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GoDaddy Review 2024

Streamlined Website-Building Solutions from an Industry Leader

Daniel Blechynden

In a Nutshell

The GoDaddy website builder offers intuitive site-building solutions. Its section-based editor lacks true drag-and-drop functionality, and design flexibility is limited. But it’s easy to use, has a tidy management panel, and boasts various marketing and ecommerce tools. All in all, it’s a good option for beginners who want to get online fast.

pros

  • Very easy to use
  • Advanced marketing tools included
  • Seven-day free trial

cons

  • Can’t add custom code
  • Unable to export content

GoDaddy at a Glance

9.2
Editor Score

Easy-to-use

Easy-to-use drag-and-drop editor, intuitive interface, customizable themes, image library
9.5

Website Packages

Three eCommerce website plans, hosting, email
9.0

Reliability

SSL & HTTPS encryption, daily malware scanning, continuous site monitoring, 1-click backup website recovery
8.5

Customer Service

24/7 phone support and live chat, platform has a detailed online knowledge base with articles and guides
9.5

Integrations

SEO tools, social media integrations, built-in marketing tools, email marketing and business integrations
9.5

GoDaddy GoDaddy Visit Site

What Is GoDaddy? 

GoDaddy has been the world’s largest domain registrar for more than 15 years, and it also offers popular web hosting and website-building solutions. Its website builder was developed from scratch with the aim of providing a fast, hassle-free way for people to create a new website. 

The main thing that makes GoDaddy stand out from the competition is that it really caters to small businesses. Its intuitive editor is perfect for users of all skill levels, and you will have access to a suite of marketing and ecommerce tools. 

There are also various self-help and educational resources, including a selection that touches on various aspects of starting your new website. All things considered, GoDaddy’s Marketing + Websites package is an attractive option if you have limited experience and want to create your own website. 

Using GoDaddy

Getting started with GoDaddy is a super easy process. You can sign up for a seven-day free trial without providing credit card details or any other payment information. It’s also possible to continue with the limited free-forever plan once your trial expires, which is nice. 

What’s more, the GoDaddy user interface is intuitive and easy to navigate. The main management dashboard lets you control everything from your website builder subscription to your domains and any other GoDaddy products you have. 

The editor is also tidy and easy to use, and we didn’t experience any useability issues during testing. 

GoDaddy Features and Tools

GoDaddy’s website builder is a little basic, but that’s not to say that it doesn’t come with a great selection of nifty features. 

GoDaddy Appointments

GoDaddy has a selection of excellent online appointment tools that you can add to your website. These let you add a calendar to your site so that customers can make bookings online. You can also configure it so you can accept payments. 

Domain Registrations

As the world’s largest domain registrar, GoDaddy naturally offers an attractive selection of domain registration and management tools. You can import domains that you already own and manage them through your GoDaddy control panel, and there are numerous domain extensions to select from. 

Business Listings

There’s also a tidy Business Listings tool that you can access from the main dashboard. This enables you to create Yelp and Google My Business listings. You can also link your Facebook page. 

GoDaddy Airo

In a significant stride towards the future of online business management, GoDaddy has introduced GoDaddy Airo™, an AI-powered platform designed to revolutionize how small business owners establish and grow their online presence. GoDaddy Airo™ offers an unmatched experience, enabling users to quickly transition from concept to online reality, facilitating business naming, website creation, and day-to-day operations through intuitive AI prompts.

Key Advantages of GoDaddy Airo™:

  • Simplifies the process of naming a business, launching a modern, flexible website, and managing operations, all from the initial AI prompt.
  • Empower small business owners to concentrate on brand building, customer engagement, and business growth like never before.
  • Provides an AI-generated, custom logo that captures attention and makes a memorable impression.
  • Assists in setting up an LLC quickly, saving hours of valuable time.
  • Offers a free trial* of Professional Email, enabling domain-based email addresses (e.g., you@yourdomain.com).
  • Facilitates the creation of branded emails and newsletters with ease.
  • Enhances site visibility and traffic through AI-powered SEO optimization.
  • Improves customer interaction and engagement with AI-generated responses in Web Chat.
  • Requires no technical or design skills to use.
  • Backed by award-winning 24/7 customer support.
  • With the launch of GoDaddy Airo™, GoDaddy reaffirms its commitment to supporting small business owners by providing cutting-edge solutions that save time and foster success in the digital arena.

Cons of GoDaddy Airo™:

  • Not ideal for very large, enterprise-level businesses
  • Only available in the US and Canada to start

How to Create a Website with GoDaddy

When you start a new GoDaddy website, you have to select a website category and enter a site name. With the free trial, you will have access to all features for free for the first week. You can choose a premium subscription after this if you want to keep using GoDaddy. 

Once you’ve named your site, you will be asked a few questions so that GoDaddy can provide you with the right template. You can also change your template at any time during the editing process. There’s even a mobile editor so you can make changes to your site on the go. 

On the downside, there are only 22 designs to choose from, and these tend to be on the basic side. They are fully responsive and work great on both mobile and desktop devices. However, they do lack flexibility, and you will be somewhat constrained by the pre-coded layout. 

You can add and remove both sections and elements from your website using the intuitive editor. Here, you can also personalize your site’s content, change color and font settings, and access a suite of other excellent tools. 

One standout feature is GoDaddy’s autosave tool. This means that you will never lose your progress and will never have to save your site manually. However, you can’t roll back to previous saves. 

You can preview your site before publishing it with a single click. The main downsides of GoDaddy’s editor are that you can’t add custom code and there are no keyboard shortcuts. It’s also difficult to export a GoDaddy site to another platform. 

All in all, I do like GoDaddy. It lacks power if you’re looking for an advanced website builder, but it’s a great option for users of all skill levels who want to get online fast. 

Adding Multimedia to Your GoDaddy Website

To add images to your website, you will need to upload them to the built-in media library. You can upload most popular video and image file formats, and you can upload multiple files at one time. There’s also a large built-in stock photo library, and you can link your Facebook and Instagram accounts if required. 

You can edit media with the GoDaddy Design Studio, and videos hosted on YouTube and Vimeo can be embedded. Overall, adding photos and videos to your GoDaddy site is a simple process, and the integrated editing tools are excellent. 

Marketing Functionality with GoDaddy Websites

You will get a wide range of marketing tools with a GoDaddy website builder subscription. These include integrated social media marketing and email marketing tools, a native content creator, and a powerful marketing planner. You can even link your Facebook marketing account to create ads from your GoDaddy dashboard. 

There’s also a tidy blog manager that you can use to create and manage content. Plus, powerful analytics are available to help you track the success of these campaigns. 

SEO Functionality & Add-Ons with GoDaddy Websites

GoDaddy has a native SEO wizard that you can use to optimize your website for search engines like Google. You can add keywords and tags to your content and images to ensure it’s well optimized. 

However, this is the limit of GoDaddy’s SEO features. Its history of slow performance and slow load speeds will negatively impact your SEO score, and you will find it difficult to perform advanced optimization. 

On the plus side, it is possible to link Google analytics so you can track the success of your SEO efforts. 

Ecommerce

GoDaddy offers a selection of online selling tools designed to help you create and manage your own ecommerce store. You can add products manually or import them from another source, and the native payment processing gateway is robust and secure. 

You can also link your store to third-party marketplaces such as eBay, Walmart, and Etsy, and it’s possible to link your inventory to your Facebook storefront. The Commerce Plus plan includes even more powerful tools like automatic sales tax calculations. 

How much does GoDaddy cost? 

GoDaddy has four Website + Marketing plans. These all come with a seven-day free trial so you can test the platform. There’s also a simple free-forever plan, though it lacks advanced features. 

The Basic plan lets you create a simple website and provides access to email and social media marketing tools. Upgrading to the Premium plan adds online appointment tools, while the Commerce and Commerce Plus packages are designed for ecommerce.

Monthly subscriptions are available, but you will get a sizeable discount with a 12-, 24-, or 36-month plan. 

Package

Basic

Premium

Commerce

Commerce Plus

Price Per Month

$16.99

$26.99

$29.99

$49.99

Price Per Month (Annual Introductory Subscription)

$9.99

$14.99

$16.99

$29.99

Price Per Month (Annual Subscription)

$11.99

$21.99

$24.99

$44.99

Email Marketing

Online Appointments

X

Ecommerce

X

X

Ecommerce Automation

X

X

X

GoDaddy Help and Support

GoDaddy offers 24/7/365 phone and live chat support. The support agents are responsive and knowledgeable, and you rarely have to wait more than a couple of minutes to get a reply. Email support is absent, however. 

Another great resource is GoDaddy’s knowledge base, which contains a variety of step-by-step guides, video tutorials, and other self-help articles. You will also find a selection of educational webinars, and the GoDaddy community forums enable you to interact with other users and view the answers to past questions. 

How GoDaddy Compares to Other Website Builders


GoDaddy

Webador

Wix

Shopify

Weebly

Pricing

From $9.99 per month

From $10 per month

From $14 per month

From $29 per month

From $9 per month

Hosting Included?

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Number of Templates

22

42

950+

81

75

Blogging Functionality

Good

Good

Good

Good

Advanced

Ecommerce Functionality

Good

Basic

Advanced

Advanced

Advanced

Email Marketing Functionality

Advanced

No

Good

Advanced

Advanced

Responsive Design

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Analytics & Reporting

Basic

Basic

Basic

Advanced

Basic

GoDaddy vs Webador

Webador is more affordable than GoDaddy, but it offers slightly more basic website-building solutions. Like GoDaddy, it’s intuitive and easy to use. However, its ecommerce tools are on the basic side, and it has no email marketing functionality. Overall, we’d recommend GoDaddy unless you’re on a tight budget where every cent counts. 

GoDaddy vs Wix

Wix is arguably the world’s most powerful website builder, and it offers excellent design flexibility. However, it’s a little more difficult to use than GoDaddy and is a better choice if you want to spend some time personalizing your site. We’d suggest going with GoDaddy if your priority is getting online fast. 

GoDaddy vs Shopify

Shopify is a leading online store builder that’s designed specifically for ecommerce. It’s a powerful option if you specifically want to build your own store, but GoDaddy stands out as a much better choice for more general business and personal websites. 

GoDaddy vs Weebly

Weebly is a versatile website builder that, like GoDaddy, has a mix of online store and website-building tools. It’s also quite easy to use, though it’s not quite as simple as GoDaddy. However, it does offer more design customization, which is nice. We’d suggest Weebly for online stores that may be too large for GoDaddy’s platform.

GoDaddy GoDaddy Visit Site

Bottom Line

The GoDaddy website builder is a versatile option that’s suited to users of all skill levels. Its user-friendly editor requires no coding or other special skills, and it offers a selection of ecommerce and online booking tools. 

On top of this, GoDaddy is a competitively priced option, and there’s a seven-day free trial for all new users. The editor does lack advanced customization tools, but GoDaddy remains a leading option if you’re looking for a website builder that enables you to get online in a fast, hassle-free way.

FAQs

How to transfer a domain to GoDaddy? 

To transfer a domain to GoDaddy, you first need to ensure it’s unlocked with your current registrar. Next, log in to your GoDaddy account, head to the domains page, and search for the domain you want to transfer. Follow the prompts to transfer it. Head to the GoDaddy Help Center for a detailed guide. 

Who owns GoDaddy? 

The GoDaddy website builder is owned by the GoDaddy Group Inc. This group was founded in 1997 by entrepreneur Robert Parsons, and it has grown to become an industry leader in everything from hosting and domain names to website building. 

Is GoDaddy website builder really free? 

GoDaddy offers a free-forever plan that includes basic website building features. However, you will need to upgrade to a paid plan to access premium features, connect a custom domain, or sell products or services online. 

Contributing to the likes of top10.com, TechRadar and Tom’s Guide, Daniel’s writing focuses on technology, science, and dependable reviews. He has been a regular critic of software and products from various industries for several years, often utilizing his academic background in the sciences.

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