Aside from popular web hosts like Godaddy Hosting, website owners will soon have a new option for their hosted sites: Google Domains. The service will soon start selling domains and launching a web hosting package tailored to the needs of small business owners. Google's small business department recently uncovered the fact that up to 55% of small independent businesses still don't have a website. Google has identified this need and has taken the initiative to provide these business owners the tools they need to get started.
A registration with Google Domains will get website owners up to 100 unique email addresses and the ability to forward existing emails to these new accounts. This feature will keep private WHOIS information out of the public eye. As of this writing, Google Domains membership is open by invitation only, and Google is currently partnered with Squarespace, Wix.com, Weebly and Shopify to provide hosting service to a wide range of small business niches.
Many website owners already use Google searches to check whether a domain name is available, so using Google's new web hosting services can be especially advantageous. This new business model is also a plus for Google due to the technical side of setting up a website that many people find confusing. One of the main objectives of Google Domains is to simplify and streamline this process. For businesses that need to expand their hosting space and features, Google will also promote its Google Cloud Platform services for this purpose.
The new domain service from Google is available for users who want to request an invitation code, and they can do so by typing in their desired domain and clicking the "Request Invitation Code" button. This news of Google's new service has become public in the face of Godaddy hosting recently filing for its IPO.