Google Domains Acquired By Squarespace for $180 Million
Google Domains, one of the popular destinations to buy variety of gTLDs like .com, .net, .studio etc. will now be under Squarespace’s management.
Google’s VP and GM of merchant shopping, Matt Madrigal informed the press that this sale is an effort to “sharpen our focus”. Google is committed to smooth transition of Google Domain’s customer registered domains to the new owner.
Since its inception, Squarespace has positioned itself as an all-in-one platform for customers to create, host, and manage websites.
The acquisition of Google Domains, one of the leading domain registration services, will allow Squarespace to extend its services even further and present an integrated platform from domain registration to web development and hosting.
Google Domains, a part of the Google portfolio since 2014, offers domain registration services with added benefits such as domain sharing, straightforward DNS setup, email forwarding, and strong security.
It quickly gained popularity due to its seamless integration with other Google services. The acquisition by Squarespace, however, brings an end to its tenure under Alphabet Inc., Google's parent company.
Google <> SquareSpace Deal
Google and Squarespace have reached a "final agreement" that ensures current customers will maintain their current renewal rates for the following year. Moreover, Squarespace is committed to offering incentives to persuade customers to create their websites on its platform.
However, for certain users, particularly those who merely utilise Google for their domain due to convenience and direct it to a different hosting site, Squarespace might not offer any additional benefits.
This is because Squarespace's domain purchasing system inherently assumes that customers are also creating a new website on its platform.
For those intending to join Google's Workspace enterprise platform and purchase a domain during this process, they will now be required to do so via Squarespace.
The agreement makes Squarespace the sole domain supplier for Workspace subscribers for at least the next three years.
For customers who have subscribed to Workspace directly via Google, Squarespace will also manage their domain billing and support services.
Subject to regulatory approval and the fulfilment of closing requirements, the Google-Squarespace deal is scheduled to be finalised in the third quarter of 2023.
The necessity of customer action remains unclear, but the complete transfer won't be accomplished until "2024 and beyond". Bloomberg reports the deal's value at $180 million.
Google is retiring Google Domains, following its recent closures of Currents, a business-oriented version of Google Plus, and Stadia, its cloud gaming platform.
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