In a move that has the potential to prove disruptive to the industry, Google is Beta testing a service that will allow them to sell
domain names” and compete in the core business areas of giants such as GoDaddy and Register.com. The service is not currently available to the general public and there is no indication when it is likely to come out of Beta.
Google has invited a select group of companies and individuals to buy domains from the service. Its website suggests they have been invited so they can “play an active role” in helping the company provide “the best domain experience possible”. Alongside providing a service where customers can buy a domain name, those invited can transfer domains to Google’s service.
The move comes in the wake of Google’s recent launch of “
“Google My Business””. The initiative provides a suite of tools designed to help businesses “Get on Google”, including adding and updating information about their businesses, reading customer reviews, and adding photos showing their business. The service provides features such as AdWords Express and also offers a “Get on Google” button which guides users through the processes required to initiate and maximize a Google presence (Google+, Google Search, Google Maps, etc.).
Providing a service where potential customers can buy domain to “Get on Google” seems a natural extension of its current efforts. However, those registering domains with Google will not be able to host web sites with the company. Google has partnered with a number of providers for this purpose, including Shopify, Weebly, Wix and Squarespace. Google is though promising a valued added domain name service which includes concealing personal data such as names and addresses. Traditionally, this is a service domain name providers have charged for.
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