After giving us .zip, Google Domains to shut down, will be flogged off to Squarespace

Google has sold off Google Domains – its side hustle selling and managing web domains – to Squarespace in a deal reportedly worth $180 million. The transfer means about ten million customer domain names will be looked after by Squarespace.

Squarespace, which provides website building and hosting services, announced the acquisition in a statement this week. This comes soon after Google Domains sparked online drama by offering .zip and .mov domains, which El Reg felt was a little overblown.

In any case, Google Domains is the latest entry in the Google Graveyard, and if you're a GD customer, you'll soon be a Squarespace customer.

"In keeping with our efforts to sharpen our focus, we have entered into a definitive agreement with Squarespace for the acquisition of customer accounts of the Google Domains registrar business," Matt Madrigal, a veep of merchant shopping at Google, confirmed.

"Supporting a smooth transition for customers over the coming months, with the help of the Google Domains team, is our top priority. Squarespace can provide an integrated experience of purchasing and managing domains along with offering other tools that these customers may need to build their online presence."

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Squarespace said it will honor the renewal prices previously set by Google Domains for all existing customers for 12 months, while Google works to wind down its domain name registrar unit. Folks will be offered new features and tools to persuade them to stick with Squarespace as the company takes over.

Squarespace is also set to become the exclusive domains provider for those buying a new domain via Google Workspace, a software hub supporting collaborative and productivity tools for workers.

The deal is reportedly worth $180 million, according to Bloomberg, and includes the transfer of approximately ten million domain names to Squarespace. The company hopes to close the acquisition in the third quarter of 2023, if it's approved by trade regulators without any issues.

"We are exceptionally proud to be chosen to serve the customers of the Google Domains business," Anthony Casalena, Founder & CEO of Squarespace, added. "Domains are a critical part of web infrastructure and an essential piece of every business's online presence. We look forward to serving these new customers as we have served millions using our domain products and are committed to ensuring a seamless transition."

Google began registering domain names in 2005, and officially launched Google Domains a decade later, offering customers services like domain transferal, DNS hosting, and email forwarding. ®

Speaking of domain names... What's the latest drama with 123 Reg? See our story in The Register this Monday.