Squarespace completes Google Domains buyout

Google Domains no longer offers fresh registrations; clients continue to use Google Domains until transition.

Website-building platform Squarespace (NYSE: SQSP) has completed its buyout of Google Domains (NASDAQ: GOOGL) for $180 million.

The firm disclosed the surprising buyout in June. Many competing registrars in the domain business were surprised by the notice, and it appears that Google didn’t shop the deal to many parties. Some registrars also told me that the buyout price was low.

Starting today, Google no longer allows fresh registrations and instead points people to Squarespace. Existing clients will continue to manage their domains at Google Domains for a transition period that could last a number of months.

Squarespace by now has a sizable domain registrar, with regarding one million .com domains under management. But Google Domains has close to 10 million domains across all extensions, turning Squarespace into one of the largest domain registrars overnight.

Most of the existing domains at Squarespace are registered by clients of Squarespace’s other services. Squarespace stated it intends to make Squarespace Domains an independent domain registrar that attracts registrants outside of just its website clients.

That will probably require a pricing change. Squarespace right now charges $20 per year for most domains. Google Domains charged $12 per year.

Squarespace will honor Google Domains prices for existing clients for at least one year.

Rival site-building platform WordPress is offering free transfers from Google Domains to try to win over clients.

I suspect most Google Domains registrants still aren’t aware of this transaction and will find out regarding it the next time they log into Google Domains or when their domain moves to Squarespace’s platform.