Sunday, October 2nd
2022 Web Hosting Company Reviews
GoDaddy
- Domain registration
- Website builder
- WordPress hosting
- WooCommerce hosting
- Web design services
When people think of creating a website, they usually think of GoDaddy for hosting because they've heard about them "somewhere" . GoDaddy has been around since the beginning of the web in one form or another, becoming a household name when its infamous Superbowl ads aired in the early 2000s. The Scottsdale, AZ-based company has $3.8 billion in revenues and over 6,000 employees.
Lots of Options for Every Business Size
GoDaddy handles all of the pieces and parts that go into hosting a website, from domains, hosting, the website itself, security, online marketing, email, and even the Microsoft 365 office suite. It has long catered to the first-time website owner but also does well among the seasoned veterans who host dozens or even hundreds of websites.
GoDaddy has professionals who will design your website, your logo, and other branding, set up your eCommerce, provide phone numbers (including toll-free numbers), and handle your SEO and social media.
Priced to Sell
However, despite all the extras that it offers, GoDaddy mainly competes on hosting price. As a juggernaut in the industry, they can afford to undercut almost every competitor with super-low introductory hosting rates for all their services, from startup to advanced.
Prices for GoDaddy plans start with the free 7-day trial for the Ecommerce tier of the Websites + Marketing service. After the 7-day trial is over, and depending on the features you need, you'll pay an introductory price of $2.99 to $12.99 per month for web hosting and a free domain, or between $6.99 and $29.99 per month for GoDaddy Websites & Online Store. At renewal, the price range increases to between $11.99 and $44.99 per month. For WordPress hosting, you start out at between $8.99 to $20.99 per month, which jumps to between $9.99 to $24.99 per month at renewal. As is the case with most hosts, you save when you pay annually.
And Sell"and Sell
GoDaddy also has a business model of selling a base package of hosting without including essentials like SSL certificates or hardened security. Many users, not knowing the importance of SSL and security, have complained that their websites end up getting hacked or blocked by major browsers that now require websites to have SSL to display them safely. So, if you buy a GoDaddy plan, make sure to start with one that includes SSL and any extra security features or you'll need to purchase them separately.
Even though GoDaddy is very well-known, that doesn't mean it is necessarily the best hosting. Users who reviewed it negatively couldn't tolerate the constant upselling that occurred when they called in with a problem they wanted help with. GoDaddy's approach seems to be to sell upgrades to plans as an ad hoc attempt at a fix before digging into the root causes of issues. This has caused frustration that has led people to switch to other hosts.
GoDaddy hosting costs
GoDaddy offers the following web hosting plans:
- Free 7-day trial for the Ecommerce tier of the Websites + Marketing service
- $2.99 - $12.99 per month for Web Hosting with Free Domain
- $6.99 - $29.99 per month for GoDaddy Websites & Online Store
- $8.99 - $20.99 per month for WordPress hosting
Privacy Issues Continue
As we noted in previous reviews of GoDaddy, users complain about their information being sold to third parties almost immediately upon signing up for a plan as evidenced by the barrage of unsolicited offers they receive from companies they hadn't heard of. Often this is due to the user not knowing why it is important to purchase domain privacy at the time of registration to protect their contact information. GoDaddy representatives will then gladly sell it to them. But by that point, it is too late.
Subpar Performance
GoDaddy's lower-tier plans continue to load websites slower than similar sites on some rival hosts' comparable tiers. And, the user interface to access products, DNS settings, cPanels, and other necessary functions seems to get more complicated and confusing the more GoDaddy redesigns it.
Be Aware of What You're Buying
GoDaddy hosting can be what you want it to be. It can be beneficial to your business if you know what you're getting into. Be sure to research all the stipulations and conditions, ask a lot of questions of the GoDaddy Guides, and make sure you get all the things you need upfront to avoid upsells later.
More Web Hosting Company Reviews
The 14 Best Web Hosting Companies
Which Web Hosting Service is the Best?
Having a website is a necessity for anyone who wants to communicate with a regional, national, or global audience. Whether it's a website for brand awareness, eCommerce, media, services, writing, or a hobby, every site needs to be hosted somewhere. Since the web began, thousands of hosting companies have arisen, flourished, and disappeared. How do you know which companies available today will be around as long as you plan to have your website online? And, how do you know what features to look for?
For starters, be aware of your budget and what hosting companies charge. Don't be lured in by apparently low-priced plans without first reading the fine print. Many companies attract website owners with seemingly impossibly low fees only to jack up the rate at the time the hosting plan is renewed. Some offer a single rate regardless of the billing period. Others offer discounts based on whether you pay monthly, yearly or multiple years in advance. Yet others offer more advanced capabilities depending on the size and needs of your website and audience.
Web Hosting Company FAQ
- Fast Time to First Byte (the time it takes for the web server to deliver the first byte of data in a request)
- Free SSL certificates that automatically renew
- Focus on security and performance so that an attack or spike in traffic on another unrelated site on the same server will not adversely affect your site
- Included Content Delivery Network (CDN) to duplicate your content closer to the geographical location of your visitors for faster content delivery
- High availability (typically 99.99% uptime) so that you have as little downtime as possible
- Backup and restore capabilities, preferably included at no additional cost
- Maintenance package if your site uses a content management service like WordPress
- Easy access to support via chat, email, and phone in case of problems or questions
Continued from above...
When considering features, make a list of what you really need, what would be good to have, and what isn't very necessary. For example, do you need a plethora of themes to choose from in a do-it-yourself direction, or would you rather have a web designer create a custom design for you? Do you need a high-availability, supercharged dedicated server or just a bit of space on a shared server? Do you plan to develop your own code or do you need a professional developer for that? If you don't have a domain, will the host sell you one? If you do have a domain, how hard is it for the host to transfer it and also migrate your existing site? If you need email, eCommerce, advertising, and search engine optimization (SEO), be sure to list those as well.
Something people almost never think about is security and performance. Most like to assume that all hosts are secure and provide fast page load speeds. But that isn't always the case! This is especially a problem when a host charges very low prices for marginally capable plans. Those services are not likely to be secure or fast. Beware of shared hosting, which means your site is among hundreds or even thousands of others housed on the same server. In a shared server, when someone else's site is compromised or has a problem, it puts your site at risk.
Finally, look at a hosting company's reputation. This is not just about how many years they have in business. It's a combination of longevity, how they treat customers, how many complaints are logged, and how many of those complaints are directly answered by a representative of the company. Ask other website owners, web designers, and developers if they like or dislike a hosting company you're considering. Most of them will be able to share good and bad stories about any hosting company.
When evaluating your list and narrowing down your choices, consider these factors:
- Features. Which features does the web host offer and do you need all the features or just some of them?
- Cost. How are the hosting costs structured? Will there be monthly subscription cost hikes after a certain period of time?
- Reputation. What are people saying about the web host online? Is the web host going to shut down or change names soon, and are they engaging in shady practices that can hurt your brand?
- Security. How many security incidents has the web hosting company experienced? Are there widespread complaints of site outages? If so, how quickly and to what extent were those issues addressed?
- Performance. Are websites generally faster or slower on one web hosting service compared to its competitors? Does the web host offer plans that handle increasing numbers of visitors or sudden traffic spikes with more ease?
- Customer Service. If you experience problems with your website, what are the contact options for getting support, and how responsive are they? Are support representatives courteous and helpful, or are they rude and condescending? How long does it take to fix problems?
TopConsumerReviews.com has created a list of the most popular or prominent website hosting providers to guide you in your research. We hope this information makes it easier for you to choose the best web host for your business that will make your website engaging, performant, affordable, and secure.
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