GoDaddy Hosting Review

What You Need to Know About GoDaddy for Small Business

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Looking for a web hosting solution and thinking about going with GoDaddy? It's one of many hosting options out there, so you may be wondering what the company offers to small businesses.

We'll break down the pros and cons of GoDaddy to help you decide whether it's right for your business.

What Is GoDaddy?

GoDaddy is one of the best known web hosting companies in the world. Founded in 1997 by Bob Parsons and based in Scottsdale, Ariz., the company became famous for its NASCAR sponsorship, $1 domain names, and racy Super Bowl ads featuring professional race car driver Danica Patrick, fitness guru Jillian Michaels (“The Biggest Loser”), and other attractive women.

Eventually, GoDaddy ditched the sensationalism of its past marketing campaigns to consolidate its leadership position in the hosting sphere. As a large corporation that employs thousands of people, it has sought to expand its market from first-time customers to small and medium-sized businesses.

The question is whether GoDaddy delivers the e-commerce goods your company needs, especially if you need to make a serious long-term commitment.

GoDaddy Features and Benefits

GoDaddy's four main hosting options aim to satisfy any type of entrepreneur, from the complete newbie to a large-sized corporation.

Shared Web Hosting

GoDaddy offers private space on a single server, an “apartment complex” concept. This type of hosting is good for people just starting online with little or no traffic.

Managed WordPress Hosting

WordPress is the world's most popular blogging platform, and 17% of today's websites are built with WordPress. This type of hosting is ideal for people who are using a WordPress-based website.

Managed VPS Hosting

Select any Virtual Private Server plan and access the power of a dedicated server. This option is best for high-traffic sites, creative agencies, and top-notch developers. Both Linux and Windows plans are available.

Dedicated Server Plans

GoDaddy offers dedicated service plans for those seeking performance, security, and control. You have your own dedicated server at your disposal if you are running a large site getting hundreds of thousand of visitors a month.

Common GoDaddy benefits regardless of the plan you select include:

  • “One-click” installation of over 150 apps, including WordPress, Drupal, and Joomla
  • 24/7 customer hosting support via telephone or chat
  • Reliability and performance guarantees
  • MySQL and cPanel administration, ImageMagick, logs, site statistics, and more

GoDaddy Hosting Drawbacks

In recent years, GoDaddy has had some high-profile issues related to downtime and its pricing policies. Some argue that its advertised low prices are merely facades to trap unsuspecting prospects. You must upgrade to a Deluxe or Ultimate plan to take advantage of month-to-month payment plans. Paying for your website builder is also a minor drag that few of GoDaddy's main competitors demand. Still, you are compensated with an above-average builder that's easy to use and produces good-looking websites quickly.

If you are in the market for a website builder, you may also want to see our reviews of other free or affordable small business website design tools.

Final Verdict on GoDaddy Web Hosting

GoDaddy has largely shed its racy image to become a major player in business hosting, thanks to numerous specialized tools which include Linux and Windows servers, VPS, flexible website creation tools, WordPress access, and knowledgeable customer service. Only the heaviest GoDaddy corporate plans run for hundreds of dollars monthly, and most online entrepreneurs today can get started for around $50.

Web hosting for all the technology involved is still a customer-oriented business, and GoDaddy continues to shine for small and medium-sized entrepreneurs. The company also offers prompt service for the most part and a strong frequently asked questions (FAQ) database.

It's not perfect, but it's worth looking into if you need web hosting services for your business.