How Does Google Domains Work

Issues And Resolutions For Your Custom Domain

There are a number of other reasons your custom domain may not link properly to your site. Try the following fixes to get it working.

• Give the CNAME entry youve made a day or two to take effect. If this doesnt work, move on to the next fix.
• Double check the URL you entered in the wizard for your custom domain name and ensure that it actually matches your registered domain, without any typos. Make sure to include www in the URL.
• Make sure you havent already registered your domain with any like Blogger or the previous version of Google Sites .
• If youre trying to map more than 20 URLs, it wont work. You are limited to mapping 20 custom domains to your Google Site page.

Now that youve pointed your domain to your Google Sites website, your visitors can visit your site using a typical customized URL just like any other regular website on the internet.

Ryan has been writing how-to and other technology-based articles online since 2007. He has a BSc degree in Electrical Engineering and hes worked 13 years in automation engineering, 5 years in IT, and now is an Apps Engineer. Read Ryans Full Bio

Check Out And Purchase Your Domain Name

Once youve added your domain name to your cart, open your cart to check out.

Google Domains will show you a summary of your cart, along with two options, both of which are enabled by default:

• Privacy protection: this 100% free service keeps your personal information private. We recommend leaving this on.
• Auto-renew: auto-renew ensures you dont accidentally forget to renew and lose your domain. This is totally up to you, but we recommend leaving it on if you have long-term plans for your domain name.

Once youve made your choices, click the Check out button:

On the checkout page, youll need to enter your contact information. But remember: as long as you left the free privacy protection feature enabled, this information wont be public.

Then, enter your payment information to finalize your purchase:

Google Domains Vs Godaddy

If youre trying to choose between Google Domains vs GoDaddy, Google Domains stacks up quite favorably.

Google Domains is significantly more affordable than GoDaddy for most popular domain extensions. While GoDaddy might have more affordable first-year prices for some extensions, GoDaddys renewal prices are typically much higher than Google Domains.

All in all, there are very few reasons to consider GoDaddy over Google Domains for domain registration.

Don’t Miss: What Is The Domain For My Email

Does Google Domains Work For Email

Yes! Google Domains makes a great option for creating your own custom email address. Btw, do you need to find someones email address? Here are a few solid tricks.

There are two ways to use emails with Google Domains:

• Built-in email forwarding: Free, create up to 100 email aliases and forward them to your existing accounts. You can send emails from these aliases using Gmail or any other email client.
• Email hosting with Google Workspace From $6 per month you can easily integrate with Google Workspace for hosted email, 30 GB of storage, and more to have a professional email address. .

Cons Of Having A Domain With Google:

So, what are the disadvantages, if any, of registering a domain with Google Domains?

1. High Cost Compared to Other Registration Services:

Compared to other domain registrars, Google Domains does not come cheap. A dot-com domain costs $12 per year.

Moreover, Google Domains does not offer discounts for long-term contracts, e.g. if you register a domain for 5 years, you still pay $12 per year.

The table below compares the prices of .COM domains at Google Domains and NameCheap. Note the small discount that NameCheap offers if you get a domain for two and three years.

Other domain registrars that also provide web hosting services offer substantial discounts on your first year of registration. The same can be said for web hosts that offer free domain accounts for a year.

If you go through our NameCheap Review, youll find out that NameCheap has consistently low renewal rates on multi-year contracts.

This is not true with Google Domains, though. If you choose to register a domain with the company, youll have to pay separately for hosting on Google App Engine.

If you get an app running on Google App Engine, and decide to renew your domain with Google Domains, you still have to pay the normal rate for your domain.

Given that your usage may not exceed Google App Engines free tier, this doesnt seem bad at all, particularly if youre just starting out and dont have that many users just yet.

2. Limited Coverage:

Don’t Miss: How Much Is Godaddy Domain After First Year

Setting Up Your Domain In The Google Domains Account

To finish linking your Ecwid Instant Site with your domain, you should make changes in your domain settings and point the domain to your Ecwid site. For that, you need to add an A record and a CNAME record in your domain host account.

To point the domain to your Ecwid site:

Thats it, your domain is set up. It may take up to 48 hours for the changes to propagate. After that, your store will open with and without www via secure HTTPS connection .

Awesome! Thanks for your feedback!

Thanks for your feedback!

Dont Miss: How To Find Email Domain And Server

Create Mx Records In Google Domains

1. Similar to the steps above, access the DNS section, scroll down to Custom resource records and create the following record:

Name: @ Type: MXTTL:Select a low value to update your DNS record faster.Data: 10 mail.protonmail.ch

3. Create a second MX record using these values:

Name: @ Type: MXTTL:Select a low value to update your DNS record faster.Data: 20 mailsec.protonmail.ch

Dont Miss: Cost To Purchase A Domain Name

Recommended Reading: How To Link My Domain To My Website

Purchasing A Domain Through Google

Google Domains: How To Use It And Whether It Beats The Competition

Last Updated on: Tom Rankin

Choosing your domain name is important. Without the perfect .com, traffic will be hard to come by. Though, its just as vital to choose the right domain registrar. While there are lots of services available, theres one that on paper has a big edge Google Domains.

Of course, the registrar has a big tech company at the head the biggest priority for Alphabet Inc., Google. As such, theres a tempting lure for the registrar. After all, who better than Google to provide you with your own domain name? The answer is complex though, and there is tough competition within the marketplace.

Over the next few sections, were going to look at Google Domains, and find out how it works. Were also going to look at where it sits compared to other registrars, and sum up to give up a definitive answer.

Recommended Reading: Why Is My Domain Not Working

Bottom Line About Google Domains:

Although still in beta mode after more than two years in the domain registration business, Google Domains will not go away anytime soon. If youre looking for a reliable domain registrar, Google Domain fits the bill.

Youll be sure that your nameservers will always be up, as these are the same hardware on which Googles own infrastructure runs.

True that the pricing is a bit higher compared to other domain registrars, particularly since Google Domains do not seem to offer any promo pricing, but Googles name and reputation is more than enough to compensate for the higher pricing.

Add to that the fact that you get Whois privacy plus a slew of other add-ons, and Google Domains makes a sweet enough deal.

If youre an individual or small business owner on a limited budget, the added expense may not be justified.

But if youre looking for a domain registrar that also simplifies the process of putting your website or app on hosting from Google Apps Engine or the Google Cloud Platform, Google Domains is an attractive option.

If youre lucky enough to live in those available countries where Google Domains operates, the company is an excellent domain registrar to consider.

How To Transfer A Domain Name To Google Domains

If youve already registered your domain at another domain registrar, you can also transfer your domain from that registrar to Google Domains.

The process is fairly similar but youll also need to perform some actions at the registrar where your domain name is currently registered.

To get started, and click the Transfer tab. Then, enter the domain name that you want to transfer:

Google Domains will automatically detect where your domain name is currently registered and provide a step-by-step wizard to guide you through the transfer process:

Once you finish the transfer, youll be able to manage your domain name just as if youd registered it directly through Google Domains.

Google Domains is definitely one of the best places to register a domain name.

Google Domains offers transparent, competitive pricing for most popular domain extensions. It can be pricey for certain extensions like .io but its near or below the competition for extensions like .com and .org.

It offers a well-designed interface, along with nice features like free privacy protection, Google DNS, automatic Google Search Console verification, and strong two-factor authentication.

If youre having trouble getting a specific domain name, that domain might be parked. Learn more about it in our post.

And if youre looking for application hosting, database hosting, and managed WordPress hosting, give Kinsta a look.

Don’t Miss: What Is A Web Domain Name

Can You Use Google Domains With WordPress

Yes! Youll still need WordPress hosting to power your site, but Google Domains makes it easy to connect your domain to any WordPress host .

Need to give a shoutout here. Kinsta is amazing, I use it for my personal website. The support is rapid and outstanding, and their servers are the fastest for WordPress.

Phillip Stemann

We even have instructions on how to point your domain to Kinsta that work perfectly with Google Domains.

Create Spf Dkim And Dmarc Records

For security reasons, we recommend adding SPF and DKIM records. Setting up DMARC is an optional, advanced feature.

SPF and DMARC records are set up similarly to TXT records.

1. Access the DNS section and scroll down to Custom resource records.

2. To create the SPF record, locate the verification TXT and select Edit.

Once selected, click on the + icon and enter and save this SPF value:v=spf1 include:_spf.protonmail.ch mx ~all

3. To create the DKIM record, enter the following values:

Name: protonmail._domainkeyType: CNAME RecordTTL:Select a low value to update your DNS record faster.Data:Go back to the ProtonMail custom domain setup window. Copy the text in the VALUE / DATA / POINTS TO column and paste it in the Data field.

To add a second and third DKIM record, repeat these steps with the appropriate record names protonmail2._domainkey and protonmail3._domainkey.

4. To create the DMARC record, repeat the steps and enter these values

Name: _dmarcTTL:Select a low value to update your DNS record faster.Data: v=DMARC1 p=none rua=mailto:address@yourdomain.com

Also Check: How To See If A Domain Name Is Taken

Google Domains Vs Namecheap

If youre trying to choose between Google Domains vs Namecheap, the picture isnt quite as clear.

Namecheap offers a competitive service with:

• Regular prices that are still competitive with Google Domains, while also offering generous first-year discounts.
• Free included domain privacy, just like Google Domains.
• A complementary hosting service ,
• A larger selection of domain extensions.

Google Domains still has plenty going for it, like its integration with other Google services and Google DNS. But honestly, you wont go wrong with either Namecheap or Google Domains.

In fact, when we polled our Twitter followers about their favorite registrars, Namecheap actually beat out Google Domains:

Godaddy Offers Website Hosting Google Domains Gives Referrals

Google Domains offers a simple control panel allowing you to manage your domainGoogle Domains doesnt offer website hostingFor those new to website building and domain management, GoDaddy makes things easier. In addition to a free plan,Wix has plans starting at as little as $16.00,GoDaddys WordPress plans are relatively expensive if youre looking for WordPress plans, you can easily get a better deal elsewhere.our top-rated hosts for WordPress

You May Like: Does Google Sell Domain Names

How To Use Google Domains

Over the next couple of sections, were going to show you how Google Domains works with regard to registering a domain name.

It wont take long, and by the end youll have the skills you need to grab your own domain from Google. After, well also look at how Google Domains stacks up against other registrars, and give you the scoop on whether the service is worth using.

Google Domains Is Strictly A Domain Registration Service

They allow you to claim, register, transfer & manage domain names plus allow your domain to resolve via their DNS servers.

Google does not offer complementary services such as web hosting in the traditional sense.

Google does have a simple website builder with , but for most is too limited. They also have email and business services through . Google Suite does require a custom domain name to get started.

Ill explore this point more later below, but its important to understand Googles purpose with .

They want getting online simpler & less daunting for very small and/or less tech-savvy businesses that means getting these businesses a domain name.

And even further, it means making the process of getting a domain as simple & transparent as possible.

Dont Miss: How Much Does It Cost To Register A Domain

Recommended Reading: Can I Change Domain Name Of My Website

Use Custom Name Servers

You can use name servers other than those provided by default in Google Domains. If you decide to use custom name servers, you must set up your resource records through your name server provider.

Most Top-level Domains require from 2 to 12 name servers. Multiple name servers ensure that if theres a problem with one name server, other servers make sure your website still functions.

Set up more name servers:

You Can Hook Up Your Domain To G Suite

G Suite gives you and your team access to integrated Docs, Drive, Calendar, Meet, Gmail services and more. Its paid for separately, but Google Domains lets you integrate it with your new domain with no hassle.

This also allows you to set up a range of custom email addresses for you and your team all under your main domain name.

The current price of G Suite starts from $6 per user per month.

Don’t Miss: Can Domain Names Be Transferred

It Lets You Set Up Email Aliases And Email Forwarding

Google Domains lets you create up to a hundred email aliases, and then have them forward emails automatically to other email accounts.

For example, if you dont want to create a new email address to handle customer support, but you still want your customers to be able to send requests to , then this is where an alias comes in. An alias will grab all of the emails people send to the support address and forward them to some other existing email address.

Pros Of Getting A Domain From Google:

So, what are the advantages of getting a domain from Googles very own domain registration service? Weve listed the most obvious ones below.

1. Googles Name and Reputation:

Google being what it is, when getting a domain from them, youre assured that youre getting a service backed up by one of the worlds most recognizable brands, worth some $82.5 billion and second only to Apple in Forbes list of the worlds most valuable brands.

Google will not just buckle and fold up it is definitely not a fly-by-night domain registrar.

The fact that your domain is hosted on the same nameservers where Google hosts its own domains is reassuring by itself.

Google DNS servers are part of the backbone of the Internet and probably resolve millions, if not billions, of requests everyday.

If youre already using Google Analytics or some other Google-provided service, its good to know that Google also provides domain registration.

Although it may be true that these services can be set up easily enough regardless of the domain registrar, its always convenient to have one vendor provide all these services.

2. A Variety of Web Hosting Partners:

Although Google Domains does not offer web hosting services per se, it does have partnerships with third-party web hosting providers, allowing you to link your domain to these services seamlessly and with minimum hassle. You can use domain authority checker to check the authority of your domain, which is a free and reliable online tool.

Don’t Miss: Is Godaddy A Good Domain Registrar