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Alphabet Inc became the parent holding company of Google in 2015. Google remains Alphabet’s largest subsidiary and is a holding company for Alphabet’s internet properties and interests.
Alphabet is a multinational technology company with a focus on search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, computer software, e-commerce, artificial intelligence and consumer electronics. The company is responsible for a range of products and platforms including Search, Maps, Ads, Gmail, Android, Chrome, Google Cloud and YouTube.
However, the past success of Google/Alphabet is no indicator of future performance and anyone thinking about investing in the company should consider researching the company more thoroughly to better understand its potential benefits and risks.
Investing puts your capital at risk, and investors should be prepared to lose some or all of their investment.
With this in mind, and once you’ve satisfied yourself about the reasons for buying shares in a particular company, there are several steps to take.
How to buy Google/Alphabet shares
1) Open an account
Whether you’re a seasoned trader new to stock market-based investments, if you want to buy shares in Google/Alphabet, you’ll need to open an account with a broker.
Stockbroking is competitive and services for DIY investors range from online investing platforms to investment trading apps that work off your smartphone or tablet.
Before opening an account, remember it is important to:
- Keep your financial goals in mind
- Be prepared to ride out market ups and downs
- Keep trading costs to a minimum
- Remember that share investing can prompt tax charges.
And before buying any shares, ask yourself these questions:
- Should I take professional advice?
- Am I comfortable with the level of risk?
- What’s my budget?
- Can I afford to lose money?
- Do I understand the company in which I’m looking to invest?
- Am I protected if my platform provider/advisor goes out of business?
2) Know where Google/Alphabet is traded
The ticker symbol for Google/Alphabet is GOOGL and the company is traded on the Nasdaq market in the US.
Nasdaq’s trading hours are 9.30am – 4pm (US eastern time) Monday to Friday.
You should be able to buy US shares through most brokerage accounts. Buying shares in US dollars incurs a foreign exchange fee (typically around 1%) unless you fund the purchase from a US dollar account.
Most brokerages also charge a higher transaction fee for buying US, rather than UK, shares. It’s worth comparing the fees charged by different brokers if you plan to trade US shares regularly.
Here are some things you may want to know about buying and selling Google/Alphabet shares.
Investments in a currency other than sterling are exposed to currency exchange risk. Currency exchange rates are constantly changing which may affect the value of the investment in sterling terms. You could lose money in sterling even if the stock price rises in the currency of origin. Stocks listed on overseas exchanges may be subject to additional dealing and exchange rate charges, and may have other tax implications, and may not provide the same, or any, regulatory protection as in the UK.
You will be asked to complete a W-8BEN form (valid for three years) which allows you to benefit from a reduction in withholding tax for qualifying US dividends and interest from 30% to 15%. Holding US shares also carries exposure to foreign exchange risk. If the pound strengthens against the dollar, your shares will be worth less in sterling (and vice versa).
As with UK shares, any profit on US shares will be subject to capital gains tax (CGT), unless you hold the shares in an individual savings account (ISA), or self-invested personal pension (SIPP).
Tax treatment depends on one’s individual circumstances and may be subject to future change. The content of this article is provided for information purposes only and is not intended to be, nor does it constitute, any form of tax advice.
3) Do your research
To find out more about Google/Alphabet, visit its investor relations page.
4) Decide your investment strategy
People tend to invest in one of two ways: either with a lump sum or via smaller, steadier amounts.
The latter method is often referred to as ‘pound cost averaging’, which may help you pay less per share on average over time. Rather than waiting to build up a lump sum, it means an investor’s money is put to use straight away.
5) Place an order
Once you’re ready to buy shares in Google/Alphabet, log in to your investing account. Type in the ticker symbol GOOGL and the number of shares you want to buy, or the amount of money you want to invest.
6) Review Google/Alphabet’s performance
Whether your share portfolio is crammed full of companies or holds only a handful of stocks, we believe it’s vital you review how each component is performing on a regular basis: monthly, quarterly, annually, or whichever frequency is appropriate.
Doing this enables you to review performance and ask if any adjustments to your holdings are required.
Google/Alphabet share price performance
The graph below displays the past performance of Alphabet. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results.
Investments in a currency other than sterling, are exposed to currency exchange risk. Currency exchange rates are constantly changing which may therefore affect the value of the investment in sterling terms. You could lose money in sterling even if the stock price rises in the currency of origin.
- Consolidated revenues up 12% year-on-year to $90.2bn; Google Search & other, YouTube ads,
Google subscriptions, platforms, devices and Google Cloud each delivered double-digit growth rates - Google Services revenues up 10% year-on-year to $77.3bn
- Google Cloud revenues up 28% year-on-year to $12.3bn, led by growth in Google Cloud Platform
across core products, AI Infrastructure, and Generative AI Solutions - Total operating income up 20% with operating margin up 2 percentage points to 34%
- Net income up 46% and earnings per share up 49% to $2.81
- Alphabet announced a 5% dividend increase, resulting in a quarterly cash dividend of $0.21.
How to sell Google/Alphabet shares
If you’re pleased with the performance of your shares and want to take a profit, you’ll need to sell your holdings. To do so, log in to your investing platform, type in the ticker symbol and select the amount you want to sell.
Note that if you’ve made a substantial profit, you may be liable to pay CGT when you come to sell your holdings, especially if your shares were held outside of a tax-exempt wrapper such as an ISA.
The CGT tax-free allowance for the tax year 2025-26 is £3,000. Find out more here about CGT, rates and allowances.
Why consider owning shares?
Before buying shares in any company ask yourself why you’re taking that decision. Does the company have prospects with a share price that could go from strength to strength?
Is there takeover talk that could potentially drive up a company’s share price? Maybe the company you’ve identified is on a recovery mission and its share price is starting to recover from previous lows.
How to invest in Google/Alphabet via a fund
Investing directly in individual stocks can be an absorbing and, hopefully, profitable experience. It may also qualify you for shareholder perks specific to the company in question.
Investing directly in individual companies can, however, leave you more vulnerable to stock market volatility and unforeseen swings in share prices. That’s why, financial experts often recommend that people invest in a diversified mix of asset classes and investment funds.
Being a major component of the Nasdaq index, Google/Alphabet is found in many funds incorporating a bias towards the US.
The content of this article is provided for information purposes only and is not intended to be, nor does it constitute, any form of tax advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Google/Alphabet pay a dividend?
Dividends are a distribution, usually in cash, generally paid by a company to its shareholders half-yearly. Payments are usually met out of that year’s earnings. Companies aren’t obliged to pay a dividend, but may choose to do so for a number of reasons – as a gesture of a company’s support to its financial backer, for example, or as an incentive to shareholders to continue owning shares.
In its Q1 2025 results, Alphabet announced a 5% increase to its dividend, resulting in a quarterly cash dividend of $0.21.
Can I buy Google/Alphabet with a debit card?
Yes, in the sense that you’d need to add funds using a form of method of payment. One option is using an appointed card to an existing online investing service or trading app before making the share trade from there.
What does it cost to trade Google/Alphabet shares?
This will vary depending on the investment service/platform that an investor is using to trade.
Broadly speaking, there are three main types of fees. First is a share trading fee that investors are charged by a platform each time they buy or sell shares. Note that some platforms charge no fee for this activity, while others may charge a flat fee of typically between £6 and £12.
Second comes the platform fee which is typically levied as an annual fee charged for holding shares on a particular investing platform. Again, some providers impose no fee, others charge a flat fee, and some services charge a percentage, typically 0.25% to.0.45% per annum of the underlying portfolio.
If you buy or sell shares denominated in a foreign currency, nearly all of the investing platforms charge a foreign exchange fee. Again, this will vary amongst providers, but tends to sit in a range from 0.5% to 1.5% per transaction.
Investments in a currency other than sterling are exposed to currency exchange risk. Currency exchange rates are constantly changing which may affect the value of the investment in sterling terms. You could lose money in sterling even if the stock price rises in the currency of origin. Stocks listed on overseas exchanges may be subject to additional dealing and exchange rate charges, and may have other tax implications, and may not provide the same, or any, regulatory protection as in the UK.
