GoDaddy Website Builder Review – Is It Any Good?

Name: GoDaddy

Website: GoDaddy.com

Price: $1/month – $9.99/month, but it raises (I’ll explain)

Owner: Unknown, founded in 1997

What Is GoDaddy?

I have never really understood GoDaddy. When it first came out they had commercials that seemed sexual and it confused me. Here I will give you an overview of GoDaddy and who I would recommend it to and not recommend it to. Their website builder helps professionals create a small business website, and have hundreds of designs you can customize.

The new version 7 (v7) of the GoDaddy website builder try’s to fix all of the issues they used to have, such as bad navigation, sales tactics, etc. GoDaddy has completely redesigned with the new version 7. It is a BIG improvement and a step in the right direction for them. I personally build my websites at Wealthy Affiliate using WordPress (I don’t get ANY spam).

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What Does GoDaddy Offer?

GoDaddy offers:

Website Editor – to create your website
Smart phone compatibility
Language selection
Included domains
Social sharing

The editor is simple and the basics are easy to understand. However, the dashboard could be better structured because it is divided in two different pages. The v7 website editor starts with a blank canvas, which means you can drag any element (picture, text) to any position on the page. However, starting with a blank canvas can be very frustrating for most people that don’t know what they are doing. Also when you are trying to align some items you will have to adjust it constantly. Blank canvases are not good beginners, they need limitations and structure.

GoDaddy has added a few extra features to fix some of the issues with the blank canvas. They have added grids to help with alignment, and locks to lock elements into position. However, there are still some bugs that need to be fixed (which is normal), but for some reason there seems to be more than usual.

Pros and Cons of GoDaddy

Pros

Has a mobile version where you can use your smart phone or tablet to update your websites.
It has different languages you can use on the dashboard and editor, such as English, Spanish, French, Italian, etc.
Domains are included, and you can also transfer an existing domain.
Has social media apps, including Facebook, Google Maps, YouTube, etc.
Has Express Email Marketing where you can create a lead list.
They have bandwidth limits between 150-1000 GB, which is more than regular site owners.

Cons

Locu, which is a menu builder for restaurants, does not work very well. It requires you to create an account with someone else.
The new version 7 alienates their existing users
The mobile version is not easily customizable. For example, it will not let you change the color og the theme. theme colors)
You cannot switch your theme without losing all of your content. You have to choose a good theme from the beginning, and make sure you like it.
It does not take stats for you on your site. You have to integrate with something else like Google Analytics.
There is no password protection for website, or even for selected pages.
They do not give you the option to use very many fonts. Some themes come with the fonts that go best with it, but not all. Unfortunately, if you want to change your font you are limited to Arial, Impact, and Times New Roman. I would personally like more options.
They do not allow Google to index pictures, which can put a limit on traffic to your site.

How Much Does GoDaddy Cost?

The domains at GoDaddy range from $5 – $15/year . There are 3 packages you can choose from when you join GoDaddy, and you get 1 free domain with each. I personally use NameCheap for my domains (which is cheaper).

Personal – $1.00/month for a year contract and $5.99/month without the contract. It gives you 1GB of space
Business – $6.99/month for a year contract and $9.99/month without the contract. It gives you 10GB of space
Business Plus – $9.99/month for a year contract and $14.99/month without the contract. It gives you 50GB of space

There are monthly prices for 1-year contracts. Domain name included. However, the prices rise after your first payment term is over . There is no free trial available, but weirdly there seems to be a constant sale.

GoDaddy Training and Support

They have an SEO Wizard that shows you exactly how to edit all SEO relevant areas (page title, description, headline tags, etc.). They also give you access to phone calls and live chat with people to help you. However, there is no email support.

When I tried to get help on the live chat it took about 30-40 minutes before we started chatting, and phone support needs at least 10 minutes. So when you need help from them make sure you have plenty of time.

Final Thought

I have mixed feelings about GoDaddy and their website builder. They have the SEO Wizard to help beginners and pretty cool designs, but that doesn’t come anywhere close to the help provided by my #1 business .

I’m surprised that GoDaddy doesn’t offer email support. Live chat and telephone support sound great, but it’s not as good as it should be. I would say GoDaddy is a “middle of the pack” website builder. They are not the best, but they are not the worst.

If you have any questions about this GoDaddy Website Builder Review or have had experience with GoDaddy, please leave a comment below!

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Karissa