In a surprising turn of events, Google Domains has announced its plans to shut down, with its assets being sold and transferred to Squarespace. The prominent website-building platform, Squarespace, has entered into a definitive asset purchase agreement with Google to acquire the business and associated assets of Google Domains, including approximately 10 million domains held by millions of customers.
Google stated that the decision to sell the registrar business of Google Domains is part of its ongoing efforts to sharpen its focus. Since its launch in 2014, Google Domains has been a strong advocate for HTTPS and top-level domains (TLDs). The service officially exited beta in 2022.
Rather than abruptly discontinuing the service, Google's decision to facilitate a guided migration path to Squarespace demonstrates its commitment to supporting a smooth transition for its customers. Squarespace, renowned for its integrated website-building features, aims to provide a seamless experience for purchasing and managing domains while offering additional tools to enhance users' online presence.
Matt Madrigal, Vice President and General Manager of Merchant Shopping at Google, emphasized the importance of prioritizing customer satisfaction during this transition period. He stated
Supporting a smooth transition for customers over the coming months, with the help of the Google Domains team, is our top priority. Squarespace can provide an integrated experience of purchasing and managing domains along with offering other tools that these customers may need to build their online presence.
As a domain name registrar, Google Domains provided various features such as no-cost WHOIS privacy and one-click DNSSEC, ensuring protection against DNS spoofing and cache poison attacks. Additionally, it leveraged Google's robust and reliable cloud infrastructure, offering users a straightforward user interface. It remains to be seen whether Squarespace will match or surpass the user experience provided by Google Domains.
In an effort to ensure a seamless transition for customers, Squarespace has pledged to honor the existing renewal prices for Google Domains customers for a minimum of 12 months after the completion of the transaction. The transaction is expected to conclude in the third quarter of 2023. Once the regulatory approvals are obtained and the transaction is finalized, customers will become Squarespace customers, with their domains owned and eventually managed by Squarespace.
Google has released a support document today, providing initial information about the transition process. More detailed instructions and guidelines will be shared in the future to assist customers during the migration.
Another noteworthy aspect of this agreement is that Squarespace will become the exclusive domains provider for customers purchasing a domain alongside their Google Workspace subscription directly from Google. This partnership is set to last for a minimum of three years. Squarespace will also extend billing and support services to Google Workspace customers who initially signed up for the service through Google Domains. Customers will retain the flexibility to make changes to their domain accounts at any time.
In conclusion, the acquisition of Google Domains assets by Squarespace signifies a strategic move in the industry. While Google is streamlining its focus, Squarespace aims to provide an integrated experience for domain management and website-building tools. The transition period will be carefully managed to ensure a seamless experience for customers, with Squarespace committed to honoring renewal prices and providing continued support.
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