Google Getting Into the Domain Selling Business with the Launch of its 'Google Domains' Service
Google, the search engine giant turned tech superpower, seems to be heavily involved in every area of technology nowadays, so it's not surprising that the Mountain View-based company is announcing the launch of an upcoming domain service called Google Domains. At the moment the service is being offered on an invite-only basis, much like other services that Google has launched in the recent past, including Google Glass, which went through a lengthy “Explorer” phase before finally being released to the public this year.
Google announced the beginning of the domain service testing phase on June 23rd, in this brief blog post. In the announcement, Google stated that they've recently begun inviting people to test out the new domain service that is in the process of being built. The new service will allow individuals and businesses the opportunity to search, find, and purchase new domain names directly through Google.
Competing with GoDaddy in the Domain Rush
With a plethora of new domain extensions being released into the online world, it seems that Google is trying to capitalize on the massive domain space expansion that is expected to take pace during the next 5 years. Still, some skeptics feel as though the new TLDs are nothing more than gimmicks that won't produce much of a domain rush, and that the .com rush is the biggest expansion we'll ever see in internet history.
However, as new businesses and individuals make their way into the world wide web it is likely that the rate of domain registration will at least increase as the opportunity to register short and high-value names within the new TLDs will become a competition, just as in the early days of the .com explosion.
From the perspective of many analysts, this move puts Google in direct competition with GoDaddy, a company that currently has nearly 60 million domains under its management. During the past couple years we've seen Google acquire a number of prominent internet-based companies, so it's not outside of the realm of possibility to assume that GoDaddy could one day become a Google-owned company.
Partnering With Web Design Firms and Hosting Companies
To help people create appealing websites on their new domains, Google is also partnering with four web design firms in the endeavor – Shopify, Squarespace, Weebly, and Wix. In addition, Google has expressed that it is looking at providing integrated hosting services through several major hosting providers, and may also be offering comprehensive domain management assistance as part of an all-inclusive solution.
An Opportunity to Upsell
The new domain service will not only insert Google into yet another area of the web, it will also give the company an additional opportunity to upsell other site-related services such as AdWords. However, some critics have expressed concern that the search engine could used their search dominance to promote their own domain and advertising services more than others. Others argue that it is unlikely that Google would need to “cheat” to position itself well in any industry, given its ubiquitous reputation as a household name.
More recently, Google has been registering several ccTLDs with the name “MusicKey,” leading to the speculation that it could be launching a new subscription-based music service.
