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Guess what I just did? I ordered a domain name from Google. It is one of the first domain names ever registered by Google acting as a domain name registrar. You can click here to see what the standard Google parked domain page currently looks like. The funny thing is that I actually ordered my domain from eNom - or so it says in my welcome email that I received. This is interesting since Google is already an ICANN accredited domain name registrar - presumably able to offer domains for sale directly from Google - not as a reseller of eNom domains.

Google first announced that it would begin selling domain registration services through Google Apps for Your Domain late last week. According to the official Google press release, Google Apps for Your Domain is ”a platform that allows organizations to offer tools like email and shared calendaring to all of their users - and have them all hosted by Google so there’s no hardware or software to install or maintain”. In the welcome email sent after domain registration, Google explains that after setting up an admin account for the domain, one gains access to the Google Apps for Your Domain control panel. Through the control panel one may ”monitor the status of your services, manage your user accounts and email lists, create web pages and customize the interface and services to your organization’s needs. Through the control panel, you can also access tools to view and edit all your DNS settings, update your WHOIS information, and renew your domain before it expires.”

The Google press announcement goes on to mention a specific partnership arrangement with both eNom and GoDaddy.com. Both companies are large domain registrars with millions of names currently registered - and both have significant reseller operations (eNom operates as a domain name wholesaler only). Commenting on the role of eNome and GoDaddy.com, a Google spokesperson said, ”We have partnered with GoDaddy and Enom, two of the industry leaders indomain registration, to provide the back-end domain registration and DNShosting services. The experience will be a Google experience. These partnershave the scale, reliability, and customer focus we need working behind thescenes to register new domains to get organizations who vist Google Apps forYour Domain without one started right away. We are open to working withother partners as well.”

According to Google, by registering a domain through Google Apps for Your Domain, your domain is configured to automatically work with all the currently offered Google services. Raju Gulabani,Director of Product Management for Google Apps for Your Domain explained, ”We are now able to bring our powerful communication and collaboration toolsto organizations that don’t yet have their own domain. Organizations cannow register a custom domain name on the spot instead of signing up forGoogle Apps for Your Domain with an existing domain.”

Domain registration through Google is being offered for $10 per year, which includes private registration. Google currently offers only the .com, .org, .net, .biz, and .info top level domains.

So exactly what impact will this move have on the domain name and web hosting industries? Cheap Web Hosting Directory contacted an elite group of web hosting and domain name professionals to get their initial reactions to the Google domain name announcement. Their responses are below.

Greatly respected domain name expert Jeff Libert, CEO of DirectoryCompany.com, who currently acts as moderator for the domain name forums at WebmasterWorld.com had this to say about Google’s announcement, ”Given the nature and scope of their enterprise this step is a no-brainer for Google, especially as the handling of registrations is being outsourced. The Google registration partnership might not be the registrar of choice for a variety of web developers (grayhat, blackhat, seohat) but I can also see others lining up, especially those who might infer there will be some (slight) benefit to ‘doing business’ with Google. I can also see the ever vigilant hatters pondering if this relationship means that domain registration data might be available to Google, via eNom and GoDaddy, if the hatter has domains with either. The price is certainly within reason, with privacy included. Google is looking to deliver the entire web era package. Offering email, calendars, and other web based services places them just a step shy of full-blown hosting.

Neil Simpkins, North America Public Relations Managerat 1&1 Internet, Inc. (the world’s largest web hosting company) added, ”This announcement raises quite afew questions.Aside from catching everyone off-guard, one can only speculate aboutwhat this means.Why did Google choose an external vendor for domain registration whenthey have been an accredited registrar for quite some time? Why did Google choose these two registrars instead of one? Why thesetwo? It seems strange that although Google is itself an accredited registrar,(from my understanding, a rather time-consuming process) they chose topartner with 2 companies that have a lot of experience in ‘domainreselling.’ Is Google using them until they ‘figure it out’? Hard tosay. They certainly have enough money that they could have gone it alonewithout GoDaddy or eNom. Is this a hint that Google will someday buy outGoDaddy or eNom, and this is a way to figure out which one would bebetter? This new initiative may help them attract the curious, some smallbusinesses and individual users, but it’s a bit too early to know whatthey have in mind or how successful it will be.”

David Snead (www.dsnead.com), an influential attorney long associated with the web hosting industry states, ”It is interesting that Google has chosen to resell eNom and GoDaddy domainnames. Most companies are moving the other direction and simply becomingdirect registrars. It also seems to reflect a shift in Google’s strategysince it provides most other services directly. On the legal side, I can’timagine that there is a particular legal issue that would compel thisdecision - while drafting domain name registration agreements, and transferpolicies is time consuming, it is pretty straight forward.”

“Domain registration is a natural fit for Apps for Your Domain, but thesolution still lacks business credibility,” said Lisa Coleman, MarketingManager with Intermedia.NET, the global leader in hosted MicrosoftExchange. “Only consumers and the smallest of businesses are likely totolerate free, ad-based services without live support or serviceguarantees. So, we don’t really see this impacting the hosted Exchangemarket.”

George DeCarlo, Vice President, Marketing, for Dotster, Inc. a massive domain registrar and web hosting company adds,”As one of the oldest and most respected domain registrars on the net, Dotster is thrilled to see the growing ubiquity of domain ownership. The Internet services industry is booming as more and more people establish their online identities, and consumers of all ages are beginning to realize that owning a custom domain name is a fun and affordable way to get the most out of their online experience.Dotster currently offers a wide range of domain registration services to meet the growing needs of users of all ages, such as our new domain-based custom email solution PimpedEmail.com. One of the great thing about custom domain names is that they’re compatible with any website and service regardless of where they’re purchased, and the great thing about a product like PimpedEmail, which allows users to customize their email address, is that it’s compatible with Gmail, Yahoo! Mail, and any other email provider on the planet.”

Monte Cahn, CEO of Moniker a top 10 domain registrar, which holds the industry’s highest customer retention rate and generates the highest average price for aftermarket domain name sales had this to say, ”We are seeing a trend where individuals and organizations of all sizes are increasingly looking to either register or protect their brands online. While the partnership between Google, eNom and GoDaddy to provide initial registrations may be beneficial to some, it only addresses a small percentage of what people really need to be looking for. Domain buyers need to realize the importance of having a complete set of business services that provide them with a single-point-of-access to help manage and maximize the value of their domains. This means they should be aware of both primary/initial registration, but more importantly, secondary aftermarket solutions.

Domain name buyers are finding that the majority of common key word and brand names are gone. Therefore, the value of having the option to purchase a new or aftermarket domain helps better serve the need of the customer, providing them with more variety and better quality options. Separately, they should be aware that there are the benefits of safe and secure domain escrow services, industry leading appraisals, and businesses that provide a full range of domain asset management services.”

Brent Oxley, CEO of HostGator.com a fast growing reseller-based hosting provider comments, ”I find it very interesting that Google as a registrar chooses not one but two of the world’s largest registrars to partner with. Either company would be more than capable enough to handle all of Google’s domain registrations. One has to wonder what the real deal is that was worked out with Enom and Godaddy.If I had to take a guess I would say it could have something to do with locking in traffic generated from the millions of parked domains.”

To learn more about Google Apps for Your Domain, or to register a domain name through Google please visit: www.google.com/a.

About the Author
Derek Vaughan is the Chief Marketing Officer at TechPad Agency. He is a freelance writer on topics ranging from search engine optimization to web hosting to Internet marketing. TechPad Agency operates a professional network of hosting related websites.