Godaddy has really come a long way from what they were a couple of years ago. This review should explain what has made them go from the bottom, almost to the very top of the domain world.
Not only are they on the top search engine pages, their incredibly popular commercials and marketing efforts truly make them the elephant in the industry of domain ownership and hosting.
But the question remains: “Is GoDaddy the hosting provider for me?” Hopefully, this review can help with that decision.
Introduction
I remember when navigating Godaddy used to do nothing but piss me off because of it’s very complicated and hard to understand website. Now, I think I have a different opinion on what they are really about.
This is a non-bias review of their services from someone who was wanting to answer the same question as you, so here’s what I really think.
While in the past, GoDaddy has admittedly had some issues on coherency, horrible sales tactics, and on occasion, very poor navigation; they have now scrapped just about everything and started from scratch to redeem themselves for the betterment of internet kind.
Ladies and Gents, Welcome to GoDaddy V7!
Now, GoDaddy offers a myriad of services that include:
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- Domain Names
- Website Builder
- Hosting
- A Reseller Program
- Marketing Services
- Email Services
- SEO
- and so much more
I think I use Godaddy’s domain search tool every single day. With their low cost for domain names, I find myself looking for one all the time.
Some of their services are more productive, cost effective and useful than others but, all in all, GoDaddy could be what your company needs – especially since the integration of V7!
For the purpose of this review, we are only going to focus on GoDaddy’s website builder and hosting services.
The Editor
To start, the editor is now a total blank canvas allowing you to drop and drag at will. Now, the ability to drag and drop may seem magic (and is certainly not a new technique), you may quickly find yourself hacking your way through alignment and element layering…
kind of like exploring with a machete through an unexplored jungle… it’s fun and it clears you a decent enough path, but with just a little bit of cleverness you’ll likely find various faster and more efficient ways. But there is hope.
GoDaddy basically gives you a chainsaw with the simple help of grids. Also, if you really like where you placed that animated gif on your site, you have a lock option to keep it right where you want it while you go about adjusting everything else.
Very handy, GoDaddy. Score one for you!
But don’t get too excited. There are several bugs to be exterminated, but that is to be expected with the launch of a new software, no matter how prepared one may be.
Long story short, if you DO experience a random change in elements and or footer shenanigans, please try not to flame too hard.
GoDaddy has severely stepped up their game from some previous incantations and is working on any and all bugs thrown at them.
Text Editor
Meanwhile, what they have nearly perfected appears to be working splendidly. The text editor, for example, is ten times better than any in the past.
It includes everything from improved formatting to a new placeholder text – which can be used to to fill in dynamic texts such as your name, business, and contact information.
The standard elements have also come out fresh and new with a perfected photo gallery, maps, and extremely well-programmed widgets compatible with most major social networks (namely, Facebook and Twitter).
A major downside is their menu building feature. If you’re clever enough, you should be able to bypass third parties and just use existing elements to work your way around it.
Mobile:
Mobile, mobile, mobile. It is all about going mobile these days! And GoDaddy has finally integrated this feature into their site. Yay, GoDaddy!!
Unfortunately, the mobile version is not customizable in any meaningful way (for example changing theme colors) nor is it responsive. Instead, it stacks page elements (you can choose to hide certain elements if you like) which automatically creates the “mobile version (very similar of Weebly’s mobile feature).
For simple sites, this feature is not bad but for the more complex site… it simply won’t work.
Pre-existing Users:
In my opinion, the main issue the V7 platform has is alienating GoDaddy’s pre-existing users. The new site has little to no backward compatibility and as such, previous users are having a hard time designing their previously designed sites.
Customer Service:
If you need to ask customer service, you might want to pack a lunch. They are notoriously nightmarish and sales-pitchy.
It is a toss of a coin as to whether the person on the other end will be savvy enough to help with your particular issue. Furthermore, I would advise not attempting to transfer a domain.
You would probably have a better chance of picking up a baby bear in front of its mother and punching it in the face before being mauled alive.
Okay, so, maybe not THAT bad, but, be aware that “friendly, helpful customer service” is not what’s on the other end at GoDaddy.
My Conclusion on V7
All that being said, GoDaddy is actually trying here. They may not be 100% up to code compared to other sites, but they are most definitely not on the bottom 10. If you have a little patience and computer know-how, chances are the new V7 really will not be the nightmare I know a lot of you are afraid it could be.
The improvements made have made up for mistakes in the past, but the bugs and technology issues do tend to even it all out. In the end, GoDaddy is definitely not the worst choice a person could make, especially with their million dollar commercials.
– John
A Work at Home Jobs
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