publicly held company that is primarily an internet domain registrar and web hosting company
Videos
Is GoDaddy Pro free?
We wouldn't say that GoDaddy Pro is free, as you have to earn points to get to this level which requires some investment. However, you will have to buy the plans, which means it is not free.
Should You Consider Using GoDaddy Pro or Godaddy Pro Plus?
It depends on the needs you have for your website and brand. GoDaddy Pro Plus will be a better option if you want to manage more clients and enjoy advanced features.
How do I upgrade to GoDaddy Pro?
To upgrade to the GoDaddy Pro plan, you must log in to your GoDaddy account; GoDaddy login is relatively easy, and look through the menu for Edit Your Plan. Further, follow the instructions on the screen, and your plan will be upgraded.
If you're well versed in web development, you'd know that GoDaddy reviews are pretty trash. Unfortunately, the average consumer doesn't really understand why.
TL:DR If you're looking to build a website it's MUCH BETTER to go with Namecheap as your domain registrar and Siteground as your web hosting provider.
By doing this you save a significant amount of $$$ in the end because GoDaddy up-charges you for stuff that you get for free with Namecheap + Siteground! (more on this later).
The only caveat is it requires a few more steps to set-up. It's really not hard at all though...
I highly recommend checking out this YouTube tutorial. It shows you exactly how to set everything up including the WordPress installation. It's also good to note that Siteground currently has an 80% discount.
1yr GoDaddy Plan Breakdown
I'm going to break down for you why you should stay away from GoDaddy and why it's much better to go with an alternative.
Keep in mind I determined these figures using GoDaddy's cheapest web hosting plan.
| Provider | Discount Period | Starting Price | Renewal Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| GoDaddy Domain | 1 Year | $0 | $20 |
| GoDaddy Web Hosting | 1 Year | $84 | $108 |
| GoDaddy SSL | 1 Year | $0 | $99 |
| Total | $84 | $227 ($19/mo) |
If you purchased all your web services with GoDaddy, it would cost you $227 or ~$19/mo AFTER the discount period ends. The discount period lasts for 1 year.
What a lot of people don't understand is companies will deliberately show you the discounted price on the checkout page and keep the renewal price in fine print!
If you were to checkout via GoDaddy you'll see a very attractive price of $84. Understand that this price only lasts for 1 year! After that, you'll pay $227/yr
Okay, now that we understand GoDaddy's pricing, let's go over the pricing for Namecheap + Siteground.
1yr Namecheap/Siteground Plan Breakdown
Keep in mind I determined these figures using Siteground's cheapest web hosting plan StartUp.
| Provider | Discount Period | Starting Price | Renewal Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| NameCheap Domain | 1 Year | $7 | $14 |
| SiteGround Web Hosting | 1 Year | $35 | $180 |
| SiteGround SSL | N/A | $0 | $0 |
| Total | $42 | $194 ($16.17/mo) |
As you can see, the Namecheap + Siteground combination is much more affordable. Not only are you saving $$$ during the discount period, but your renewal rates after the discount period(s) ends is cheaper! $194 or ~$16/mo.
The main reason being is that *Siteground does not charge your for an SSL certificate. GoDaddy on the other hand charges you $99/yr for one! This is absolutely ridiculous... You do not need to pay for an SSL certificate. Most web hosting providers will provide you with one for FREE!
Sorry if it sounds like I'm getting too excited about this... I'm just frustrated with how often people fall for the marketing tricks of GoDaddy. Hell, even my mom fell for it (more on that story below).
A quick re-cap on what to do:
-
Go to Namecheap and buy your domain
-
Go to SiteGround and purchase your web hosting plan. (Make sure you select "I already have a domain" while doing so).
-
After purchasing both your domain and web hosting, you'll need to point your domains nameservers to Siteground!
-
Install WordPress
-
Profit $$$
If you're a visual person, this YouTube video perfectly demonstrates how to do this all.
STORY TIME: My mom recently built a website. Curious, I asked her what provider she used to get her domain and build the website. She said GoDaddy. I sighed in disappointment wishing she would have consulted me before building her website.
The main thing GoDaddy has going for it is its marketing which unsuspecting people fall victim to, believing it’s a good domain registrar and web hosting provider.
The truth is, GoDaddy leverages their successful marketing in order to upcharge for their services and profit. Their reviews are not very good amongst experienced web developers.
Even upon checkout, GoDaddy tries to upsell you on services like:
-
Domain Protection
-
Website Builder
-
SSL Certificate
-
Microsoft Office 365
-
Google Email
Many of these services (like SSL certificates) can be gotten for free.
For the other services like Office 365 and a Google Business email, it'll be presented as FREE but if you read the fine print, you'll see it's only free for the first year, then they'll hit you with an overcharged monthly subscription fee.
Domain Registration
The main reason why GoDaddy is bad is because their .com domains costs $12 for two years (which is already high for an introductory price). What people don’t realize though is that after two years, the cost jumps to $20/yr.
With Namecheap you can get a .com domain with an introductory rate of $7, however, the renewal rate is $14/yr.
Web Hosting
Instead of buying your domain and web hosting directly from GoDaddy. It’s actually better to buy your domain separately from a domain registrar like Namesilo or Namecheap, then purchase your web hosting from a provider like Siteground. Of course don't take my work for it and do your own research to find the best web hosting provider that fits your needs.
Side Note: Bluehost is a Newfold Digital company, which is also controversial on Reddit since they own a large portion of the web hosting market. It's best to go with a Newfold alternative.
TL:DR - GoDaddy will overcharge you and upsell you services that are unnecessary.