Google now looking to lock down domain registry with new service

14 Jan 2015

In a move that may scare domain registry companies, internet search giant Google is getting in on the act with Google Domains, including a host of new suffixes.

Having first announced its intentions to move into domain registry back in June of last year, Google could soon be effectively running the internet, as small businesses looking to establish an online presence will now be able to avail of its vast resources.

According to Google, some of the other features that will be available to customers including blogging integration and 60 different web address suffixes.

Last February, the world’s first generic suffixes became available online for the first time that could see .com or .ie replaced by .holiday, .health or even .buy. Last September, Google battled with e-commerce giant Amazon over the .buy suffix that eventually cost the latter US$4.6m.

As part of Google Domains, Google even offers web design templates, having partnered last year with some of the web’s biggest online web design providers, including Fix, Weebly and Squarespace.

Until today, US users were only able to avail of the service via invite, but now this restriction has been lifted. In terms of the rest of the world, Google said it will notify individual countries prior to the availability of Google Domains.

Domain registry image via Shutterstock

Colm Gorey was a senior journalist with Silicon Republic

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