Google is quietly testing a service for registering website domains

Google has quietly launched its own Internet domain registration service. And like many Google projects, Google Domains is starting off in beta; you'll need an invite to get in and purchase your own URL.

But the company's latest effort could present GoDaddy -- the world's leading domain registrar -- with some fresh competition. With Google Domains, you can set up a custom domain of your choosing, but Google won't actually be hosting your website. It's only handling the domain registration aspect; for everything else, the company has partnered with Squarespace, Wix, Weebly, and Shopify -- businesses that specialize in helping consumers build complete websites in mere minutes.

First, Google is promising not to charge users anything extra to conceal personal information (e.g. name and address) that must be provided when registering a URL. Lastly, there's the benefit of real customer support. Google says phone and email support will be available Monday through Friday from 9AM to 9PM EST.