Google Domains which was in private alpha for a bit is now in public beta release for the US only. Google domains will be competing with other domain name registrars like GoDaddy, Bluehost and others. The caveat here is that Google does not provide hosting directly but has connections to its partners that will help build and host your content – like SquareSpace, Weebly and of course Blogger – or you can go and buy your hosting separately and switch the DNS to that hosting for the Google domain.
I did try it out and purchased a domain. The cost is $12 a year which is line with most of its competitors, and the interface was typical Google -all white no extras upselling, which is a nice change compared to others. The checkout is connected to Google wallet and was painless.
Other features include setting up an alias email to be linked with your gmail account, transfer an existing domain to Google domains, and while searching for the perfect domain name Google will show related domains and you can add in the search specific new GLTDs (Generic top level domains – like .academy, .security, etc.
If the domain you are looking for has already been purchase you will see a person icon and a question mark. Clicking the icon will take you to a WhoIs look up for the contact/owner of that domain. Although when I did I got a message from Network Solutions saying that the “IP address from which you have visited the Network Solutions Registrar WHOIS database is contained within a list of IP addresses that may have failed to abide by Network Solutions’ WHOIS policy.” When I read this I thought maybe that is a Network Solutions hasn’t worked out the terms with Google so I clicked on another and I received a different message: “WHOIS LIMIT EXCEEDED – SEE WWW.PIR.ORG/WHOIS FOR DETAILS.”
But the WhoIs issue aside – as there are several better WhoIs tools out there, overall – a very nice experience.
To try it out yourself go to domains.google.com.
