Godaddy is a well-known name in web hosting, with a reputation which was not terrible. Back before the pandemic they were known for overcharging for basic things, but at least you could get them on the phone.

That was how the company was years ago; now, in 2024, I would urge caution when dealing with them.

It’s not just that their servers are more unstable now, or that you can only reach them by email or text; my clients are getting cheated.

Over the past week I heard from a couple different people that Godaddy had pitched them unnecessary services. The one was sold a firewall for a site which Godaddy did not host (the site is on my server), while the other was pitched some type of “protection” for a domain being used for email.

The thing about the old Godaddy was that they charged you for things which other hosts provided for free, such as an SSL certificate or basic server security. Those fees may have been high, but they were for things you needed. Now Godaddy is selling outright crap like the two services mentioned above.

I strongly urge you to avoid doing business with Godaddy, or at least ask an independent expert whether you need the service they are trying to sell you. Just a few minutes of work can save you a lot of money in the long run.

P.S. If you would like me to recommend an alternative, I can give you two:

• PeoplesHost.com (cheap, but an excellent value for the price)
• Siteground.com (a little more expensive, but their service is worth it)