GoDaddy is globally recognised as one of the leading brands when it comes to registering a domain. But since they launched GoDaddy website builder and hosting options how do they compare to the other all in one solution platforms currently on the market?
In this guide, we are going to conduct a brief Godaddy website builder review along with looking at the hosting & domain aspects. We will also review some of the other top providers on the market and explain hosting in a simple to understand manner.
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Web or cloud hosting is a necessity if you want your website to be visible online. Without it, your website will always just be in its testing stage. A web host provider will store your site and any associated files on a physical server and maintain it, fixing any issues as they arise.
You can choose to have your site hosted by one provider and register your domain elsewhere or you can choose an all in one solution like GoDaddy hosting that offers hosting packages with free domains included.
Cloud hosting is very similar to web hosting, in that a provider stores and maintains your website files. The key difference is that rather than using physical servers it is hosted on a network of virtual servers. And this comes with a few advantages that we will explore a little later in this guide.
GoDaddy is often regarded as the best domain registrar, with over 21 million users and some of the cheapest domains available. But GoDaddy is much more than just a domain registrar, it is an all in one solution allowing customers to build, host and register their sites all in one place. But is GoDaddy good compared to some of the competition also offering all in one solutions? We’ve reviewed our top 5 to find out.
GoDaddy offers 4 different priced plans for hosting all of which include, a domain for a year, unmetered bandwidth, daily backups and a SSL certificate. GoDaddy also has a website builder which enables users to create professional looking websites without any coding experience through the use of AI and editable templates. And if purchase a website builder plan then basic hosting is included although you will need to purchase a domain.
Being the Daddy of domain names, GoDaddy has extremely competitive pricing and makes the process of finding, registering and managing a domain very easy. Put simply, GoDaddy is worth it for the low costs involved.
With over 900 templates to choose from and a drag and drop editor that allows for easy customisation of your website, it's easy to see why Wix has a reputation for being one of the best website builders. And if you choose to build your website with Wix then their plans also come with automatic hosting and a free domain for a year. The site also has a whole host of marketing and ecommerce tools available.
Squarespace is another big player when it comes to all in one solutions. The flagship product is its website builder which offers easy to edit templates with no coding skills required. All plans include mobile optimised sites, basic SEO guidance and website metrics as well as 24/7 customer support.
If you choose to build your website with Squarespace they include a 1 year free domain, but this is only if you purchase an annual subscription and unlimited bandwidth and hosting for your site.
Shopify are specialists when it comes to commerce, they offer the complete package from designing and building the site to POS for in store and even inventory management. This is a great option if your website is an ecommerce store, as it has so many features and plugins that you can use to customise your site. However it does come with a heftier price tag than the others, with the basic package starting at £25/month, although they do have a very stripped back starter package at £5/month. Shopify packages all come with ecommerce hosting (excluding starter) and domain registration has to be bought separately, however it can be done through Shopify.
One.com is primarily a hosting company, it might not be the very best hosting provider, that accolade is often given to Hostgator. However, it is a very reliable option, especially for beginners. If you buy your domain through One.com then you will receive 3 months of free hosting, a free website builder, a free SSL certificate and 24/7 customer support.
This GoDaddy review has been measured against what we consider to be 5 key factors in determining the reliability, security and scalability of a hosting & domain provider. And if GoDaddy hosting isn’t the right choice for you, using these 5 key indicators should make it easier for you to vet the other providers on the market. So let's find if GoDaddy is legit or just another money grab.
The GoDaddy website builder is very easy to use. Once you’ve selected your template and answered a couple of questions about your site you are then able to start customising with the drag and drop editor. There are little tours you can take if you need instruction however it's very intuitive.
Selecting a hosting plan that comes with a free domain is just as easy, simply compare the hosting plans on offer and then select the plan that most suits your requirements. Use the domain name search tool to discover if your preferred choice is available.
GoDaddy hosting has a guaranteed uptime of 99.99% and utilises global data centres for faster page loads and better performance. They have a strong emphasis on security offering all customers daily backups, SSL certificates and 24/7 network security. If you believe your site needs more RAM or upgrading this is possible with their VPS hosting platform options.
However, the lack of SEO tools and even the site structure limit just how much you can realistically scale your business. It's great for smaller businesses but if you’re a website that is going to grow to hundreds of pages this may not be the best option for you.
This GoDaddy hosting review scores highly on the pricing options. With 4 different tiers for the website builder and the hosting packages, all displayed in an easy to read table, users can clearly see what is included in each pricing plan and make an informed decision.
However, the displayed cost of the monthly plans is actually being shown with the discount for paying annually. So if you do choose to pay monthly the price is higher than what is displayed, so ensure you fully understand the cost before signing up.
The GoDaddy reviews can be a bit of a mixed bag when it comes to SEO, marketing and e-comms tools. For small businesses and beginners, there are enough tools, they offer basic keyword suggestions and on page optimization tips. There is also the option of using email marketing campaigns and integrating with social media. However, if your business is bigger or your knowledge in this area is a little more advanced, then the tools available might seem a little insufficient and turn out quite costly.
GoDaddy has a range of options for supporting their customers' needs and queries. From a help centre and how-to videos, to a GoDaddy community where you can connect with other users for advice and support. Alongside this Godaddy also provides a live chat function and a phone number to speak to one of their team directly. It really is 24/7 support done well.
This guide aims to explain who GoDaddy hosting is suitable for, clarify the differences between cloud and web hosting along with answering some of the more common questions surrounding hosting.
GoDaddy hosting is suitable for most businesses, big or small. They have various pricing plans and packages; from a basic starter plan to VPS and dedicated servers. Even on their economy package users get unlimited bandwidth and 100GB of storage, so cheap and cheerful at its finest.
| 💰 GoDaddy Promo Code | 🎁 GoDaddy Voucher |
| 🤝 GoDaddy Discount | 💳 GoDaddy Pricing |
| 🤑 Free GoDaddy To Use | 🥇 GoDaddy Alternatives |
| ☁️ Cloud Hosting | 🖥️ Web Hosting | |
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🗃️ Resource allocation |
Virtualised | Shared or dedicated depending on whether using a dedicated or shared server |
| 🕸️Scalability |
Easily scaled as uses a network of servers |
More limited as resources are finite and shared, although dedicated servers do allow for more |
| 🙂 Reliability | Very reliable as it uses multiple servers |
Depends on the single server hosting the site so may be more prone to issues however even most web hosting has an uptime guarantee of 99.99% |
| 💵 Expenses | Much more expensive but would only really be necessary for large websites with high numbers of traffic |
More affordable option |
Yes. GoDaddy was initially a domain registrar which has now grown to also offer hosting and even website building. But if you already have your own domain then it's a simple process to connect the two.
The web should be accessible for everyone including those who are visually impaired or unable to operate a mouse. And we should all strive to include accessible tools. Some of the best tools to use that can help are:
Free hosting providers may be good enough for a personal blog or practice site. However, if you plan to launch a professional site, whether for an online store, portfolio or for booking clients, then a paid host will always offer the best reliability, security and uptime. Having a site with slow loading times or page errors will quickly frustrate clients with the potential of leading to negative Godaddy website reviews but more importantly higher bounce rates and lower page position.
Cloud and Web hosting does not come without its own risks such as network outages, cyber security threats and connectivity issues. However, these risks are minimal and can be reduced significantly by choosing a reliable hosting provider.
In our latest guide we review if the GoDaddy website builder is good or not along with looking at some alternative options that might be better suited to your needs.
Our GoDaddy ecommerce review takes a look at the suitability of GoDaddy and the alternative options that might be a little better suited to the task of ecommerce.
Yes, GoDaddy hosting is very reliable. To find out how to set it up, price plans and what's included then take a look at our latest review.
In our latest guide we look at the different priced plans GoDaddy has for its hosting, including looking at how you can get free hosting for a year.
Godaddy globally recognised as one of the top providers when it comes to registering a domain. To find out exactly how to register your domain and the costs involved then take a look at our latest guide.
After completing this GoDaddy review, we feel happy to recommend it. Not just as a domain registrar, but also as a website builder and hosting provider. If you are looking to build a website and get it published online easily, then GoDaddy is a great option with some big discounts if you choose to pay annually. After putting it through its paces against the five key criteria, we are confident that beginners will find it intuitive, with a good level of customer support.
Although it doesn't have all the ecommerce features of Shopify, or all the templates that Wix has, that's not always necessary. What is important is understanding what you want from your website, not only now but also in the future. If you want to do some research yourself, then we’ve got plenty of reviews at Strafe as a starting point.
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