What's the likelyhood

[pirohost]

Do you think google is going to be offering paid web hosting solutions in the future, I recently discovered googlepages while looking for some stuff on google. I am not sure how long googlepages has been out for but it seems to be the start of something larger to come.

Do you think google will be offering paid hosting sometime in the near future?

 

[ldcdc]

I doubt it will happen anytime soon. Hosting is all about customer service. Google is great at creating innovative systems that just work, but support isn't exactly their strong point.

 

[CrazyTech]

Agree 100% with Dan. Hosting can only be so automated. Google has shown that it's very unmatched on the technical/software end of things, but it doesn't much mess with things that involve more of a human face. Hosting is not always the most profitable business, and I think they're years away from a paid division.

 

[awiekupo]

Google and Paid hosting just doesn't really sound like a match made in heaven. They do have the capability to provide this service but IMHO this will only stir more conflict to others. Imagine this, if you have Google as your hosting provider what would happen to other existing web hosting provider? Would you rather spend your cash on some cheap hosting package solution from a company that you hardly know or go for the big boy service?

So personally I don't think paid hosting would do much good for them. But free hosting will definitely be! Provided they come with a great add-on features & knowledge base for user support.

 

[hostnola]

Well, if they provided paid hosting, they'd have to get into the domain name business as well. There goes godaddy, namecheap, and a few others.

I just don't see it happening anytime in the near (or far) future.

Of course Web 12.7.3b (we've advanced since the last post) being what it is, you never know.

 

[hostingpuppy]

I think that if they can slap ads on it, they'll do it. Nothing would surprise me out of that place.

 

[Artashes]

Agree 100% with Dan. Hosting can only be so automated.

I wouldn't underestimate Google. After all, its coming from a company that wants and plans on making human genome searchable information. Recent user-rich applications and languages like Ruby and Ajax has allowed for few very easy and dumb-proof hosting applications already, so nothing is stopping Google from developing a killer application that will be as easy as drag-and-drop solutions (images, content, flash, etc), live editing, dynamic free tools, sky is the limit.

As far as Google offering web hosting solutions, I don't think this will have big effect on the industry as a whole. I remember the days when people were freaking out over Yahoo! going into web hosting, but all it did was educated more people to what hosting was and created a bigger pool of clients. I don't think this will be much of a difference, unless they really do come up with a killer solution that allows you to host your own domain names. And like everything else, Google must probably offer the solution free of charge with voluntary Google AdSense.

Practice shows, however, that recent GMail downtimes would keep on repeating and might migrate to other services as well, such as web hosting (if they offer one). Nobody is immune to downtime, so I don't think we should freak out just yet.

Best,

 

[.amaZe]

If google would think of doing this, then the industry would be hurt tremendously. It's not something out of their reach.

 

[DonHouston]

I don't think it would hurt the industry. It would be one more company in an already saturated field. But who knows anything is possible.

 

[ldcdc]

It would be one more company in an already saturated field.

It's not like it would be a hosting company started by your average Joe. They will get lots of media attention. That alone is worth probably millions in advertising benefits.

 

[GnomeyNewt]

I don’t see Google wanting to go into the paid hosting industry without first offering free hosting. I think they would totally want to put ads up on their free hostess websites first plus test any of their hosting control panel apps they've created.

I doubt it would hurt the industry too, because Google didn't kill the search engine or directory industry. It does monopolize it but there are still other major contenders doing their part. If they do come up with their own paid hosting – and it sucks… that’s good for the rest of the industry to get there and cleanup after their mess.

 

[Harry]

I think google at some point will offer hosting/domain services. Come on... it's GOOGLE were talking about here. They are the people, who want to own anything and everything!

I say down the road, they will start some kind of services. Mabye not google itself, they might partner up with some other company.

 

[DonHouston]

It's not like it would be a hosting company started by your average Joe. They will get lots of media attention. That alone is worth probably millions in advertising benefits.

I agree with that Dan. But there are other companies out there who are worth looking at who don't have the money to put to advertising. That is just one of the pluses that they have to their benefit but that does not mean that there support would be top notch.

 

[DonHouston]

I don’t see Google wanting to go into the paid hosting industry without first offering free hosting. I think they would totally want to put ads up on their free hostess websites first plus test any of their hosting control panel apps they've created.

I doubt it would hurt the industry too, because Google didn't kill the search engine or directory industry. It does monopolize it but there are still other major contenders doing their part. If they do come up with their own paid hosting – and it sucks… that’s good for the rest of the industry to get there and cleanup after their mess.

I will agree to this as well. Look at Godaddy, they have had several people who have posted that they do not like them for one reason or another. So it would all depend on how the chose to treat clients. All I can say is I would welcome the new idea with Google if I had too, besides to say it would hurt the industry I do not agree with. Unless they got all the major control panels out there so that they could offer it to everyone. But most time companies like that tend to use their own, and there are people who prefer cpanel, Direct Admin ect.

 

[PhoenixnetHost]

that will be as easy as drag-and-drop solutions (images, content, flash, etc), live editing, dynamic free tools, sky is the limit.

We been playing with something like this, its very possible soluation I would say that its just around the corner, this is going to be a furture product launched by us.

John

 

[ArtyCrow]

maybe they will come out with such a product, but most probably, this will be a free service, atleast at first. I dont suppose they would like to get into customer support and stuff.