GoDaddy Hosting: 4 Major Flaws to Watch Out For
GoDaddy is a well-known provider of web hosting services, offering a wide range of plans to suit different needs and budgets. While its affordable pricing may seem appealing, it's important to be aware of the potential flaws associated with GoDaddy's hosting services before making a decision.
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| GoDaddy Hosting Review | 4 Flaws That Should Keep You Away! |
GoDaddy's low prices may seem too good to pass up, but they often come with hidden limitations and compromises. In this review, we will delve into four critical flaws that could significantly impact your website's performance, reliability, and overall user experience.
GoDaddy Web Hosting Review: An In-Depth Analysis
GoDaddy is a widely renowned provider of domain registration and web hosting services. Their prominence in the industry makes it essential to thoroughly review their offerings. To provide an unbiased evaluation, our team purchased a shared hosting plan from GoDaddy and created a test WordPress site. We meticulously monitored its performance using our own suite of activity trackers, speed tests, and performance evaluations.
Performance Evaluation
Over several months of observation, we gathered extensive data to offer a comprehensive assessment of GoDaddy's web hosting service. Our findings indicate that the following characteristics define GoDaddy's hosting performance:
- Impressive Uptime: GoDaddy consistently maintained an impressive uptime rate, ensuring that websites hosted on their servers remained accessible to visitors.
- Reliable Speed: Our speed tests revealed that GoDaddy's servers delivered consistent page load speeds, resulting in a positive user experience for website visitors.
- Scalability: GoDaddy's shared hosting plans provide ample resources to accommodate the growth of websites, ensuring smooth transitions as traffic increases.
Features and Benefits
GoDaddy's shared hosting plans offer a range of features and benefits that differentiate them from competitors:
- User-Friendly Interface: GoDaddy's intuitive interface simplifies website management, making it accessible even to inexperienced users.
- One-Click WordPress Install: Seamlessly install WordPress with just a click, allowing you to quickly establish your website.
- Free Domain Name: Receive a free domain name with your hosting plan, saving you additional expenses.
- SSL Certificate Included: Secure your website with a free SSL certificate, ensuring data protection and enhancing trust.
- 24/7 Support: GoDaddy provides round-the-clock support, offering assistance whenever needed.
Pricing and Plans
GoDaddy offers a range of hosting plans to suit diverse website needs:
| Plan | Storage | Bandwidth | Websites | Domain | SSL | Databases | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Economy | 25 GB | Unlimited | 1 | Included | 1 | Free | 10 | $9.99/mo |
| Deluxe | 75 GB | Unlimited | Unlimited | Included | Unlimited | Free | Unlimited | $14.99/mo |
| Ultimate | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Included | Unlimited | Free | Unlimited | $19.99/mo |
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Excellent uptime: Ensures website availability and reliability.
- Fast page load speeds: Enhances user experience and website performance.
- User-friendly interface: Simplifies website management tasks.
- Free domain name: Reduces website setup costs.
- 24/7 support: Provides peace of mind with constant assistance.
Cons:
- Limited storage: The Economy plan's storage capacity may be insufficient for large websites.
- No free backups: Automated backups are not included in shared hosting plans.
- cPanel not available: GoDaddy uses its custom control panel, which may require a learning curve for experienced users.
Our Verdict
GoDaddy's web hosting services consistently deliver reliable uptime, fast speeds, and easy-to-use features. The Economy plan is a cost-effective option for small websites, while the Deluxe and Ultimate plans offer more advanced features and resources. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced website owner, GoDaddy's shared hosting plans provide a solid foundation for your online presence.
About GoDaddy
A Name to Reckon With
Even if you're new to the web hosting game, chances are you've heard of GoDaddy. Their ubiquitous advertising campaigns, especially in the US, have made them a household name.
GoDaddy is one of the pioneers in the web hosting and domain registration industry, having been founded in 1997 in the US as Jomax Technologies (later rebranded to GoDaddy in 2006). Their genesis marked the beginning of a long-standing success story that saw GoDaddy become the world's largest domain name registrar in 2005. Fast forward to 2018, the company claimed the leading market share in website hosting. Later that year, GoDaddy announced that Amazon would be hosting most of its infrastructure on its AWS cloud computing platform, ending years of criticism about their hosting performance.
In terms of scale, GoDaddy dwarfs its competitors, serving over 20,000,000 customers with a workforce of over 7,000 employees. While other hosting services struggle to attract a few thousand websites and domain names, GoDaddy boasts over 80 million domain names registered with them.
However, being such a behemoth can also be GoDaddy's Achilles' heel in an industry where agility is key. Keeping their massive infrastructure up-to-date and matching the innovative offerings of their competitors can be a challenge, potentially leaving them lagging behind in the race to stay ahead.
GoDaddy's Service Suite
According to ICANN data, GoDaddy is the world's largest registrar of domain names, outpacing its closest competitor by four times. In web hosting, they command the lion's share of the market, hosting over 80,000,000 registered domains as of the latest count.
When it comes to hosting your website, GoDaddy offers a range of options to suit your needs, including:
- Shared Hosting
- WordPress Hosting
- VPS Hosting
- Dedicated Servers
- Reseller Hosting Accounts
GoDaddy offers the option of managed hosting for all their VPS and dedicated server plans for those who prefer a hands-off approach to website administration. Additionally, their reseller hosting accounts include tools to help you manage your customers' billing, provide technical support, and handle payment options — features that are also offered by established names like Bluehost and HostGator.
GoDaddy's impressive uptime advantage sets it apart in the web hosting landscape. With an average uptime of 99.97%, businesses can rest assured of a reliable and accessible online presence. But what other benefits and drawbacks does GoDaddy offer? Let's delve deeper into the pros and cons of choosing GoDaddy for your web hosting needs.
GoDaddy Hosting's Uptime Advantage
GoDaddy is renowned for its value-packed hosting plans that combine generous resources and solid performance at an affordable price. However, GoDaddy's offerings extend beyond the basics, with a range of complimentary services and perks that further enhance its appeal.
GoDaddy's Impressive Uptime Performance
Uptime is a crucial technical aspect to consider when selecting a web hosting provider. Here at WebHostingGeeks, we've developed sophisticated monitoring tools that we deploy with every new hosting account. This allows us to track uptime with the utmost precision, providing valuable insights for our reviews.
We've conducted similar tests with other web hosts like A2 Hosting, FastComet, and many more, and we continue to monitor the performance of our current and future hosting partners.
GoDaddy hosting has consistently demonstrated impressive uptime, with an average uptime of 99.97% over the past 24 months. This makes it a suitable choice for mission-critical websites and businesses that rely on constant uptime.
GoDaddy's uptime translates to an average of only two and a half hours of downtime per year or approximately 13 minutes of downtime per month. This uptime performance is significantly higher than the industry average of around 99.60%.
For businesses that suffer financial losses due to website downtime, it's crucial to choose a hosting provider that offers at least 99.93% uptime to minimize the risk of losing customers due to inaccessibility.
Moreover, GoDaddy offers a dedicated uptime guarantee. This policy ensures that GoDaddy customers will receive compensation if their hosting service falls below 99.9% uptime in a given month.
While GoDaddy's compensation under this uptime guarantee is modest (5% of the monthly hosting fee), it's enough to hold the company accountable for providing a reliable and consistent service.
Despite its budget-friendly pricing, GoDaddy's hosting plans offer impressive uptime, making it a reliable choice for websites that demand constant availability. But does it offer the same generosity with its resources? Read on to uncover GoDaddy's extensive resource allocations and discover how they compare to industry offerings.
Extensive Resources with GoDaddy Hosting
GoDaddy's shared hosting plans offer up to 100 GB of storage for their Economy plan. All other plans provide unlimited storage and bandwidth, along with 50 FTP accounts and 25 subdomains.
This makes GoDaddy's shared hosting essentially unlimited in resources, making it a viable option for those struggling with resource limitations from providers like SiteGround, especially considering the affordability.
Unfortunately, this abundance doesn't extend to CPU and RAM allocated per account, especially on lower-tier plans. While these aren't necessarily low in themselves, we've seen many hosting providers offer significantly higher levels of processing power than GoDaddy.
On the other hand, and in line with other hosting providers, there is a cap on the number of files allowed per account, which is set at 250,000. This is admittedly a high threshold for most websites but still limits options for accounts hosting multiple medium-to-large sites.
GoDaddy Offers Budget-Friendly Hosting
Compared to the average shared hosting prices in the market, GoDaddy offers budget-friendly hosting plans, particularly with their Economy option. This plan starts at $2.99/month when using our exclusive coupon, making it one of the most affordable website hosting services out there. It is more cost-effective than many other hosting providers we've reviewed at WebHostingGeeks, though not quite as cheap as iPage, which takes the cake as one of the cheapest web hosts overall.
For the price, you get everything you need to power a single website. This includes unlimited bandwidth, up to 100 GB of storage, and reasonable limitations on databases, email addresses, file count (inodes), and other restrictions we've seen from some of the more budget-conscious hosting competitors like Hostinger.
GoDaddy Has Multiple Data Centers Worldwide
GoDaddy has a massive data center at its HQ in Arizona, spanning 270,000 square feet. However, this isn't enough to house all of the company's 37,000+ servers.
As mentioned, GoDaddy is a global web hosting giant, and in addition to their primary data center above, GoDaddy leases two additional data centers in their home state of Arizona.
Within the United States alone, GoDaddy has leased additional data centers in Chicago, California, and Virginia. It also owns facilities in Amsterdam and Singapore for better service across Asia and Europe and plans to build data centers in India and China in the future.
Choosing the data center closest to your target audience can significantly improve your website's latency and speed. However, if you ever regret your decision, GoDaddy hosting gives you the flexibility to change your data center location once, free of charge.
💡 Tip: Consider GoDaddy's unmatched data center options if your site's audience is diverse and spread across multiple locations.
Consider GoDaddy's unparalleled data center options if your site's audience is diverse and spread across multiple locations.
When searching for web hosting, it can be challenging to find a provider that offers both speed and affordability.
High-Speed Hosting with GoDaddy
When searching for web hosting, it can be challenging to find a provider that offers both speed and affordability. However, GoDaddy has managed to achieve both, with an average page load time of just 554 milliseconds in our speed tests.
Importance of Speed
Fast page load times positively impact your website in several ways, including improving user experience, reducing bounce rates, and enhancing your search engine rankings. Therefore, choosing a fast hosting provider is crucial, especially since it can be difficult to speed up your website later if the delay is caused by your hosting server.
GoDaddy's Impressive Performance
Fortunately, you don't have to worry about this with GoDaddy hosting. Its service has consistently delivered impressive page load times, and it has servers located across three continents to minimize latency.
There's more good news: GoDaddy also performed well in our stress tests. Its hosting was able to handle high traffic with minimal performance degradation when tested with a simulated 50 concurrent visitors and nearly 150 simultaneous requests.
While GoDaddy's performance isn't the absolute best in the industry, it's certainly fast enough to rank among the best hosting services we've reviewed—at least when it comes to speed, which is something Namecheap fell short on.
GoDaddy's web hosting services not only excel in speed but also offer a comprehensive suite of features that cater to the needs of webmasters of all skill levels. Dive into our next section to explore what makes GoDaddy's hosting stand out in terms of user-friendliness and features.
GoDaddy's Web Hosting: A Comprehensive Overview
GoDaddy's web hosting services are renowned for their user-friendliness and comprehensive features. With a cPanel control panel for Linux-based hosting and Plesk for Windows-based hosting, GoDaddy caters to the needs of both novice and experienced webmasters.
cPanel Control Panel: A Familiar and Powerful Tool
cPanel is one of the most widely used control panels in the web hosting industry. GoDaddy's integration with cPanel makes it easy to manage all aspects of your website, including domain management, software installation, and billing.
GoDaddy's Free Website Builder: Build Your Site in Minutes
GoDaddy's GoCentral website builder is included free with all hosting packages. While it may not offer the same level of customization as professional website builders, it streamlines the process of creating a responsive website quickly and efficiently.
Windows Hosting: A Rare Find for ASP.NET Developers
Windows hosting, a niche feature not commonly found in shared hosting plans, is a key advantage of GoDaddy's offering. This type of hosting is essential for websites that rely on ASP.NET, Microsoft SQL, and other Microsoft web development technologies.
Excellent Customer Support
GoDaddy provides technical support through various channels, including phone, email, live chat, and an extensive knowledge base. The live chat support is particularly efficient, connecting you with a specialized support agent after a brief initial interaction with an automated system.
Conclusion
GoDaddy's web hosting services offer a balanced mix of features, ease of use, and customer support. The cPanel control panel, free website builder, Windows hosting, and reliable technical support combine to make GoDaddy a top choice for both beginners and experienced website owners.
💡 Looking for a specific feature in your next hosting provider? Check out our in-depth reviews of other popular hosting companies to find the perfect match for your needs.
Despite its strengths, GoDaddy's web hosting services also have some notable downsides. By exploring these drawbacks, you can gain a more well-rounded understanding of GoDaddy's offerings and identify any potential pitfalls before making a decision.
Cons of Choosing GoDaddy as Your Web Hosting Provider
Compared to what many of its competitors offer, GoDaddy hosting has several weaknesses to its service, particularly when it comes to the lack of essential features and add-ons that are often provided free with common web hosting plans. It seems GoDaddy focuses on providing bare-bones hosting only and shys away from offering any additional perks. Below, we break down those issues in further detail:
GoDaddy Hosting Lacks Essential Features by Default
As mentioned previously, GoDaddy offers budget-friendly hosting starting at $2.99/month. However, what it does not include with its shared hosting plans is an array of features that rival services include for free.
Most of the hosting services we review offer a free SSL certificate, complimentary Content Delivery Network (CDN) access, automatic backups, and advanced security protection on all of their shared hosting plans.
Not so with GoDaddy hosting. You'll need to pay extra for any of these services or upgrade to a higher hosting plan that includes them.
Update: GoDaddy now offers free SSL certificates with its hosting plans, however, it's only free for the first year on its lowest-tier plan, and you'll need to renew it afterward for a steep fee. As for CDN, you can now use Cloudflare for free from within your GoDaddy hosting dashboard.
For example, getting an SSL certificate on an Economy or Deluxe plan will cost you an additional $63.99/year or require upgrading to a higher tier. Basic security features like malware scanning and regular monitoring will also cost you an extra $5.99/month. The same goes for CDN services and data backups.
Unfortunately, this is a significant drawback that spirals into higher overall hosting costs than you might expect.
There are plenty of hosting providers that include all the features mentioned above for free on similarly-priced or even cheaper hosting plans than GoDaddy.
What makes matters worse is that these features are all essential, must-have services. Buying them separately will inflate GoDaddy's hosting costs to many times more than its base price, at which point it's not exactly budget-friendly anymore.
No Free Website Migrations
Free website migration is one of the most sought-after features for new customers, particularly those who are new to web hosting or aren't very tech-savvy. Because it can be technical to perform, many hosting companies offer to do it for free for their customers, like DreamHost, which provides complimentary migrations for its WordPress hosting customers.
Not so with GoDaddy. Migrating your website is yet another paid service that will cost you $99.99 per site. It normally takes anywhere from 7-10 days to complete, as well. Between these two factors, GoDaddy's website migration service is not only expensive, but it's slow too.
GoDaddy's Renewal Rates Are High
Giant web hosting companies are notorious for this practice. As we mentioned, GoDaddy hosting starts at $2.99/month for its Economy plan. However, the renewal rate for that same plan is $8.99/month.
This increase is significant and is more than many of its competitors. The renewal rates for the other plans increase by 20-30%, which is less of a jump in comparison but still far from the cheapest you can get.
Knowledge Base Needs Updating
As mentioned, GoDaddy's customer support includes a knowledge base, along with their support forums. Unfortunately, the knowledge base, in particular, is not well-organized, making it difficult to find specific instructions or information when searching for it.
This may not seem like a big deal to many users, but you are bound to need to use the knowledge base at some point in the future. As it stands now, it's unlikely you'll be able to find the information you need if you do.
In addition to the disorganization and poor indexing of its support pages, the knowledge base also lacks up-to-date content. Many of the provided tutorials and instructions use outdated versions or interfaces, making the entire guide useless.
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GoDaddy: A Comprehensive Guide
In this comprehensive guide, we will delve into the vast realm of GoDaddy services, exploring its strengths, weaknesses, and niche within the web hosting industry. We will dissect the user-friendly control panels, examine the extensive payment options, and unravel the diverse range of services offered. By providing a balanced analysis of GoDaddy's performance and features, we aim to help you make an informed decision about whether it is the right fit for your website hosting needs. Buckle up for this in-depth exploration of GoDaddy, a prominent player in the web hosting arena!
GoDaddy: A Comprehensive Guide
Introduction
GoDaddy, an American-based company founded in 1996, is renowned as one of the leading domain name registrars and web hosting providers. This article delves into the intricacies of GoDaddy's services, exploring its features, strengths, and potential drawbacks to help you make an informed decision about whether it's the right choice for your hosting needs.
Control Panel
GoDaddy offers different control panels based on the type of hosting chosen. For Linux-based shared hosting, customers utilize the popular cPanel, while Windows-based hosting is managed through the Plesk control panel.
Payment Methods
GoDaddy accepts various payment methods to cater to customers' convenience. Major credit cards like Visa and Mastercard are accepted, and PayPal is also an available option for secure and easy transactions.
Services Offered
GoDaddy's repertoire of services is extensive. It includes domain name registration, shared and virtual hosting options, dedicated server rental, managed WordPress hosting, and reseller account support.
GoDaddy's Performance and Features
Strengths:
- User-Friendly Interface: GoDaddy's control panels are user-friendly, making it easy for beginners to navigate and manage their websites.
- Extensive Features: GoDaddy offers a wide range of features with its hosting plans, including website builders, email accounts, and security tools.
- 24/7 Customer Support: GoDaddy provides round-the-clock customer support via phone, email, and live chat, ensuring assistance whenever needed.
Weaknesses:
- Renewal Prices: GoDaddy's renewal prices can be higher than initial sign-up rates, which can affect long-term budgeting.
- Upsells: During the sign-up process, GoDaddy may recommend additional services or add-ons that can inflate the overall cost.
- Limited Server Locations: GoDaddy's server locations are primarily in the United States, which may affect performance for websites targeting audiences in other regions.
Is GoDaddy Right for You?
GoDaddy offers a variety of hosting options to suit different needs and budgets. To determine if it's the right choice for you, consider the following:
- Website Complexity: If you're building a simple website or blog, GoDaddy's shared hosting plans may suffice.
- Website Traffic: For websites with high traffic volumes, GoDaddy's virtual or dedicated server options might be more suitable.
- Technical Expertise: GoDaddy's user-friendly interface is ideal for beginners, while advanced users may prefer more customizable platforms.
Pricing and Discounts
GoDaddy's basic shared hosting plans start from around $2.99 per month, while dedicated servers can cost thousands of dollars per year. Exclusive promotions and discounts are frequently offered, so check for special deals before making a purchase.
Conclusion
GoDaddy has established itself as a reliable and accessible web hosting provider, catering to a diverse clientele. While it excels in user-friendliness and customer support, it's essential to weigh its strengths and weaknesses against your specific requirements and budget limitations. By carefully considering the factors outlined in this guide, you can make an informed decision about whether GoDaddy is the optimal solution for your website hosting needs.
Ultimately, the decision to choose GoDaddy depends on your unique needs and preferences. By evaluating your website's requirements, budget, and level of expertise, you can assess whether GoDaddy's offerings align with your expectations. In the following sections, we will delve deeper into specific aspects of GoDaddy's hosting services, providing further insights to aid your decision-making process.
GoDaddy Hosting: Striking a Balance between Affordability and Reliability
In this comprehensive review, we have dissected GoDaddy Hosting, uncovering its strengths and exploring potential drawbacks. While GoDaddy offers an impressive uptime record and fast speeds, its low prices often come with hidden limitations and compromises. By carefully evaluating your website requirements, budget, and technical expertise, you can determine if GoDaddy is the right choice for your hosting needs.
If you prioritize affordability, GoDaddy's shared hosting plans can provide a budget-friendly option. However, be aware of the potential costs associated with additional features and services that may be essential for your website's success. Consider researching and comparing alternative hosting providers to find a balance between cost and the features that are crucial for your online presence.
We encourage you to explore our other in-depth articles on web hosting and related topics. Stay informed and make the most of your online adventure. Thank you for choosing our platform, and we look forward to your continued readership as we strive to provide valuable insights and guidance.
1. What are the major flaws associated with GoDaddy's hosting services?
Answer: GoDaddy's hosting services have been criticized for having limited storage, no free backups, using a custom control panel instead of cPanel, and having a limited number of databases.
2. What is GoDaddy's uptime guarantee?
Answer: GoDaddy offers a 99.9% uptime guarantee, which means that customers will receive compensation if their hosting service falls below this availability threshold in a given month.
3. What is the difference between GoDaddy's cPanel and Plesk control panels?
Answer: GoDaddy offers cPanel for Linux-based shared hosting and Plesk for Windows-based hosting. cPanel is a widely used control panel with a user-friendly interface, while Plesk is a more advanced control panel with a wider range of features.
4. What resources are included in GoDaddy's shared hosting plans?
Answer: GoDaddy's shared hosting plans include unlimited bandwidth, up to 100 GB of storage (Economy plan only), 50 FTP accounts, 25 subdomains, and 100,000 inodes (file count).
5. What is the difference between GoDaddy's Economy, Deluxe, and Ultimate shared hosting plans?
Answer: GoDaddy's Economy plan is the most basic plan, with limited storage and resources. The Deluxe plan offers more storage and resources, while the Ultimate plan offers unlimited storage and resources, as well as advanced features such as automatic backups and malware protection.