in a beta phase for 7 years, finally leaving the beta phase in March 2022. When it exited the beta phase, Google was offering a 20% discount on new registrations! If you have purchased domains in the past, you understand that 20% off on domains is quite a good deal.

I particularly liked Google Domains due to a few reasons.

• It was fairly priced: Google Domains mostly kept prices fair, being cheaper than a lot of mainstream domain registrars. On common TLDs (Top Level Domains, Ex: “.com”) prices were extremely consistent and renewal costs were transparent.
• There weren’t shady practices: In a lot of modern domain registrars and hosts, there are malicious practices involved. Some registrars will know when you want to buy a domain, then they will purchase it and try to sell it to you for a multiplied price (Usually 10x the price!). From my experience, this didn’t happen on Google Domains and I didn’t experience any shady practices.
• Good TLD catalog: Google Domains rarely couldn’t supply a specific domain TLD I was looking for, even some more obscure ones. Hundreds of TLDs were supported, and that’s a plus, but I can always appreciate it when a registrar supports less common or obscure TLDs.

Is Google Domains shutting down?

Google Domains recently made a deal with SquareSpace for SquareSpace to get all domains and customers from Google Domains. Yes, Google Domains is shutting down, but we don’t know exactly when. Google has made it clear that you will have some time before you will need to start accessing your domain through a SquareSpace account and not a Google account. From what we currently know, the full transformation from Google Domains to SquareSpace should happen in Q3 to Q4 of 2023.

What do I need to do about this?

If you believe it is fine to use SquareSpace instead of Google Domains, you don’t need to do anything. Just keep an eye on the Google Domains dashboard, as there you will be notified when you need to access your domains through a Squarespace account.

Keep in mind, the switch to Squarespace will come at a cost. Most common TLDs at SquareSpace are higher than the normal market price. For example, a simple, nonpremium “.com” domain on Google Domains costs $12 per year, while the same domain on SquareSpace costs $20 a year. Other TLDs like:

• .download
• .domains
• .games
• .equipment
• .wiki

Are all at least $10 more expensive per year on SquareSpace. Unless SquareSpace offers a discount for people who were paying less on Google Domains, who knows how long that offer will last.

If you don’t wish to transfer to SquareSpace, fortunately, there’s a solution.

If you found a domain registrar that fits your needs (and is well-priced) domains can be easily transferred between registrars. There are a few conditions you need to meet to transfer domains.

• You must not have purchased the domain or transferred the domain within the last 6 months.
• You must renew the domain for 1 year on your new registrar

The transfer process is slightly different for each registrar. They will usually have a support guide explaining the transfer process, so I recommend you find the official guide.  Here’s the official guide for Google Domains: Link to Google Domains Guide

Conclusions

Before Google Domains goes down, just make sure that what’s going to happen is right for you and your website.

For any assistance or questions about domains, contact AppletreeMediaworks!