Google Domains
Shopping around for a domain registrar can be time-consuming as you investigate companies you've never heard of, try to separate genuine bargains from marketing ploys, and read the fine print for hidden catches. With potential savings of only a few pounds or dollars per year, you may prefer to simply sign up with a big-name provider you know will provide a reasonable service, even if it does cost a little more. Enter Google Domains(opens in new tab), Google's lightweight domain registration arm, a straightforward provider that prioritizes speed and simplicity.
Google Domains will not mislead you with endless sales or'special' deals that turn out to be not so special after all. Upselling is restricted to a minimum. Instead, it's all about making the purchasing process as simple as possible: search, click, and check out. The distinction is obvious from the moment you arrive at the site. There are no animated ads at the top of the page, no 'Sale!' banners, and no low headline prices: just a search box into which you enter a single domain. The results page is similarly straightforward, with prices for nine common top-level domains listed and an All Endings tab listing every option alphabetically (domain.academy, domain.bargains, domain.camera).
One potential issue is that Google Domains does not support all of the domain extensions available elsewhere, including some fairly common examples (.mobi, .tv). If you think you might want to buy something other than the most popular extensions, make sure your likely options are available before you buy. Prices are standardized to whole numbers, so.com,.co.uk, and.org domains, for example, are all $12.
That's slightly above average overall, but better than some, especially since Google Domains includes free Whois privacy for the duration of your registration. That's a valuable perk that would otherwise cost $2.80 to $11.20 per year. If you have any questions, a Help link provides articles on common issues. If that isn't enough, the Contact Us page allows you to communicate with a support agent via email, live chat, or phone (Google calls you), which is the highest level of domain registrar support they've seen anywhere.
REASONS TO BUY
- Excellent support
- Easy-to-use
- Provides a step-by-step wizard
REASONS TO AVOID
- Fractionally above average prices
- A few TLDs aren't supported
Rating: 4.5/5.0
Enroll here: domains.google.com/registrar/
