In a surprise announcement on Thursday, Google LLC revealed plans to wind down Google Domains and sell its assets to website building and hosting company Squarespace Inc.

Google Domains is currently home to more than 10 million domains, all of which will become Squarespace customers. The deal is worth $180 million, according to Bloomberg. Banking partner JPMorgan Chase will provide financing for a portion of the purchase. The acquisition is expected to be finalized in the third quarter of 2023.

Domains launched in 2014 as a private beta before emerging into public beta in 2015 as a domain name registrar service and site-building platform hosted by Google. The service is similar to those provided by GoDaddy Group Inc. and NameCheap Inc., which offer simple domain name registration services across top-level domains such as .com, .org and .net. Google Domains exited beta test mode in 2022 and now represents the fifth-largest registrar for such domains.

According to Matt Madrigal, vice president and general manager of merchant shopping at Google, the company sold off Domains “in keeping with our efforts to sharpen our focus.”

Under the terms of the agreement Google Domains customers will be transitioned to Squarespace and the company will continue to honor current existing renewal prices for the next 12 months following the acquisition, as well as “provide additional incentives.” Additionally, Squarespace will use Google’s infrastructure that powers Google Domains during the migration period to ensure the transition goes smoothly.

Current Google Domains customers can look at their new home on Squarespace. The service includes a website building and hosting service, which is fully managed and enables users to quickly construct their own site in minutes, Squarespace’s flagship product.

Users also get free WHOIS privacy for eligible domains. WHOIS queries the database of public information on domain registrations that can include the names and addresses, and by hiding this information, users retain their privacy. Domain users receive free SSL certificates that will enable secure HTTPS connections.

“Domains are a critical part of web infrastructure and an essential piece of every business’s online presence,” said Anthony Casalena, founder and chief executive of Squarespace.

Notably, as part of the deal, Squarespace will become the exclusive domain provider for any user purchasing a domain along with their Google Workspace subscription from Google directly for a minimum of three years.

Image: Google