GoDaddy® Review

Review of a Controversial Name Registrar -- Cluttered Interface But Reasons You Keep Coming Back

Can we just get this out of the way? GoDaddy, like anything else, is flawed. But have you ever had a really outrageous, brash, loud friend? Whenever that brash, loud person made a mistake, the mistakes seemed amplified simply because of that person's personality. GoDaddy is the same way. It does not bear its flaws quietly or lightly.

Why You May Not Like GoDaddy

Founder Bob Parson is plain obnoxious. He's loud, expresses stupid opinions loudly, and is the very model for the overaged, overich asshole.
The interface is cluttered. It's a visual train wreck. As you're trying to concentrate on your one, single task of registering one single domain, there are a million things going on around you, blinding you.
GoDaddy tries to cross-sell you too much. "Would you like fries with that, too?" is expressed in the form of "Would you like webhosting with that, too?" All combination webhost/registrars do the same thing; we understand this. But GoDaddy takes it to a new, outrageous level.
GoDaddy garnered bad press some years ago for obnoxious Super Bowl ads it was running. I'm not too sensitive about that, but it does give you pause. What other idiotic things will they dream up?

And #4 1/2: Unable to apply saved credit card information when ordering. I have made this only # 4.5 because I'm certain much of it has to do with me. But--and get this--I have spoken to a Customer Service Representative who could not figure it out, either. So, even though my credit card number is saved, I still have to manually key it in each time I order.

Why You May Like GoDaddy

Ah, but that brash, obnoxious, outrageous friend is still your friend, right? They wouldn't be your friend if they had no redeeming qualities.

I use GoDaddy only for name registration, so let it be known that my comments come from the name registration world.

Consistently low prices. Yes, I know that sounds like a Wal-Mart ad, but it is true. The prices for name registration at GoDaddy is always cheaper than anywhere else.
It's easy to ignore Bob Parsons. Other than the occasional ad for his personal blog, Parsons is not in your face when you are doing business. And if you do check out his blog, you may find it refreshing that he's pretty much a straight-shooter in a business where corporate wonks prevail. Interestingly, I've found that the guy has grown on me. Go figure.
Integrated webhost and name registrar. Not all webhosts who "offer" name registration really do. It's actually a link to a third party. With GoDaddy, you deal with them only for name registration.
High degree of functionality in interface. Like anything that has a steep learning curve, once you master GoDaddy's interface you'll find that it is actually intelligent and powerful.
Security. I feel that my information is tightly guarded when it is held by GoDaddy. I imagine this stems from Bob Parsons being a guy who vehemently believes in the individual versus bureaucracies--a Libertarian, perhaps?--I don't feel that they will fling my personal information to any search engine that knocks on their door. This is important if you contemplate any activities that search engines might frown on.

How to Always Get Lower Prices with GoDaddy

Gosh, this is a no-brainer to anyone with brains, but to me it was a revelation. Whenever you're in Checkout and about to order your domain, open up another tab in your browser, go to Google, and search for "godaddy coupon" or "godaddy promo code." You will always, always, always find a site where you can pick up a promo code that will save you up to 10%.

Find Coupon for Your Needs

You'll need to juggle the various coupons to get the best deal. For example, will it be cheaper to take 10% off of the entire order or choose the coupon where you can get $10 off of orders over $50, or whatever. Examine it, as it will be different for every situation.

Worthless GoDaddy Coupons

Some coupons are just plain worthless. Like the ".info domains for $.99" coupon. Well, I have yet to find a day when you can't normally find .info's for $.99 on GoDaddy--without using a coupon. Also, you will occasionally find a 10% off coupon next to a 15% off coupon. Why is the 10% coupon still even there? Maybe some people who aren't so sharp-eyed will pick them. Finally, look carefully at expiration dates

Is GoDaddy Any Good?

I use it. I'll leave it at that.

I'm pretty fussy about being treated right or wrong, and I have no compunctions about dropping services that look fishy, seedy, or just plain offer bad customer service. GoDaddy certainly has that seedy veneer, but underneath is a solid, reputable company. Other than hacking through the cluttered interface, it's quite a nice system that allows you to get a lot of work done--cheaply--in one place.