GoDaddy offers intuitive online store building solutions that you can set up in minutes. Its section-based editor lacks drag-and-drop functionality, and design flexibility is somewhat limited. However, it’s easy to use, has a clean dashboard, and includes various marketing, e-commerce, and AI tools. All of these are built into the builder, so you don’t have to do any extra work to give your site a consistent look. Overall, this is a good choice for beginners who want to get their online store up and running quickly and don’t want to invest a lot of time in improving its appearance.
GoDaddy Pros & Cons
PROS
Very easy to use
Excellent technical support
Competitive pricing
CONS
The editor is somewhat limited.
Unable to add custom code
Overview
The GoDaddy Website Builder at a Glance
For over 15 years, GoDaddy has prided itself on being the world’s largest domain registrar, offering exceptional web hosting and website building solutions. Built from the ground up to offer a fast and seamless website creation process, now powered by new AI tools, GoDaddy’s website builder is focused on empowering small businesses in the e-commerce space.
GoDaddy stands out with its intuitive editor designed for users of all skill levels. Whether you’re a beginner or an expert, GoDaddy gives you the ability to easily create your own website and access a suite of marketing tools perfectly tailored to the needs of your online store. GoDaddy is here to help you get started if you don’t know where to start.
GoDaddy goes beyond website creation by providing self-help resources and educational materials that cover every aspect of your e-commerce journey. From beginner guides to expert advice on launching your new website, GoDaddy is for you.
If you’re a small business owner with little experience, GoDaddy’s Marketing + Websites package is the perfect choice. Enjoy the benefits of GoDaddy and confidently create your own website.
Using GoDaddy
Getting started with GoDaddy is easy. You can sign up for a seven-day free trial without providing your credit card or any other payment information. You can also continue with the limited free plan indefinitely after the trial ends without losing your work, which is a big plus.
Additionally, GoDaddy’s user interface is intuitive and easy to navigate. The main dashboard lets you manage everything from your website builder subscription to your domains and any other GoDaddy products you own.
The editor is also simple and easy to use, and we didn’t experience any usability issues during our testing.
GoDaddy Features and Tools
GoDaddy’s website builder may lack flexibility, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have a wide range of great features.
GoDaddy Appointments
GoDaddy has some great online appointment tools that you can add to your website. They let you add a calendar to your website so clients can book appointments online and sync it with multiple Google and Apple calendars so employees can keep track of their schedules. You can also set it up to accept payments and promote open access on social media, allowing customers to place orders directly from your listings or ads in multiple marketplaces.
Domain Registrations
As the world’s largest domain registrar, GoDaddy offers an attractive selection of domain registration and management tools. You can import domains you already own and manage them through your GoDaddy dashboard, and you have a wide range of domain extensions to choose from.
Business Listings
There’s also an interesting business listing tool that you can access from the main dashboard. This allows you to create Yelp and Google My Business listings. You can also connect your social media pages and get tips on when to post.
GoDaddy’s AI prompt library
GoDaddy’s new generative AI Suggestions Library offers unique support for small businesses. Business owners can tap into over 35 suggestions and harness the power and knowledge of generative AI. Users can interact with AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Google Bard, and Bing AI to create content that automates tasks like content creation, social media management, and customer service. You can even get help starting a business and advice on building a website.
The library aims to level the playing field for small businesses by giving them access to technologies typically reserved for large corporations. The tips can help small businesses with common tasks like generating marketing ideas, responding to customer comments, and creating content. The library will continue to grow throughout 2023, and GoDaddy plans to add innovative new features to its products. It’s important to note that since AI technology is relatively new and still in development, all generated content should be vetted and reviewed before use.
How to create a website with GoDaddy
When creating a new website with GoDaddy, you’ll need to choose a category and enter a name. With a free trial, you’ll have free access to all features for the first week. You can then choose a paid subscription if you want to continue using all of GoDaddy’s features. Or, you can switch to a permanent free plan with limited features without losing your work. You can also upgrade later.
After you submit your website, you’ll be asked a few questions so GoDaddy can provide you with a suitable template and suggested sections based on what works best for similar businesses. You can also change your template at any point during the editing process without having to start from scratch. There’s even a mobile editor so you can make changes to your site on the go.
There are hundreds of templates, divided into two categories.
You can add and remove options and elements from your site using the intuitive editor. You can automatically import your logo, fonts, and colors into the image to maintain brand consistency.
One feature is GoDaddy’s automatic backup tool. You can do this with a member.
Luckily, GoDaddy has spent a lot of time analyzing what users do to create successful websites, offering a guide with easy-to-follow checklists to ensure new users understand the steps they need to take to achieve their goals. You can then preview your site with a single click before publishing it.
The pros and cons of GoDaddy’s editor are that it doesn’t allow you to add custom code, and there are no keyboard shortcuts. Finally, it’s difficult to export a GoDaddy site to any platform.
Overall, I love GoDaddy. It’s not powerful if you’re looking for an advanced website builder, but it’s a great option for those who want to get online quickly. GoDaddy doesn’t offer all the plugins or flexibility of others, but its tools are fully integrated with the builder, so you’ll never have a site that doesn’t look or function the way it should.
Adding Multimedia to Your GoDaddy Website
You can upload images to your website as embedded media. You can use Instagram and choose which media to sync with your website.
You can remove background images and edit media using GoDaddy Design Studio, create new videos using the Instant Video tool, and upload videos to YouTube and Vimeo. The built-in editing tools are great.
Marketing Functionality with GoDaddy Websites
With a GoDaddy website builder subscription, you get a wide range of marketing tools, including email marketing tools, a native content creator, and a powerful marketing planner.
In addition, you have powerful analytics tools to monitor the success of these campaigns.
SEO Functionality & Add-Ons with GoDaddy Websites
GoDaddy has a native SEO assistant that you can use to optimize your website for search engines like Google. It also includes analytics so you can monitor the success of your SEO efforts.
In the past, GoDaddy’s SEO features had a history of being slow and laggy. A few tweaks back then doubled the average score of verified websites, and now the company is well ahead of the competition.
Ecommerce
GoDaddy’s website builder offers an impressive online storefront that makes it easy for users to sell their products online. The online store is packed with everything you need to get started with e-commerce, including a variety of customizable templates, seamless integration with marketplaces like Etsy, Amazon, Google, and more, and a user-friendly interface that makes setup a breeze. Store and manage inventory.
Adding products to your online store is quick and easy with AI-powered product descriptions that suggest content when you’re browsing a blank screen, and a quick import feature if you sell on other sites. It’ll even sync your inventory across multiple marketplaces so you have one place to manage it.
GoDaddy also has built-in tools to help you sell more, like automated email flows to retarget customers with abandoned carts, the ability to create social media posts that you can sell directly from, and a chat feature to stay in touch with your customers. The editor will also suggest and create other resources for your site, such as FAQs, which are used by e-commerce businesses.
Payment Processing
GoDaddy’s online store offers a secure payment processing system that is compatible with multiple options, including major credit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, and Google Pay, and offers a platform that is optimized for personal payments. Users can also customize their checkout process to match their brand, ensuring a seamless customer experience. GoDaddy also has the lowest processing fees, allowing customers to keep more of their profits.
Scalability
With GoDaddy, users can start small and easily add more products and features as their business grows. It offers seamless integration with popular shipping companies, making shipping and management easier as their online store expands. Additionally, GoDaddy’s online store offers easy-to-use marketing tools that help users attract more customers, including personalized coupons and promotions, as well as email marketing campaigns.
GoDaddy Customer Support
GoDaddy offers 24/7/365 phone and live chat support. Their award-winning support agents are responsive and knowledgeable, and you’ll rarely have to wait more than a few minutes for a response. However, email support is not available. Another great resource is GoDaddy’s knowledge base, which contains a variety of step-by-step guides, videos, and other self-help articles. You’ll also find a selection of educational webinars, and GoDaddy’s community forums allow you to interact with other users and review answers to past questions.
GoDaddy Pricing
How Much Does GoDaddy Website Builder Cost?
GoDaddy offers a Marketing plan for up to four websites. All of them include a seven-day free trial so you can test out the platform. There’s also a Simple plan, which is free forever, though it lacks advanced features.
The Basic plan lets you create a simple website and provides email access. Upgrading to the Premium plan adds a full suite of online meeting tools, while the Commerce and Commerce Plus plans are designed for e-commerce.
Monthly subscriptions are available, but you’ll get a significant discount on a 12, 24, or 36-month plan. You’ll also get a better price for your initial term on an annual plan.
GoDaddy and Webador
Webador is more affordable than GoDaddy, but offers a slightly more basic website building solution. Like GoDaddy, it’s intuitive and easy to use. However, its e-commerce tools are basic, and it lacks email. email marketing functionality. Overall, we recommend GoDaddy if you’re on a tight budget and every penny counts.
GoDaddy vs. Wix
Wix is arguably the most powerful website builder in the world and offers a lot of design flexibility. However, it’s a bit more difficult to use than GoDaddy, and is a better option if you want to spend time customizing your site. GoDaddy’s packages are also more comprehensive and include all the tools you need: marketing, dating, and a store. Wix’s tools often come with an additional fee that’s only noticeable once you’re in the market, after you’ve built your site. We recommend GoDaddy if getting online quickly is your priority.
GoDaddy versus Shopify?
Shopify is a leading online store builder designed specifically for e-commerce. GoDaddy’s tools are better integrated, so you won’t have to spend a lot of time trying to get them to look and work the way you want. Shopify has a learning curve and a lot of hassles, and you won’t get support. It’s a solid option if you want to build your own store, but GoDaddy stands out as a much better choice for more general business and personal websites.
GoDaddy and Weebly
Weebly is a versatile website builder that, like GoDaddy, combines website builder tools and online stores. It’s fairly easy to use, though not as straightforward as GoDaddy’s. However, it offers more design customization, which is a positive. We recommend Weebly for online stores that might be too large for GoDaddy’s platform.
Bottom line
GoDaddy’s website builder is a versatile option that’s perfect for ecommerce users of all skill levels. With an easy-to-use editor and AI tools that don’t require any programming or specialized knowledge, you can easily create a powerful online store. With a selection of e-commerce and online booking tools, GoDaddy provides everything you need to succeed in the competitive online marketplace.
GoDaddy maintains competitive pricing, making it an attractive option for entrepreneurs. Plus, new users can take advantage of a seven-day free trial to test its capabilities firsthand.
Enjoy the convenience of GoDaddy’s website builder and confidently achieve online success.
