WordPress.com has announced that they will cover the domain transfer fees for Google Domains customers while committing to maintaining low domain registration prices.
The company is matching Google’s pricing on more than 400 top-level domains offered by WordPress.com.
Existing customers of WordPress.com will also benefit from highly competitive rates on domain name registrations.
According to WordPress.com’s announcement:
"You may have heard that your account has been sold to Squarespace. Everything is expected to transfer and close later this year.
Fortunately for you, you’re not locked into that deal.
And we think we can do better.
For the first million domains that move from Google to WordPress.com, we’ll pay your transfer fee, which also extends your registration for an additional year."
Are WordPress.com Domain Registrations Cheap?
Yes, registering a domain with WordPress.com is very affordable, matching the low prices that Google Domains charges.
- GoDaddy charges $21.99 per year for registering a dot com domain.
- WordPress.com only charges $12 per year for the same dot com domain.
WordPress.com has stated that they intend to keep domain registration prices low, only increasing them if wholesale prices rise. According to their official announcement, offering budget-priced domain names is a permanent business model.
WordPress.com explains:
"This isn’t a temporary thing. We’re committed to keeping domain prices low, and will only raise them if our wholesale costs go up (we’ll run our domains business like Costco)."
WordPress.com is a Domain Name Registrar
It’s important to note that WordPress.com and WordPress.org are different entities. WordPress.org is the CMS that is widely used. WordPress.com is part of the Automattic family of brands, which also includes WooCommerce, Jetpack, Akismet, Gravatar, and other companies.
WordPress.com offers managed WordPress hosting, which means a hosting environment optimized for WordPress websites. Additionally, WordPress.com is a domain name registrar.
Why Register a Domain With WordPress.com?
WordPress asserts that their service is superior in many ways to competitors like Google, GoDaddy, and DigitalOcean.
The WordPress.com announcement explains:
"Our DNS speeds are faster than Google, GoDaddy, and DigitalOcean. But don’t take our word for it. Feel free to check for yourself."
Advantages of registering domains at WordPress.com include:
- Faster DNS Speeds
- Free privacy protection (some exclusions for non-U.S. domains)
- Free SSL for domains hosted on WordPress.com
- Low pricing on domain names
Lastly, WordPress.com is a trusted name on the web, known for their commitment to an open web for the entire world.
How to Transfer a Domain From Google Domains to WordPress.com
The process for transferring a domain is similar to transferring it to any other registrar.
- Unlock the domain at your current domain name registrar, in this case, the Google Domains dashboard.
- Select which domains you want to transfer, then click on the Registration Settings located in the sidebar menu.
- Click on the Domain is Unlocked toggle switch.
- Once the domain is unlocked, scroll down to the Transfer Out section and click on the link labeled "Get auth code."
- Visit the WordPress.com Domain Transfer page and follow the prompts.
You can also start at the Transfer your Google domains page on WordPress.com for full instructions.
Featured image by Studio Romantic/Shutterstock
