Can You Buy A Domain Through Google

Transferring Domains Is Hit Or Miss

To try out the service, I attempted to transfer a number of domains that I own that are up for renewal and ran into all sorts of limitations imposed by the registries, particularly on many of the new gTLD domain extensions.

Google Domains does sell .tips domains, so I tried to transfer a domain that I own called house.tips. I got a lovely error message that said We dont support transfer of this domain because it is a registry premium domain. What the heck does that mean?

After going back to Name.com and looking at my account, the renewal price on that domain is $41.25, which is twice as expensive as other .tips domains. Of course neither of these sites describe this anywhere, but the wonderful error message I got essentially means that house.tips is a more costly premium name because it is short and uses a common word, so apparently I must renew this at premium prices at my existing registrar.

Strangely, Im able to transfer another .tips domain that I own to Google Domains. So essentially these domain registries are playing games with super-secret lists of premium domain names that lock you in to certain registrars at inflated prices. For all the benefits that more gTLD domains could bring, these sort of anti-competitive domain restrictions do no one any good.

Some Important Notes About This Method

While the Gmail part of this method is 100% free, there are some caveats to this method in that youll need to already have email hosting to make it work. Typically, you would get this through your web host if you have a website.

For example, if you host your website with Bluehost, Bluehost also helps you create your own custom email address as part of its service .

If you dont own a domain, heres a quick tool you can use to find out if the domain name youre interested in is available:

Once you set up your email address with Bluehost, the method in this tutorial would let you use Gmail to send/receive those emails at no extra cost. Unfortunately, already having this email hosting is a basic requirement for the free method.

For both creating your website and setting up the custom email account to use with Gmail, we recommend Bluehost. Plans start at just $2.75 per month and that includes hosting your website, hosting your email account, plus a free domain name.

If you dont need a website, another option would be to purchase email hosting through your domain registrar. For example, if you registered your domain through Namecheap, Namecheap sells a cheap email hosting service starting at just $0.79 $0.46 per month.

For the rest of this tutorial, well use Bluehost for our example screenshots. However, the same basic principles will apply to any host the interface will just be a little different.

How To Buy A Domain Name For Your Site

Follow these 7 steps to get a domain name you love:

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Squarespace Custom Domains Are Not The Cheapest

Another thing worth noting is, Squarespace domains are not the cheapest. A regular top-level domain through Squarespace runs at $20 after the first year.

While Squarespace tries to convince you that other domain name registrars charge $100 a year for the same domain, its simply not true! A quick search for the top level domain anawesomedomain.com, for instance, reveals that prices range from $0.88//year to $12/year , with varying level of services included.

Take . You can register anawesomedomain.com for $12 and renew it for the same amount every year. While a SSL certificate is not included, you get Whois privacy for free. So lets say youre planning on keeping your domain for 10 years: if you register it through Squarespace, youd be spending $180 just for the domain but youd be saving $60 when you do it through Google Domains.

This is just for original top-level domains like .com, .org, and .net. With new generic top-level domains like mine , Squarespace domains can be twice as expensive as the same domain you register with Google.

Purchase A Domain From A Google Partner

If you want to use Google services with your organization but you don’t yet have a domain name, we can help you purchase one. While signing up for a Google Cloud product, select the option to Buy a new domain. We’ll help you purchase an available domain from one of our domain host partners. We’ll then set up your Google services for that domain.

Note: Purchasing a domain through Google from a Google partner makes it easier to get started with some Google services. But it has no impact on your position in Google search results.

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Godaddy Has Great Initial Pricing But Raises Your Domain Fee

GoDaddy is famous for offering dirt-cheap domain names, primarily for .com addresses. If you want an alternative address, such as .xyz, you may also find excellent deals. However, theres a big caveat to this domain pricing. The cheap pricing is only for the first year afterward, your pricing may increase dramatically. You can control some of this by registering your domain for 2+ years, but each year after the initial year will be billed at the full rate.

Google Domains doesnt offer dirt-cheap domains, but pricing is still reasonable. Also, when its time to renew, youre not going to get a big shock, as youll pay the same to renew as you did to register.

If youre looking for alternative domains such as .pub, .restaurant, or even .investments, compare GoDaddys renewal pricing with Google Domains before registering. While your first year may be cheaper, Google Domains may offer better pricing in the second year andbeyond. Of course, you could always sign up with GoDaddy at a low-cost price, then transfer the domain to Google Domains later getting the best of both worlds!

How To Buy A Domain Name: Domain Registration Guide

What you need to know about domain names, how to choose the right one, and the steps to take to check if a domain name is available and to register your domain.

If you want to start a blog or a new online business, youll need to register a domain name, the name for your website. Getting the right domain for your needs might sound technical at first, but the process is pretty simple.

This domain registration guide will tell you what you need to know about domain name extensions, how to choose the right one for your needs, and the steps youll need to take to check if a domain name is available and to register your domain.

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Search For And Buy A New Domain

Follow the instructions in the pop up to find a domain name and purchase it.

You’ll need to sign in to your Google account or GoDaddy account, or signup for a new account if you do not have one.

You may need to add billing information if you’ve never used Google Checkout. This isn’t connected to Webflow’s billing system.

How To Choose A Domain Name

Since your domain name can have a major impact on your online presence, what you choose is a vital first step in building your brand. Finding the perfect domain name, however, can be challenging.

While its true that there are millions of domain names available, many of the popular domain names that are easy to remember are taken. Fortunately, you can still get what you need if you go through a simple process and use a bit of imagination.

Also Check: How To Make Money Selling Domain Names

Porkbun Review The Best Renewal Pricing On The Market

What good is a cherry domain name if you cant keep it? Weve all heard the horror stories of losing prime URL real estate on expiration. You spend the time brainstorming ideas, find an available domain, and buy it only to have all your hard work wiped away after a year.

There are two options for avoiding thisbuy a domain for as long as possible upfront or find a registrar with affordable, predictable renewal pricing.

For the latter, I recommend Porkbun.

They offer a killer combination of some of the best first-year price deals on new, trending, and alternative extensions as well as the best renewal rates nearly across the board. They beat the market on renewal pricing for over 200 domain extensions.

Look, its going to be ridiculously hard to find an available .com for your keywords at this point in the game. Unless youve gone the startup route of naming your company a cheeky misspelling of a real word, .com URLs are rare to find. Even if you do, youre going to have to pay out the nose for it.

But you dont need a .com or even a .net to have a memorable, easy-to-type web address. Think about the array of extensions that roll off the tongue and make sense for the purpose of your site, the industry you inhabit, or the type of people you want to visit.

Here are a few examples and the excellent rates you can find on Porkbun for them:

Heck, take a look at their renewal pricing on .com extensions against some of the big names:

Google Domains Vs Godaddy Registrar Providers Compared

Google Domains and GoDaddy are two of the most well-known domain name registrars on the Internet. Ive written about both and compared GoDaddy to Namecheap . But how do they compare to each other?

Domain Registrars are a unique industry. Since ICANN issues all domain names , leaving Registrars mainly as bookkeepers, there is not a ton of scope to offer completely different products. At the end of the day, you simply need a domain name that you can associate with a server where your data lives.

And yet, not all domain registrars are the same . Ive tried dozens and have had every problem imaginable. There is no such thing as a best domain registrar or even the cheapest domain registrar. Everybody has tradeoffs. And Google and GoDaddy are good examples of very different approaches to domain registration.

I was a Day One customer of Google Domains back at their launch, and Ive been a customer of GoDaddy for 10+ years.

Also Check: How To Transfer Squarespace Domain To Godaddy

How To Buy A Domain For Office 365 Operated By 21vianet

If you don’t already have your own domain, you can easily buy one online at a domain name registrar, domain reseller, or even at your current Internet provider. You get a domain name when you sign up for Office 365 operated by 21Vianet, for example, contoso.partner.onmschina.cn. But you may want to use a custom domain name, like fourthcoffee.com.

To set up a domain in Microsoft 365, you must own a domain and change some of the DNS records for your domain.

Caution

Some domain registrars or DNS hosting providers do not allow creating all the DNS records required by Microsoft 365. The following list of hosting providers supports all the needed records. If you’re thinking of using a different hosting provider, Service limitations when your hosting provider does not support SRV, CNAME, TXT, or redirection.

After you register your domain , you sign in to Microsoft 365 as an admin and set up your domain so you can use it with your email address and other services..

Note

The SharePoint Online Public Website information in this article only applies if your organization purchased Microsoft 365 prior to March 9, 2015.

About Our Domain Host Partners

We partner with Google Domains and companies including GoDaddy.com, eNom.com, and DomainDiscount24.com to offer domain registration and hosting to our customers.

When you purchase a domain through Google during sign-up, you get an accountoutside of Googlewith one of these partners. Here, they host your domains DNS records, which are used to do things like set up mail for your users and create your business web addresses.

As long as you use your domain with Google services, however, you dont have to visit this external account. We configure your domains DNS records so you can set up email, web addresses, and other services without leaving your Google Admin console.

When you purchase a domain name through one of our partners, you get:

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Shopify Domains Or A Domain Name Registrar

With Shopify, you get a free trial where youre able to create a store using a sub-domain of Shopify. This is excellent because you can sign up and design your store. When youre ready to properly launch your brand, youll need to setup a custom domain.

Shopify makes it easy for you to setup a domain name through them and its the main selling point of Shopify domains. Its easy for you the end user and Shopify gets to make a small profit on domain name registration and renewals.

In general through, I suggest you use Namecheap specifically because:

• Keep your services separate
• Lower cost on renewals and better service
• Professional domain name

Transfer Your Domain To A Different Domain Registrar

If your domain is managed by a provider that doesn’t support all the necessary DNS records, you can transfer it to a different registrar. When you transfer the domain, you change who you send payments to in order to renew and keep your domain name.

Request the transfer at the registrar that you want to move your domain to. Look on their website for an option such as Transfer DNS. Be aware that after they make the changes, it can take a few days update across the Internet.

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Best Place Where To Buy Domain Names Conclusion

Once youve decided which service to use for registering your domain, all thats left is to pick the perfect name and make a purchase. Depending on the service you use, it shouldnt take more than half an hour to get everything set up, which includes filling out forms and paying for your domains registration.

For your convenience, we offer domain registration services right here at A2 Hosting. If you register your domain through us, you can manage both it and your hosting from a single panel. Of course, its important to do your research first. Lets recap what you should look for in a quality domain registrar: