GoDaddy Hosting Review: The Cheapest ‘Big Name’ Company for Your Hosting Needs


GoDaddy is number one when it comes to domain registrations. They are the largest domain name registrar in the world. As part of The Go Daddy Group, Inc., some of their ‘relative’ websites include Wild West Domains, Inc. (a domain-related products and services company); Domains by Proxy® (a private domain registration service provider); Starfield Technologies; and Blue Razor Domains (another domain registration service provider, which gives membership-based discounts). Bob Parsons founded The Go Daddy Group in 1997 which now includes more than 17 million domains under management.

New domain names are $8.95 per year or lower. For customers transferring their domains, it will only cost them $6.95 with a one year extension. GoDaddy offers a plethora of domain services. Some of these are: new domain registration, transfer of a domain, private domain registrations, business registrations, sell/buy domain services, and even get your domain name appraised, to name a few.

Also offered are web hosting and web site building services through GoDaddy: online web site builder (for those who have little or no programming knowledge, even you can build a website like a pro), e-commerce web site builder, starter web page, SSL certificates, and accept credit card payments, among others.

Their email options are also fairly extensive. With a GoDaddy email account, customers are ensured virus protection, online group calendars, numerous email accounts, fax through email, and more. Other features offered fall under web site marketing and e-commerce. They have tools dedicated to search engine optimization if you need it, Express Email Marketing® -- The Spam-Free & Legal Way, pay-per-click search engines, accept credit card payments, and e-commerce web site builder. There’s even Go Daddy Merchandise available with a Bob Parsons 16 Rules Poster and GoDaddy gift cards.

For each domain that is registered with GoDaddy, customers receive the following: quick blog, hosting with web site builder, complete email, getting started guide, secure domain locking, total DNS control, status alerts, just to name a few. The WebSite Tonight feature makes it fun – and easy – for anyone to create their own site. Plus, it’s affordable. It’s user-friendly enough for a novice to create a professional looking web site. On top of that, GoDaddy’s hosting guarantees a 99.9% uptime. Email is also available at no extra charge.

Go Daddy owns and produces its own technology; they do not license from others or outsource their operations. It is because of this that they are able to provide their quality service and while continuing to provide their customers with deep discounts compared to competing companies. There are, however, several resellers of GoDaddy’s products and services.

Go Daddy made its way to #1 in domains by providing high quality service and competitively-priced products. They provide outstanding customer service and appreciate and listen to their customers. Their awards prove their dedication to their service and customers. As a testimony to the quality of their services and their competitive prices, some of the awards they received over the years include:

The 2001 CNET Editor’s Choice Award

The 2002 Name Intelligence Largest Net Gain Award

The 2003 #1 Best Overall Registrar Award

The 2003 Name Intelligence Largest Net Gain Award

The 2005 Name Intelligence Users’ Choice Award

The Name Intelligence Largest Net Gain Award

It is the recognition from awards like these that truly shows how dedicated GoDaddy is to their customers and how much pride they take in selling quality services at a reasonable cost. This is especially true in the case of a ‘User’ Choice’ award, where regular people -- just like you and me -- have chosen the winner whom they feel is the best choice currently on the market.

GoDaddy also offers domains reseller plans. Their sister company, Wild West Domains offers the ability for you to become a first-class online reseller. They provide the products, take care of all the billing and renewals, and back you with support and management tools. As an added plus, there are no required deposits, minimums or
advance purchases. They make it easy for you; you select the products, set the pricing, and customize the site. They will take care of the rest.

Partnering with a company that can give you all of this support, while allowing you to provide discounts to your own customers and still make a decent profit, will help you go far with your own hosting business. Your customers will realize that they are receiving a quality service from you (and from GoDaddy) and continue to come back month after month, year after year. They may even refer you to friends, family members, or colleagues. Remember, the most powerful type of referral is a word-of-mouth referral from a trusted source … and it is free!

GoDaddy is truly the cheapest ‘big name’ company for your hosting needs. They have the same trusted reputation and image of any other nationally recognized hosting company, while lowering their prices with steep discounts that others cannot or will not match. You can try to find a better hosting provider at a comparative cost but, in the end, you would likely be wasting your time and your money. No matter whether you are an individual or are running a business, they have a plan for you. No matter what you need a hosting solution for, GoDaddy is sure to give you the biggest bang for your buck.