Register a domain

Note: On September 7, 2023 Squarespace acquired all domain registrations and related customer accounts from Google Domains. For more information about how this change affects Cloud Domains, see Cloud Domains feature deprecations, Google Domains FAQ, and Squarespace purchase of Google Domains FAQ.

This page describes how to search for an available domain name and register the domain by using Cloud Domains. Cloud Domains lets you to choose your DNS provider and customize your DNS settings.

After you register your domain, Cloud Domains automatically renews your domain registration as long as your Cloud Billing account stays active. You can turn off automatic renewal at any time after your domain is registered.

Before you begin

Before you start using Cloud Domains to register your domains, complete the following steps:

1. In the Google Cloud console, on the project selector page, select or create a Google Cloud project.

   Note: If you don't plan to keep the resources that you create in this procedure, create a project instead of selecting an existing project. After you finish these steps, you can delete the project, removing all resources associated with the project.

   Go to project selector

2. Make sure that billing is enabled for your Google Cloud project.

3. Enable the Cloud Domains API.

   Enable the API

Note: You can delete the project that you create, but the domain remains registered.

Set up and register a domain

To use Cloud Domains to register a domain, complete the following tasks:

1. Search for a domain name.
2. Configure DNS for the domain.
3. Choose privacy settings for your domain.
4. Specify contact details.
5. Verify your contact information.

When registering a domain that is owned by a company, the registrant must provide the company's contact details, such as the email address and phone number. If the registrant provides their personal contact details, the company might lose access to the domain when the registrant leaves.

Note: Cloud Domains does not support premium domains for registration.

Permissions required for this task

To perform this task, you must have been granted the following permissions or the following IAM roles.

Permissions

• domains.registrations.list (to search for and to get register parameters for the domain)
• domains.registrations.create (to register the domain)

Roles

• roles/domains.admin

Console

1. In the Google Cloud console, go to the Cloud Domains page.

   Go to Cloud Domains

2. Click Register domain.
3. Search for an available domain, and then identify the domain name that you want to purchase. Pricing is listed for each available domain.

4. Click Select next to the domain name that you want to purchase. You can add as many domains as you like, subject to your available quota. For details, see Quotas and limits.

   The total pricing based on your selection is calculated and displayed in the Search domain section. To remove a domain from your cart, click Deselect next to the domain name.

   After you set up billing and complete your domain registration, Cloud Domains automatically sets the registration to Auto-renew.

   Note: You can turn off automatic renewal at any time after you've registered your domain. For more information, see Turn off automatic renewal for a domain name.

5. Click Continue.

6. In the DNS configuration section, choose one of the following DNS providers for your name servers. If you are registering multiple domains, you can choose individual settings for each domain.

   DNS provider	Description	Cost
   Cloud DNS	Google recommends that you use Cloud DNS as your DNS provider for all your name servers.	Additional Cloud DNS charges apply. For details, see the Cloud DNS pricing page.
   Custom name servers	If you choose this option, you can use Cloud Domains to configure your name servers, and then use a third-party DNS provider to configure your DNS resource records.	Check with your DNS provider.

   • If you select the default value Use Cloud DNS (Recommended), Google Cloud automatically creates a zone for you. To edit the zone name and other details, do the following:

     1. In the Cloud DNS zone list, select Setup new zone.
     2. Make the required edits, and then click Save and continue.

     If you already created a zone in Cloud DNS, Cloud Domains selects that zone by default.

   • If you select Use custom name servers, enter at least two name servers. To add more name servers, click Add another name server.

7. Click Continue.

8. By default, privacy protection is turned on. However, you can change the settings to one of the privacy options in the following table.

   Privacy option	Description
   Privacy protection on	Caution: If your domain uses the PRIVATE_CONTACT_DATA setting for contact privacy, it is changed to REDACTED_CONTACT_DATA when the domains are migrated to Squarespace. Your data is not shared with a third-party contact privacy provider and is instead shown as redacted in public contact databases like WHOIS. For more information, see Cloud Domains feature deprecation. Choosing this option ensures that your contact information is not available to the public. To help protect your contact information and prevent spam, a third party provides alternate (proxy) contact information for your domain in the public directory. The third-party provider forwards all messages that are sent to your proxy contact information to the actual private contact information. Cloud Domains does not offer privacy protection for all domain endings or top-level domains (TLDs). Registries, the organizations that manage domain endings, have policies prohibiting the use of privacy protection for certain TLDs.
   Limit your info available to the public	Choosing this option makes limited non-identifying information available to the public. The actual information available publicly depends on the domain that you have chosen. If you provide an organization name, it might be publicly visible.
   Make all contact info public	Choosing this option makes all your contact information available to the public through the WHOIS database.

   For information about how to use contact privacy, see the ContactPrivacy section in the reference documentation.

9. To limit which information is available to the public, select Limit your info available to the public. This option is only available for .com and .net domains.

10. To make all contact information publicly available, select Make all contact info public.

11. If you agree with the statement in the dialog, click I agree.

12. Click Continue.

13. Enter your contact information for the domain, which is necessary for ICANN to reach you if there are any problems. By default, the same contact details that you enter are applied to the registrant, administrative, and technical contacts. To enter different information for each type of contact, you can edit your contact settings later.

    If you are registering more than one domain, you can choose to apply the same contact details to all domains or choose to enter different contact details for each domain.

14. Click Register.

    Processing your registration can take a few minutes.

    Cloud Domains or Squarespace sends a verification email to the email address that you enter.

gcloud

1. To search for an available domain name, use the gcloud domains registrations search-domains command:

   gcloud domains registrations search-domains SEARCH_TERM
   

   Replace SEARCH_TERM with any non-empty string to search for a domain name, such as example. This search returns suggestions for possible domain names that you can register.

2. To check up-to-date availability for a domain name and get the parameters needed to register a new domain, including price, availability, supported privacy modes, and notices, use the gcloud domains registrations get-register-parameters command:

   gcloud domains registrations get-register-parameters DOMAIN_NAME
   

   Replace DOMAIN_NAME with the domain name that you want to check availability for, such as example.app.

   Your output looks similar to the following:

     availability: AVAILABLE
     domainName: example.app
     domainNotices:
     ‐ HSTS_PRELOADED
     supportedPrivacy:
     ‐ PRIVATE_CONTACT_DATA
     ‐ PUBLIC_CONTACT_DATA
     yearlyPrice:
         currencyCode: USD
         units: '12'
   

3. You can choose a DNS provider for your name servers based on the DNS provider options explained in the overview. If you choose Cloud DNS as your DNS provider, you must first create a managed public zone for your domain.

   To create a managed public zone, use the dns managed-zones create command:

   gcloud dns managed-zones create CLOUD_DNS_ZONE_NAME \
       --description="DESCRIPTION" \
       --dns-name=DOMAIN_NAME \
   

   Replace the following:

   • CLOUD_DNS_ZONE_NAME: a name for your zone
   • DESCRIPTION: a description for your zone

   • DOMAIN_NAME: the DNS domain name for your zone, such as example.com

     Use the same domain name that you used in the previous commands, which is the domain name that you are registering.

4. To register the domain, use the gcloud domains registrations register command:

   gcloud domains registrations register DOMAIN_NAME
   

   Replace DOMAIN_NAME with the domain name that you want to register, such as example.app.

   Your output looks similar to the following when you register the domain example.com by using name servers provided by Cloud DNS:

   Yearly price: 12.00 USD
   Do you agree to pay this yearly price for your domain (y/N)?  y
   You can provide your DNS settings by specifying name servers or a Cloud
   DNS Managed Zone name
    [1] Provide name servers list
    [2] Provide Cloud DNS managed zone name
   Please enter your numeric choice (2):  NAME_SERVER_CHOICE
   Cloud DNS Managed Zone name:  CLOUD_DNS_ZONE
   Cloud DNS Zone 'CLOUD_DNS_ZONE' is not signed. DNSSEC won't be enabled.
   Contact data not provided using the --contact-data-from-file flag.
   Do you want to enter it interactively (Y/n)?  y
   Full name:  NAME
   Organization (if applicable):  ORGANIZATION
   Email:  EMAIL_ADDRESS
   Enter phone number with country code, e.g. "+1.8005550123".
   Phone number:  PHONE_NUMBER
   Enter fax number with country code, e.g. "+1.8005550123".
   Fax number (if applicable):  FAX_NUMBER
   Enter two-letter Country / Region code, e.g. "US" or "PL".
   Refer to the guidelines for entering address field information at https://support.google.com/business/answer/6397478.
   Country / Region code:  COUNTRY_CODE
   Postal / ZIP code:  ZIP_CODE
   State / Administrative area (if applicable):  STATE
   City / Locality:  CITY
   Address Line 1:  ADDRESS_LINE_1
   Address Line 2 (if applicable):  ADDRESS_LINE_2
   Address Line 3 (if applicable):
   Specify contact privacy
    [1] private-contact-data
    [2] public-contact-data
   Please enter your numeric choice (1):  DATA_PRIVACY_CHOICE
   Waiting for 'operation-1597880129306-5ad437580410d-2c65d582-0861c5b7' to
   complete...done.
   Created registration [example.com] Note:
   The domain is not yet registered.
   Wait until the registration resource changes state to ACTIVE.
   

   Replace the following:

   • NAME_SERVER_CHOICE: choose the name server option based on your DNS provider choice
   • CLOUD_DNS_ZONE: the Cloud DNS managed zone name
   • NAME: your full name—for example, Alice Smith
   • ORGANIZATION: (optional) your organization—for example, Doe Corp
   • EMAIL_ADDRESS: your email address for verification—for example, [e-mail]
   • PHONE_NUMBER: the phone number of the contact in international format—for example, [phone]
   • FAX_NUMBER: (optional) the phone number of the contact in international format—for example, [phone]
   • COUNTRY_CODE: the country or region code of the address—for example, US for United States
   • ZIP_CODE: the postal code or ZIP code of the address—for example, 94043
   • STATE: the state or administrative area of the address—for example, CA
   • CITY: the city or locality of the address—for example, Mountain View

   • ADDRESS_LINE_1: the first address line of the registrant—for example, 1599 Bayview Parkway

     You can have up to 5 address lines, but only the first one is required.

   • ADDRESS_LINE_2: (optional) the second address line of the registrant—for example, APT. 123

     You must enter the address accurately because it is used for domain recovery in case you lose access to your registration. For details, see the guidelines for entering address field information.

   • DATA_PRIVACY_CHOICE: your data privacy choice

     For detailed information about privacy options, see Privacy protection.

API

1. To search for an available domain name, use the registrations.searchDomains method with an empty request body:

   GET https://domains.googleapis.com/v1/projects/PROJECT_ID/locations/global/registrations:searchDomains?query=SEARCH_TERM
   

   Replace the following:

   • PROJECT_ID: the ID of the project where the domain registration is created

   • SEARCH_TERM: any non-empty string to search for a domain name, such as example

     This search returns suggestions for possible domain names that you can register.

2. To check up-to-date availability for a domain name and get the parameters needed to register a new domain, including price, availability, supported privacy modes, and notices, use the registrations.retrieveRegisterParameters method with an empty body:

   GET https://domains.googleapis.com/v1/projects/PROJECT_ID/locations/global/registrations:retrieveRegisterParameters?domainName=DOMAIN_NAME
   

   Replace the following:

   • PROJECT_ID: the ID of the project where the managed zone is created
   • DOMAIN_NAME: the domain name that you want to check availability for, such as example.app

   The resulting response contains the yearlyPrice for the domain, which you need to use in the registrations.register API call.

3. You can choose a DNS provider for your name servers based on the DNS provider options explained in the overview. If you choose Cloud DNS as your DNS provider, you must first create a managed public zone for your domain.

   To create a managed public zone, use the managedZones.create method:

   POST https://dns.googleapis.com/dns/v1/projects/PROJECT_ID/managedZones
   {
    "name": "ZONE_NAME",
    "description": "DESCRIPTION",
    "dnsName": "DOMAIN_NAME.",
    "visibility": "public"
   }
   

   Replace the following:

   • PROJECT_ID: the ID of the project where the managed zone is created
   • ZONE_NAME: a name for your zone
   • DESCRIPTION: a description for your zone

   • DOMAIN_NAME.: the DNS suffix for your zone, such as example.com

     Important: The trailing dot in the managedZones.create method is required.

   The resulting response contains a nameServers list that you must use in the registrations.register API call.

4. To register the domain, use the registrations.register method:

   POST https://domains.googleapis.com/v1/projects/PROJECT_ID/locations/global/registrations:register
   {
    "registration": {
      "domainName": "DOMAIN_NAME",
      "dnsSettings": {
        "customDns": {
          "nameServers": [
            "NAME_SERVERS"
          ]
        }
      },
      "contactSettings": {
        "privacy": "CONTACT_PRIVACY",
        "registrantContact": {
          "postalAddress": {
            "regionCode": "REGION_CODE",
            "postalCode": "POSTAL_CODE",
            "administrativeArea": "SUBDIVISION",
            "locality": "CITY",
            "addressLines": [
              "ADDRESS"
            ],
            "recipients": [
              "CONTACT_NAME"
            ],
            "organization": "ORGANIZATION"
          },
          "email": "EMAIL_ADDRESS",
          "phoneNumber": "PHONE_NUMBER",
          "faxNumber": "FAX_NUMBER"
        },
        "adminContact": {
          "postalAddress": {
            "regionCode": "REGION_CODE",
            "postalCode": "POSTAL_CODE",
            "administrativeArea": "SUBDIVISION",
            "locality": "CITY",
            "addressLines": [
              "ADDRESS"
            ],
            "recipients": [
              "CONTACT_NAME"
            ],
            "organization": "ORGANIZATION"
          },
          "email": "EMAIL_ADDRESS",
          "phoneNumber": "PHONE_NUMBER",
          "faxNumber": "FAX_NUMBER"
        },
        "technicalContact": {
          "postalAddress": {
            "regionCode": "REGION_CODE",
            "postalCode": "POSTAL_CODE",
            "administrativeArea": "SUBDIVISION",
            "locality": "CITY",
            "addressLines": [
              "ADDRESS"
            ],
            "recipients": [
              "CONTACT_NAME"
            ],
            "organization": "ORGANIZATION"
          },
          "email": "EMAIL_ADDRESS",
          "phoneNumber": "PHONE_NUMBER",
          "faxNumber": "FAX_NUMBER"
        }
      }
    },
    "yearlyPrice": {
      "currencyCode": "CURRENCY_CODE",
      "units": NUMBER_OF_UNITS
    }
   }
   

   Replace the following:

   • PROJECT_ID: the ID of the project where you created the registration resource
   • DOMAIN_NAME: the domain name that you want to register, such as example.com

   • NAME_SERVERS: the name servers that you want to use

     If you are using Cloud DNS, use the nameServers field output that you got from the managedZones.create.post API call.

   • CONTACT_PRIVACY: the preferred privacy setting for the contact data

     For detailed information about the available privacy options, see the ContactPrivacy resource in the Cloud Domains API.

   Replace the following values for registrantContact, adminContact, and technicalContact. For detailed information about each type of contact, see Contact information.

   • REGION_CODE: the region code of the address—for example, US for United States
   • POSTAL_CODE: the postal code of the address—for example, 94043
   • SUBDIVISION: the highest administrative subdivision of an address, such as a state, a province, an oblast, or a prefecture—for example, CA for the state of California
   • CITY: the name of the city or town of the address—for example, Mountain View
   • ADDRESS: the lower levels of an address—for example, 1599 Amphitheater Parkway
   • CONTACT_NAME: the name of the contact
   • ORGANIZATION: (optional) the name of the organization that is registering the domain—for example, Doe Corporation
   • EMAIL_ADDRESS: the email address of the contact—for example, [e-mail]
   • PHONE_NUMBER: the phone number of the contact in international format—for example, [phone]

   • FAX_NUMBER: (optional) the fax number of the contact in international format—for example, [phone]

     You must enter the address accurately because it is used for domain recovery in case you lose access to your registration. For details, see the guidelines for entering address field information.

   Replace the following values for the yearly price of the domain. This is the amount obtained from the yearlyPrice field in the registrations.retrieveRegisterParameters API call:

   • CURRENCY_CODE: the three-letter currency code as defined in ISO 4217—for example, USD
   • NUMBER_OF_UNITS: the whole units of the amount—for example, if currencyCode is USD, then one unit is one US dollar

After the registration resource is created, it is in the state REGISTRATION_PENDING. It should transition to the state ACTIVE in a few minutes. This means that the registration process is successful and the domain is ready to use.

To resolve any issues that arise, see the Troubleshooting section During registration, a registration resource seems to be stuck in state REGISTRATION_PENDING. See also List registered domains.

If you receive an error message during the registration process, see Errors during domain registration.

Verify your contact information

After you register your domain, Cloud Domains sends a verification email to the address that you provided in your contact information for the domain. This email includes a subject line that states Action required: Please verify your email address or [Action Required] Verify your Squarespace domain contact.

You must verify your contact information within 15 days or your domain becomes inactive.

To verify your email address, complete the following steps:

1. Open the verification email from [e-mail].
2. Click Verify email now.

After Cloud Domains verifies your contact information, a confirmation message is displayed that indicates that your email address is verified.

If there is an error in verifying your contact information, see the Troubleshooting section Registrant email verification issues.

What's next

• To get an overview of Cloud Domains, see the Cloud Domains overview.
• To make changes to your registration settings, see Edit registration settings for a domain.
• To access API information, see the Cloud Domains API.
• To find solutions for common issues that you might encounter when using Cloud Domains, see Troubleshooting.
• To learn about Cloud DNS, see the Cloud DNS overview.