About The Google Domains Service
I decided to try out the Google Domains service, because it sounded pretty promising. I went to https://domains.google.com and search for a domain name or two I had my eye on for a couple of weeks. They mentioned building your site and using apps, which is fine, so I decided I would check it out. I’ll cover Google Domains and how it all works below.
Google Domains: Getting Started
After finding the domain, I was happy with how easy it was so sign up and pay. I chose NashvilleSocialMedia.com as my domain and in minutes I was ready to go. I wanted to check out building my site, and was interested in knowing the website building services they use.
Google Domains Threw Me a Curve Ball
What I wasn’t too keen on is that they partner with a handful of platforms, and you get a “free trial” on everything except Blogger, which is Google’s platform. The other platforms available are:
- Shopify, which is an ecommerce platform for building your own store.
- Weebly, which is an online website builder. This will only get you so far, which is a reason that a recent client came to me to build their custom website and branding.
- Wix, which is another website builder, which offers starter templates that you can customize.
- SquareSpace, like Weebly and Wix, you can build your own website, design it, and create everything yourself.
I was interested in the ability to set up Google Apps, so I looked into that. The problem is, in order to enable this, you have to pay $5 per person per month. That may not sound like a lot, but it can get pricy. Imagine paying $25 per month for website hosting and email.
I was a little disappointed, but like all other domain services that I know of, you can assign the domains to hosting accounts. I use Bluehost, and I typically build all of my sites with WordPress, so this isn’t an issue.
Practicality
Google Domains are priced to be competitive, but they are comparable to Godaddy in terms of price. You pay $12.99 for average domains, while specific domains can reach up to $30 to start with. One stand out feature is that Google states on their site that you will only have to pay the original amount for your domain per month, and they won’t jack up the renewal price to gouge you. I’ve bought domains from other places in the past that were $29, but when I went to renew them, they were $39. This gets expensive quickly, and it especially hurts when they raise the price even more.
Privacy
One plus to buying domains from Google is that they protect your privacy at no additional charge. I get a lot of domain sales inquiries, which I detest, so it’s nice to know that know one will find out my information or that I own a domain unless I tell them.
Conclusion
Google Domains is a good service to start, but if you’re a serious business owner who wants a serious business website, it’s best to hire a local web designer and graphic designer to build your website and handle your branding. With hosting companies like Bluehost, who can pack a ton of extra features into hosting, like unlimited email addresses, the ability to host multiple sites, and reasonable pricing, Google Domains will have to bring more to the table to entice domain buyers to build their sites with their 3rd party builders.
