Last Updated on November 29, 2022

GoDaddy Review (2024)

  • Offers domains, hosting, website builder, marketing tools, and more
  • Easy to use
  • Great customer service

GoDaddy is perhaps the only “household name” among domain name registrars. This popular company boasts more than 20 million customers worldwide. GoDaddy is quite intuitive and simple even for newcomers. Those who are just starting with a website or who want to manage multiple websites with ease can do all they need to do with GoDaddy. GoDaddy was designed to be an all-inclusive web hosting service and those who use it give it high ratings overall. 

GoDaddy’s overall rating is high with most giving it a nine or 10 out of 10 and the next largest group giving it either a seven or eight. Users are specific about the pros and cons of using GoDaddy. Here is a list of both.

Pros:

  • GoDaddy is first and foremost a domain name registrar
  • One of the largest registrars in the world
  • More than 20 million customers
  • Offers domains, hosting, website builder, marketing tools and more
  • Highly organized for multiple domain names
  • Simple interface
  • It’s easy to use
  • Inexpensive setup
  • Reliable, speedy loading times
  • Great customer service

Cons:

  • Lacks integrations and add-ons with website design sites
  • Complicated back end server
  • Renewal prices go up a lot after the first year
  • High restoration fee if you lose your website
  • Renewals aren’t straightforward
  • Website hosting features are minimal

GoDaddy is best for those who want a simple, fast website that doesn’t require a lot of tweaking or customization. It is one of the fastest hosting platforms, with great processing power, to get a website up and running. 

However, the complaints people have about it come from those who are web design specialists wanting a lot more out of the tools. 

GoDaddy’s ultimate simplicity is alluring to those who aren’t well versed in building websites because they can still build theirs on their own without a web designer. 

The system has other tools for an all-in-one management system, which is helpful to those just starting with a website. One demographic that greatly benefits from GoDaddy is small businesses that can’t afford anything fancy but want tools to build their brand.

It is not the best website for those heavy on e-commerce or online stores as it is missing key integration features.

GoDaddy is known for its shared web host services and business email. Yet, its features go way beyond that. Features include:

  • Managing all aspects of your business from one place. That includes your website, email, social media, and e-commerce. 
  • Tools on GoDaddy make your website visible on any device from PC to mobile phones. They also allow you to edit your site from your phone. 
  • There are pre-designed templates for new website builders to use so you can create a website in just a few minutes, each with simple functionality built-in.
  • Within the website design tool, there are more than 20 themes to choose from to add more personality to your website. There are also different fonts, colors, and layouts to add to your customization.
  • There are other templates, graphics, and fonts available to create content for email and social media networks. 
  • GoDaddy has things like call to action tools, promo banners, members-only pages, drop-down menus, contact forms, and an image library where you can store all your images from multiple sites.
  • GoDaddy has a 99.99% uptime guarantee, which obviously, minimizes downtime.

Some cool features include the ability to book appointments either as one-time or repeating events. You can sync a calendar with this tool and even take payments for appointments online. The higher-tiered plans have some additional features. For instance, you can upgrade to a managed WordPress service for top support or additional help with an e-commerce store. 

GoDaddy offers scalability to make transitioning to higher-tiered plans as you grow seamless so you don’t need to worry about making changes.

One of the most recognized features that it seems all GoDaddy website customers talk about is its ease of use. The website builder is incredibly user-friendly and is great for those who aren’t super tech literate. The sidebar editor is easy to understand and also easy to follow. Advanced options are also available but no one needs to fear them because they aren’t complicated. Almost everything is a one-click installation or change with clear guidance on how to make changes.

Anyone can add things like announcements or pop-ups to the page. That is perfect for those seeking email addresses or subscriptions. 

Techies love the iPhone app, calling it “outstanding.” It allows you to do practically anything on the go that you would normally do on a desktop. That includes creating a website, managing your business, and selling your services or products. It is just as simple to use as the desktop version too.

GoDaddy has several types of hosting:

Shared

Shared hosting is where you share your system with other users. Traffic can be limited during this type of hosting but it works for many people with smaller businesses or those with smaller sites. It is also the most affordable type of hosting. 

Business

Business hosting is a feature of GoDaddy.com that others don’t have. It combines the best of VPS but has a much simpler setup and is more affordable. It’s a good transition step for those who are outpacing a shared hosting plan.

WordPress

There are WordPress hosting plans for those on WordPress sites. WordPress, which is one of the most popular content management systems, can be connected to several additional features that other hosting providers don’t offer.  

VPS (Virtual Private Server)

VPS hosting is an excellent transition step to getting a dedicated server as it offers more disk space but without the high price tag of a dedicated server. With VPS plans, your server is like a dedicated hosting yet it remains in a shared space. Everything within your space is yours without interference from others. 

Dedicated

Dedicated server hosting offers your own space, completely free of others. That means there is plenty of room for traffic and growth. That means a lot more cost for it though. Those who expect to have a tremendous amount of content with a lot of traffic benefit from this type of hosting.

Email hosting

Send emails from your business domain with ease. Existing email accounts can be transferred easily too. GoDaddy also offers a synchronized calendar feature along with its email hosting that many businesses love.

GoDaddy hosting has been around a long time so it has a lot behind its reputation for performance and reliability. It leads the industry in load times, free domains, and is the number one domain registrar in the world with 17 million domains under its management system. It meets industry standards of 99.9 percent uptime and the company guarantees it. 

GoDaddy is also recognized for its website security and support. The team watches servers and Cpanels and has constant monitoring to keep uptimes as they should be. There is malware protection in place along with secure CPUs and data centers. An SSL certificate provides additional protections. (A free SSL certificate is fairly common across web hosting services).

GoDaddy has tons of security features including DDoS protection to protect your site from hackers and malicious bots. It has a team dedicated completely to around-the-clock security for everyone on any of its hosting solutions. It also has a backup and restores system in place so website owners know they will always have an updated version of their site available even if something happens.

Plans with GoDaddy start super cheap at just $6.99 a month for the first year of the basic plan. Your credit card is charged $9.99 a month after the first year. The Deluxe Plan offers unlimited websites for $10.49 a month the first year and $14.99 after. The advanced plans, called Premium and e-commerce, start at $13.99 and $17.49 a month for the first year and jump to $19.99 and $24.99 a month respectively after you renew.

There is a 30-day money-back guarantee and there are also options to start for free so you can test-drive different hosting companies.

GoDaddy’s customer service has won awards. It includes 24-hour support by phone, which is becoming more unusual these days. There is also complete around-the-clock support by Twitter, email, and chat. 

GoDaddy has a ticketing system to make sure your needs are addressed and also has an extensive online help center so you can research topics as you need.

What is unlimited hosting on GoDaddy?

Shared plans come with unlimited storage but there is a catch with somewhat of a limitation, although it is a generous one. Each email is a file, and you are limited to 250,000 files or folders, posing a limitation. There are also soft caps on some resources and GoDaddy can slow the use of those resources down if you go beyond the caps. While you won’t use complete access, some features will operate slower than usual.

Is there a money-back guarantee with GoDaddy?

Yes, but it is related to the plan you choose so each guarantee is different. Details of the guarantee are stipulated in the fine print of your contract, so you need to read it. Those selecting an annual plan qualify for a 45-day money-back guarantee. Be sure to look for how to file for that and check out any restrictions on how to apply for it.

How cheap are GoDaddy’s plans?

The cheapest plan through GoDaddy is the basic which is $2.99 a month. It has 100 GB of storage, unlimited bandwidth, and a free domain for the first year. Some plans come with discounts that lower the price to $1 a month. Deluxe hosting is $9.99 a month and the Ultimate hosting plan is $14.99 a month, using first-year discounts for new customers.

Can I use GoDaddy with WordPress?

Yes, you can use GoDaddy to manage your WordPress site. However, you will have to manually install it with a WordPress managing tool suite. That automatizes backups and updates to your WordPress site. A positive note is GoDaddy has a one-click install for WordPress installs, so it is easy to get going.

Are GoDaddy’s servers in the United States?

Yes, GoDaddy has its primary data center in Phoenix, Arizona, and others in Ashburn, Va., Los Angeles, and Chicago. It does have international facilities in Singapore and Amsterdam. All of these sites allow for global service and solid uptimes.

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