1 million free transfers for domains at Google Domains — WordPress offers

Firm hopes to siphon off domains headed to Squarespace.

WordPress.com is offering to foot the bill for up to 1 million domain transfers.

In June, Google disclosed it was selling its domains business to Squarespace for $180 million. WordPress.com wants to capture part of those domains, in part since it doesn’t like the idea of a rival and proprietary web builder getting more market share.

So it’s offering to foot the bill for up to 1 million domains to transfer from Google Domains to WordPress.com’s registrar ahead of the transition. (Google Domains has regarding 10 million domains under management.)

Domain transfers include a year of renewal.

Depending on which extensions people transfer, this could mean $10 million or more in free transfers.

WordPress.com also states its prices will be the same or lower than Google Domains. WordPress stated it will only increase prices if the wholesale prices go up. Squarespace has agreed to match Google Domains’ prices for one year, but its prices are normally much higher.

On Twitter, WordPress creator Matt Mullenweg complained that his firm wasn’t offered a chance to acquire Google Domains.