Google has decided to restructure its business and will no longer be managing domains. Any domains registered with Google will be moved to Squarespace in the future.
While Squarespace has indicated they will honor current Google domain pricing for at least the first 12 months, there will inevitably be price increases to match the Squarespace pricing model.
If your domain is currently registered with Google, TWS recommends moving your domain to another registrar as soon as possible to avoid any issues.
Alternatives to Google Domains
Tidewater Website Solutions has some recommendations for avoiding the transfer of your Google Domain to Squarespace. Multiple factors are considered, including price, security, and ease of use, among others.
NameCheap
NameCheap is our primary recommendation as they have a long history of being a rock-solid domain registrar with extremely fair pricing, domain privacy included, and a user interface that almost anyone can understand and make changes from easily.
Domains at NameCheap will cost around $10 to $15 per year, or more depending on your TLD, and they make it a breeze to transfer your domain in.
Cloudflare
Cloudflare is also a strong contender to become your new domain registrar. While NameCheap has very low pricing, Cloudflare actually comes in a little under as they don’t charge any markups at all. What that means is they charge the wholesale registry fee plus the required ICANN fee of $.18 at the time of this writing, and nothing more.
One notable exception with Cloudflare is that they currently do not support all TLDs, so some users with unique TLDs may not find Cloudflare as a suitable replacement. With that in mind, and NameCheap’s pricing not being much higher, that is what swayed our primary recommendation. If you have a generic TLD, Cloudflare will likely be very suitable for you.
Closing Thoughts
While there are several great domain registrars out there, we picked two of the top ones that most of our clients (and others) will find suitable for replacing their registrar.
If you have any questions or need assistance in moving your domain, Tidewater Website Solutions can easily help point you in the right direction. We also offer a variety of services including website design and search engine optimization, making us a one-stop-shop for your business.
Reach out today to get started!