Google is killing another service, this time Google Domains

It’s not the first time we’ve been in this situation where when we start using a service, it’s turned into a cash cow or killed like a fly.

Google is famous for killing its services. This time, they’re not exactly killing another one, but selling it to another company is no different.

Well, Google Domains isn’t something that’s very popular. Although the service, registering domains with Google, has supposedly existed since 2005, Google Domains officially launched 9 years ago. It wasn’t long after that that I discovered the service and started using it initially for my .org domain.

After settling in, because the price offer is unbeatable, I liked the new interface implemented some time ago. Additionally, the options available for free tempted me to transfer several domains to this place.

In addition to domain parking, DNS entry management, I also got tempted by Email Forwarding. It’s a shame that post I created a year ago about it became outdated so quickly.

The changes we are seeing in Google are not going in the right direction, especially for users of their services.

I would also understand that a service like Google Domains would not generate income, but that is not the case. Despite this, as reported by The Register in its article Google Domains to Shut Down and Move to Squarespace, Google intends to inject itself with $180 million in cash. It is just a shame that we will have to pay for it.

Although the service of registering and servicing domains with Google did not become popular directly in Poland due to the lack of support for domains ending in .pl, it was nevertheless a good alternative with affordable prices, especially for people staying abroad.

As we will read, the business in question will concern almost ten million users, including me.

Of course, the service is not being killed, but sold, but I don’t think that’s in the best interest of their users. Let’s be honest, Squarespace’s services aren’t the cheapest, so why shouldn’t they make some money on it?

While Google and Squarespace have agreed that for a period of 12 months from the start of the transition, Squarespace will tolerate Google’s offered prices for all domain renewals, that doesn’t mean that it won’t become very expensive later on.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Squarespace introduced what Namesco is introducing in the UK, which charges an administration fee for releasing a domain (transferring it to another company), which is sometimes higher than renewing it with them, which also discourages action.

Personally, I have 3 domains registered with Google and I don’t think about moving to Squarespace, because I’m not sure what I will be offered and what I will have to pay extra for.

I personally have an account in Cloudflare, where I have managed most of my (and collaborators’) domains for years, so I know what to expect there. Additionally, Cloudflare also offers the possibility of using a domain for the purpose of email forwarding, called Email Routing. I wrote about it earlier in the entry Email in your own domain with Cloudflare (and Gmail).

Cloudflare also offers the option of registering and transferring domains, so why not take advantage of it.

Of course, I could wait for the official position of Google, because it would be good to inform users about it, but honestly I’m tired of this and I’ll decide to transfer before the new owner starts throwing obstacles in my way.

I had other plans when it comes to Domains registered with Google, but I need to verify myself a bit.

If you are in a similar situation to me, I encourage you to look into Cloudflare and see how much it will cost to maintain a domain with them. Initially, as I looked, interestingly, in some cases it is cheaper than with Google.

Remember, however, that in order to start transferring a domain from Google Domains, you must “unlock” the given domain. Going to our domain and “Registration settings”, in the “Domain registration” section, we need to switch the button next to the option “Domain is locked”

Then, using the option below called “Transfer out”, we need to generate an authorization code, which we give to our new service provider.

It was supposed to be so beautiful, and once again they have to waste my time and nerves on playing with something I hadn’t planned.