Google’s own domain name registration service, has now exited private testing. This summer, the company unveiled the new service to fill a long-time void in the company’s product lineup, with a competitor to sites like NameCheap and GoDaddy (the latter which filed for a $100 million IPO just days before Google’s entry into the domain-selling space). Google’s service was previously available only to a small number of testers, but this morning, Google opened its doors to all in the U.S., and announced a number of new features alongside its public launch.
The service is still considered to be in beta testing, Google clarifies.
In case you missed it in June, Google’s first foray into the domain name registration market launched with support for a number of standard features, like free private registration, free email forwarding to your Gmail inbox, free domain forwarding, support for up to 100 sub-domains, and support for the growing number of new domain endings (like .guru and .club) that are now emerging.
Google said at the time its service also includes phone support, indicating Google’s intention to market it more to business customers.
To date, thousands of testers have signed up and registered domains during the private testing, but Google didn’t release exact numbers.
Additionally, Google partnered with a number of website-building providers when it launched into beta, making it easy for users to get started with setting up their new website after acquiring the domain name or names of their choosing. This list initially included Shopify, Squarespace, Weebly, and Wix. Google’s own Blogger platform wasn’t immediately supported, however – but it is today, the company notes. Users will now be able to buy a domain and instantly connect it to their Blogger blog, if they choose.
Customers will also be able to now browse website templates on Google Domains, while comparing plans and feature sets provided by Google’s website-building partners. Google tells us the temples will show in the Google Domains dashboard, which makes it easier to browse them, but they’re supported by Google Domains website-building partners.
