Google is now a registrar...

[jehnidiah]

So, Google is now an official ICANN-approved registrar. Read about it:

http://news.netcraft.com/archives/2005/01/31/google_is_now_a_domain_registrar.html

and

http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/01/31/2316212&tid=217&tid=95

What do you guys think of this? I imagine they'll have quite good prices..

 

[Gregoire]

I would think this would definitely be in Google's near future. I'm surprised they haven't gotten into auctions yet. Just think "Ad Word Auctions - Auctions on web sites around the world"

WOW, very very very good idea IMO.

Grégoire.

 

[EricH]

Just think your on a forum talking about Mac's new Mini Mac and low and behold, to the right (or left) of the thread is a google bar with... what else... Mini Mac's on auction!

Or, you're a sports fan and your on a football forum talking about (your team) and to your side is... (your team)'s (product) on auction.

I would think it would do extremely well. Especially if instead of a standard ppc, it was a % of the final sale that the site owner would receive for the clicks. Imagine, as a site owner, instead of $.0X per click, you could get $x.XX or even xX.XX per click (if the item sells from your click-through.

 

[cera]

There is the possibility that Google has no intention of selling domain names at all - or at least in the forseeable future.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/02/01/google_domain_seller/

 

[jj2ii3344]

Google is a very ambitous company and it will be exciting to see 10 years down the road, what kind of products/services they will be offering.

 

[omnia]

Google is a very ambitous company and it will be exciting to see 10 years down the road, what kind of products/services they will be offering.

I agree, I think google will be looking long and hard at every current profitable web business out there and looking for ways to "outdo" the opposition, and make a tidy profit in the process.

 

[RJ]

There is the possibility that Google has no intention of selling domain names at all - or at least in the forseeable future.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/02/01/google_domain_seller/

My thoughts exactly. I'm not expecting Google to get into the domain selling business anytime soon, if ever. Both AOL and Amazon have been ICANN accredited registrars for a long time now, yet neight have made a dent in the registration business even despite having huge existing customer bases. Getting ICANN accredited does not obligate you to offer registration to the public.

Still fun to speculate though. :tri:

 

[AdoptableDomains]

There is the possibility that Google has no intention of selling domain names at all - or at least in the forseeable future.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/02/01/google_domain_seller/

I read the same article, and it makes sense. Why would google get into the domains sales business as competetive and full as it now is. It's also interesting that Amazon.com and AOL, have been a registrars for a long time without selling domains, and they may do the same for a while.

I believe Google will use the registrar status more like Yahoo has, and I'll be hardly anyone here has a domain with Yahoo as a registrar. They will probably not try to sell domains competetively with other registrars, but use it as a tool to enhance their move toward being and offering managed package deals. Mix domains with blogger, gmail, google groups, PPC, adsense based on domains and IP locations, and you get a bigger picture.

Google probably has a very good gmail plan, but I personally won't use it as a primary mail because I think free email looks unprofessional and I want it on my own domain. Now imaging the features of gmail, google groups, blogs and adsense revenue or alternately traffic coming from your own domain. being a registrar will allow them to tweak and test and become the innovator they have already proven to be. I see this as a one-up on beating out Yahoo and MSN as the portal of choice beyond just search, but enhancing search and it's revenue at the same time.

I also think acess to the registry will give them something else to search and send ad clicks to. They could leverage the two and when you searched a keyword in Google send you to a domain for sale or backorder, or show the domain as available for them to sell a new registration. They might also target ads to different domain keywords, tlds, based on the registrar of record or the locality of the owner of the domain. It will be interesting to watch.

 

[IAmAllanShore]

The biggest things pointing towards google selling domains:
1) I would
2) Gmail as a client for address at "yourname dot com"
3) They don't have much if anything to lose by starting
4) Anytime anyone searches for 'domain name' or the like, they'd have built in advertising.
5) $$$
-Allan

 

[jeter4982]

I think Google would be pretty dumb not to sell domains. They have a perfect corporate image, and I bet a ton of people would try them out, because it is the new "Google" thing. Also, they can probably offer cheaper prices, because they have such a big successful company to start with. Last, as already stated, it could be intergrated with other programs they run, such as Blogger and Gmail.

 

[Petter]

I think Google would be pretty dumb not to sell domains. They have a perfect corporate image, and I bet a ton of people would try them out, because it is the new "Google" thing. Also, they can probably offer cheaper prices, because they have such a big successful company to start with. Last, as already stated, it could be intergrated with other programs they run, such as Blogger and Gmail.

Yeah, i recon google would get alot of people buying domains from them.. just look how big Gmail has got. I hope they'll offer cheap domains 'cause if they do, i think other big domain companys like GoDaddy will have to lower there prices to