Google is Selling its Domains Service to Squarespace
- Laurent Giret
- Jun 16, 2023
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Google is selling its Google Domains service to Squarespace. Google Domains initially launched back in 2015, and the domain name registrar finally exited beta in March 2022. Google is usually pretty quick to kill off services that don’t get significant traction, and the company explained in a statement that selling its Domains service to Squarespace was the best path forward.
“In keeping with our efforts to sharpen our focus, we have entered into a definitive agreement with Squarespace for the acquisition of customer accounts of the Google Domains registrar business,” said Matt Madrigal, VP and General Manager, Merchant Shopping of Google in a press release. “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.”
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According to Bloomberg, Squarespace will be paying approximately $180 million to acquire the service and the 10 million domains hosted on it. The company expects the transaction to close in Q3 2023, so there will be no immediate impact on Google Domains customers.
Once regulatory approvals are obtained and the transaction closes, there will be a transition period that will take several months. Squarespace said that they will “honor all existing Google Domains customers’ renewal prices for at least 12 months following the closing of the transaction.”
At the end of the transition process, customer and billing information will be managed by Squarespace. If you want to learn more about what to expect if you purchased a domain directly from Google Domains or in the Google Workspace sign up flow, Google has published a detailed support page yesterday.
“We are exceptionally proud to be chosen to serve the customers of the Google Domains business,” said Anthony Casalena, Founder & CEO of Squarespace. “We look forward to serving these new customers as we have served millions using our domain products and are committed to ensuring a seamless transition.”