Should You Use Squarespace or Google Domains?

Squarespace vs Google Domains: Quick Comparison

What Does Each Platform Actually Do?

Squarespace is a website builder. You pick a template, customize the design, add your content, and publish. Hosting, SSL certificates, and basic SEO tools are all included. You can also register a domain directly through Squarespace, and every annual plan comes with a free custom domain for the first year.

Google Domains is a domain registrar. You search for an available URL, purchase it, and manage its DNS settings. That is where its job ends. Google Domains does not offer templates, hosting, design tools, or any way to build a website. You need to connect your domain to a separate platform like Squarespace, WordPress, or Wix.

Domain Registration and Management

Google Domains provides a clean, straightforward interface for managing domains. You can register, transfer, or renew domains quickly. It includes free WHOIS privacy protection on every domain, which keeps your personal information out of public databases.

Squarespace also offers domain registration and management. You can buy a domain through Squarespace or connect one you already own. Squarespace provides DNS management tools and domain privacy. The advantage is that everything stays in one dashboard alongside your website.

If you already have a domain on Google Domains and want to build with Squarespace, you can connect it. Point your Google Domains DNS records to Squarespace, and your domain will load your Squarespace site. Many users do exactly this.

Website Building Tools

This is where the platforms differ most. Squarespace offers over 100 templates across industries, a drag-and-drop editor, and built-in marketing tools like email campaigns and social media integration. You do not need coding skills to build a professional-looking site.

Google Domains has no website building tools at all. If you buy a domain there, you will need to pair it with a separate builder. Google Domains does integrate with Google Sites for basic pages, but that is a separate product with limited design options.

Hosting

Squarespace includes hosting in all plans. Your site is live as soon as you publish. SSL certificates, CDN, and automatic backups are handled for you. There is nothing extra to set up or pay for.

Google Domains does not provide hosting. After buying a domain, you need a separate hosting provider or website builder to make your site accessible. This gives you flexibility in choosing your host, but it also means managing an additional service and cost.

E-commerce

Squarespace has built-in e-commerce tools for selling products, managing inventory, and accepting payments through Stripe and PayPal. Commerce plans include features like abandoned cart recovery, shipping labels, and tax automation.

Google Domains has no e-commerce features. If you want an online store, you will need to connect your domain to a platform like Squarespace, Shopify, or WooCommerce.

SEO Capabilities

Squarespace has built-in SEO tools including meta tags, image alt text editing, automatic sitemap generation, and clean URL structures. It also provides analytics to track traffic and search performance.

Google Domains does not offer SEO tools directly. However, your choice of domain name does affect SEO, and Google Domains makes it easy to find and register a relevant domain. The SEO work happens on whatever platform you build your site with.

Pricing Breakdown

Squarespace Pricing (billed annually):

• Personal: $16/month
• Business: $23/month
• Commerce Basic: $28/month
• Commerce Advanced: $52/month

All Squarespace annual plans include a free custom domain for the first year.

Google Domains Pricing:

• Most .com domains: $12/year
• Other extensions (.io, .co, .net): $12-$60/year
• Premium domains (high-demand URLs): prices vary significantly

Keep in mind that Google Domains only covers the domain. You will pay separately for hosting and a website builder, which typically adds $5-$50/month depending on the service.

Customer Support

Squarespace offers 24/7 customer support via chat and email. Their support team covers everything from design questions to billing and domain setup. They also have detailed help documentation and video tutorials.

Google Domains provides support through email and a help center. Response times can be slower, but the interface is simple enough that most users can manage domains without help.

Integration Capabilities

Squarespace integrates with third-party tools for email marketing, social media, payment processing, and analytics (including Google Analytics). These integrations work directly from your Squarespace dashboard.

Google Domains focuses on domain-level integrations. It connects well with Google Workspace (Gmail, Drive, Calendar) and supports easy DNS configuration for any website builder. If your business runs on Google's ecosystem, managing your domain through Google Domains keeps things consistent.

When to Use Squarespace

Squarespace is the right choice when you need a full website and want everything managed in one place. It works well for:

• Small business owners who need a professional site quickly
• Artists, photographers, and freelancers building portfolios
• Anyone selling products online without needing enterprise-level features
• Beginners who do not want to deal with hosting, DNS, or coding

What Happened to Google Domains?

Google sold its Google Domains business to Squarespace in 2023. All existing Google Domains accounts were migrated to Squarespace Domains, and new domain registrations through Google are no longer available. If you previously used Google Domains, your domain is now managed through Squarespace's domain panel.

If you are an existing Google Domains customer, your domain continues to function as before, and you can manage DNS settings, WHOIS privacy, and renewals through your Squarespace account. The migration preserved all existing settings.

When to Use Squarespace Domains (Formerly Google Domains)

Squarespace Domains, which absorbed Google Domains users, is a good choice when you want to keep domain management and website building in one place. It works well for:

• Developers using custom hosting setups who need a simple domain registrar
• WordPress users who want to keep domain management flexible
• Anyone who prefers to pick their own hosting provider
• Former Google Domains customers whose domains were migrated to Squarespace

Can You Use Both Together?

Yes, and many people do. You can buy a domain on Google Domains and connect it to a Squarespace website. This gives you Google's domain management tools while using Squarespace for design and hosting. The setup takes about 15 minutes and involves updating DNS records in your Google Domains dashboard.

This approach makes sense if you want to keep your domain portable. If you ever switch away from Squarespace, your domain stays with Google Domains and can point to a new builder without any domain transfer process.

For those looking to establish personal and small business websites, understanding the difference between a website builder and a domain registrar is the first step toward making the right choice.