Google Sells Google Domains as Part of Ongoing Cost-Cutting Efforts
If you bought a Google Domains URL with the intention of building a cool new website, things could be changing. Google sold its Domain business to Squarespace for $180 million.
As reported by Bloomberg, Google is getting out of the domain naming racket as it continues to cut costs and refocus on other, more future-facing elements. Earlier this year, Google announced that it would be culling over 12,000 roles at the company, equivalent to 6% of its global workforce, as part of a broader effort to sharpen its focus and redirect key talent to emerging opportunities.
Google Domains has become a casualty of that shift, with Squarespace set to host the various Google Domains URLs.
Initially announced in 2014 but only brought out of beta last year, a key benefit of Google Domains is that it offers custom URL identifiers, with over 300 domain endings to customize your web presence better.
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That enables a more bespoke web presence, part of Google’s broader offering to build your business presence across its various apps and tools. With integrated, affordable domain hosting via the company that rules online search, that proved to be an intriguing option to many, with over 10 million domains sold – and while Squarespace will still support them, it does seem like they’ll hold a little less value without that integration.
But you can keep your cool .cafe or .media web address if you like; it just won’t have the additional potential kick of being directly tied into Google’s sorting systems.
It’ll also probably cost you more to keep, with Squarespace’s current pricing being a little higher than those listed on the Google Domains site. But that’ll all be up for assessment as Squarespace takes ownership of the business and integrates it into its offering.
Are you looking for a name or a domain? Hit here
The sale also suggests that Google’s cost-cutting push is not over yet. It seems to re-ignite profit amid rising competition from new generative AI tools and emerging players in the eCommerce space.
Within that, novelty URLs just don’t hold the same importance, and it’ll be interesting to see what Squarespace does with the Google listings.
Now, the question that most ex-Google clients are asking is, does Squarespace have a friendly platform for managing domains? I will tell you in the following article.
