Google is now Alphabet Holdings, and therefore, it needs some extra URLS that match its new identity. But the company has taken the quest for the perfect domain name too far.
A weird buy from Google
Google showed off the ABC.xyz domain in August, and in addition to it, it recently acquired the domain for the entire alphabet, making it the proud owner of the Internet domain name “abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz.com.” DomainInvesting.com was the first to spot Google’s 26-letter URL. The site noted that this URL was created in 1999 and was privately owned before it got transferred to Google. How much Google paid for the URL is not clear for now.
“We realized we missed a few letters in abc.xyz, so we’re just being thorough,” Google told Business Insider in an emailed statement. Mark Bergen of Re/code noted that this could be a defensive move by the search giant so that the likes of Apple or Facebook do not get their hands on it.
If someone clicks on the URL today, they will be led to an inactive site, and the status of the site is not expected to change anytime soon. Though the Internet address is easy to remember, typing it could turn off many. Even now, there are several Alphabet-related domains not owned by Alphabet. For example, ABC network, a Walt Disney company, owns abc.com, and BMW AG owns alphabet.com.
Why companies buy such domains
It is a common practice among companies to buy related domain names. There are several reasons for it, and the first is the convenience of users. At times, it happens that people misspell Google when they try to reach the search engine. Alphabet owns the domain names Googl.com and Gogle.com and forwards them to Google.com.
Secondly, as noted by Re/code’s Mark Bergen, some domains the search giant owns are for defensive purposes so that opposition groups cannot make use of them. One such example is GoogleSucks.com, which also forwards visitors to Google.com.
Why Google reorganized into Alphabet
Google’s reorganization into Alphabet was completed Friday, and according to Alphabet CFO Ruth Porat, this has not been done with the intent of cutting costs. Instead, it’s been done with the intent of bringing growth in revenue.
“The move is about ensuring we have the same very detailed, disciplined approach to looking at growth in expenses as growth in revenue,” Porat said Wednesday at the Vanity Fair technology conference in San Francisco.
