Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) is offering domain registration services from GoDaddy and eNom.
Google is an ICANN-accredited registrar. So why has it partnered with GoDaddy and eNom to offer domain names to customers? That’s exactly what Google is doing. Through its Google Apps for Domains service, Google is offering domain registrations from two leading registrars for $10.
Here’s why this is interesting:
1. Google is an ICANN-accredited registrar. Why don’t they just register the domains themselves?
2. Why $10? That’s more than GoDaddy charges other customers.
Answers:
1. Yes, Google is an accredited registrar. But they didn’t become a registrar in order to sell domain registrations. Domain registration is a low margin business and only makes sense if you are cross-selling other services. Google became a registrar so it could get its hands more easily on Whois data that would help them understand when domain names expired and exchanged hands. Getting this data would help Google cleanse its search index of domains. Alas, this didn’t work out as planned for the search giant. Registrars changed the way they deleted expiring domains by directly transferring them to new owners through services like SnapNames. The registration data in the Whois database wasn’t reset and Google couldn’t easily track these changes.
2. Who knows? My guess is people will appreciate the convenience of registering through the Google system as the domain will be set up automatically for Google Apps for Domains?
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