GoDaddy 'website tonight' vs. Own hosted website

24 replies
Greetings,
My bro-in-law decided my sister's website should be built inside GoDaddy where they had reserved the domains. When I learned this, I told her my sources told me you should always have:
1. Your own hosting account
2. A domain registered in a place different than the hosting account company
3. Your own website that you can build the way you like.

The BIL pressed me (okay...BADGERED me) about WHY? Why isn't GoDaddy's 'website tonight' feature good enough?? Why shouldn't a company who has commercials on during the Super Bowl be good enough????

I didn't have a good answer, but I sure am looking for one! (Not that it will matter a whole lot to my BIL. )
What say you Warriors?
Radar
#godaddy #hosted #tonight #website
  • Profile picture of the author BloggingPro
    Website Tonight just provides you with templates if I remember correctly. They don't provide anything that any other site builder out there does. I would say your own hosting and wordpress today, but there was a point when I first started that I was terrified of that and went with template option like that.
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    You're going to fail. If you're afraid of failure then you do not belong in the Internet Marketing Business. Period.
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  • Profile picture of the author dvduval
    No way to move it to another host if you are dissatisfied.
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    It is okay to contact me! I have been developing software since 1999, creating many popular products like phpLD.
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    • Profile picture of the author Bill Farnham
      I have quite a few sites on GoDaddy hosting and inspite of all the termoil I keep hearing about GD I'm still a happy customer.

      But on my first site with GD I used their Website Tonight program and if I had known then what I know now I never would have gone that route.

      Do yourself a favor and stay away from their WT templates and interface. Once you get up to speed it's like trying to run around the block dragging a fire hydrant.

      ~Bill
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    • Profile picture of the author Alexa Smith
      Banned
      Originally Posted by dvduval View Post

      No way to move it to another host if you are dissatisfied.
      This ... exactly.

      In that sense, you're not in control of your own business. You can't take "your" website wherever you want. This ought to be the beginning and end of the conversation.
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  • Profile picture of the author Shazia Mirza
    I would not recommend GoDaddy. Mostly because that I already spend too much time looking at their ads while buying a domain lol.

    Try JustHost or HostGator.
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  • I've posted this enough times now I've learned to keep it handy so I can just copy and paste it:

    NEVER register a domain and host with the same company.

    Let's say you were to get accused of spamming, or have hackers install a malicious script on your site, or otherwise due to the incompetence of the hosting company have your account suspended. If the relationship with your Web hosting company goes sour and your domain name is registered somewhere else, to re-establish your site all you need to do is get hosting set up with a new company, copy your site over, and point your domain name registration to your site’s new location. But if your Web host is also your domain name registrar, you also need to transfer the registration, as well, probably for an additional fee. And worse yet, if the hosting company decides it really doesn’t like you and it controls your domain name registration, it may decide to cancel the registration altogether.

    Also, if the company went out business, you have no way of changing your nameservers, so you lose your domain, and you also lose the files on your server.
    Hopefully, that will make it clearer for your BIL.

    BTW, where do you guys see all these ads and upsells when you're buying domains through Godaddy? It's a 4-step process, all on one page pretty much.
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    • Profile picture of the author genhorrall
      Hi Radar,

      Yes BIL can be annoying. So I have a question for you to ask him the next time he starts asking questions. "How long have you been web designing, working on line, or anything else that fits the bill?"

      Tell him that you are only trying to help and as it has already been stated you cannot change your mind once it is done.

      When will people learn from the mistakes that we have been making, putting all your eggs in one basket is crazy. Creating an income that is from one stream is crazy and trusting one site to do everything for you is also crazy.

      Why would you give anyone that much power over you? Just ask him that. Oh and as for the super bowl ad, does he really place all his decisions finacial and buy on what he saw during the super bowl?
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  • Profile picture of the author RentItNow
    I've had two nightmare situations with both godaddy and justhost pretty well hijacking my sites with their stupidity (also known as corporate "rules"). They are HUGE companies likely owned by other companies that have "hidden" executives. They use call centers with people that have no authority or even the understanding of a marketer's goals and frankly do not care if your money making site is down for one day or even weeks because of their mishandling of customer needs. It is a jaded view but real view.

    Yes, have a separate company for your domain registration and hosting and SSL if applicable. FOR SURE!
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    I have no agenda but to help those in the same situation. This I feel will pay the bills.
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  • Profile picture of the author gottahave
    I have one site with Godaddy but, as they do not provide CPanel, all my other sites are with Hostgator which does. Also,Hostgator has an excellent SupportDesk.

    Neil
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  • Profile picture of the author CDarklock
    Originally Posted by radar9628 View Post

    Why isn't GoDaddy's 'website tonight' feature good enough??
    Hosting your website at a domain registrar is like ordering chicken at a seafood restaurant.

    Sure, it's on the menu, and they'll happily take your money and serve it to you.

    But it's not what they're known for, and there's a reason: they're just plain not very good at it.
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    "The Golden Town is the Golden Town no longer. They have sold their pillars for brass and their temples for money, they have made coins out of their golden doors. It is become a dark town full of trouble, there is no ease in its streets, beauty has left it and the old songs are gone." - Lord Dunsany, The Messengers
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  • Profile picture of the author LynneCarey
    Have to agree re: "NEVER register a domain and host with the same company"

    I have never been caught out with this but it just makes good sense. Plus for me, I would be encouraging people to use WordPress, due to the 'Google luv' and the awesome features and ease of use (a little bit of a learning curve initially, but you have to 'learn' something, so might as well be something good).

    Hostgator is great... outstanding. And I know there are a few others.

    When it all boils down... you can lead a horse to water as they say... you can only make suggestions and then let 'em go whichever way they decide.

    At least you are trying to give them some good advice.

    All the best with it.
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  • Profile picture of the author musicaltouch
    Always host your own sites, but I would not recommend godaddy. They do not use a standard cpanel, which makes setting up any custom script or sites VERY difficult and in some instances impossible.

    I recommend host gator or seo hosting by the gator.
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  • Profile picture of the author radar9628
    Hey - thanks for all the feedback! At least now I have some 'proof', but it's only meaningful to those of us that are in the industry. I'll offer to share info with the BIL if he is interested. THANK YOU ALL!
    Radar
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  • Profile picture of the author Eddie Spangler
    Do not suggest website tonite. Its okay and can make a decent site , which I did already BUT now I will have to redo the site as I cant take with me when I switch to another hosting company next month.
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    Promise Big.
    Deliver Bigger.
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    • Profile picture of the author jazzygelable
      I'm currently experiencing the very same problem now with a local hosting company. Since its local, the price was really cheaper (around half of what hg, bluehost are charging). I registered this way back 2011 and so I didn't have much knowledge with these very basic things.
      Now, the server has been down for 1 week and whenever I talk to the reps, they say the same script all over again. I told them that I'd just like to cancel my subscription and transfer our domain to another webhosting company. They insist on doing some 'measures' to rectifiy the issue instead. They won't give me the authorization code that I need to transfer the domain elsewhere so now I'm stuck with them.
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      • Profile picture of the author RexMapes
        Originally Posted by jazzygelable View Post

        I'm currently experiencing the very same problem now with a local hosting company. Since its local, the price was really cheaper (around half of what hg, bluehost are charging). I registered this way back 2011 and so I didn't have much knowledge with these very basic things.
        Now, the server has been down for 1 week and whenever I talk to the reps, they say the same script all over again. I told them that I'd just like to cancel my subscription and transfer our domain to another webhosting company. They insist on doing some 'measures' to rectifiy the issue instead. They won't give me the authorization code that I need to transfer the domain elsewhere so now I'm stuck with them.

        If the domain is in your name, you can transfer the site without their permission. Simply reset the DNS to another hosting company.

        If they registered the domain and it is in your name, then contact the registrar and file a dispute with them concerning the admin of the site. How this is handled depends on the registrar.

        If you don't own the domain, well.....sorry.

        If you are uncertain about the ownership, look the domain up on Who-Is and see who it is registered to.

        If you can transfer the domain, you will still possibly lose your website if you don't have the site files that are on their server. If you have copies of your website, then it shouldn't be a problem.
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  • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
    Banned
    Godaddy is by far the worst hosting ever. EVER. Let's say they get a spam report on your domain. That would be bad enough, because they'll charge you a ransom to get the domain active again, but if your website is also hosted there, another ransom, if you ever get access to the site again.

    Hostgator > Namecheap. Unbeatable combination

    Never host where you register and never host with Godaddy.
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  • Profile picture of the author Tania Edwards
    GoDaddy sucks, so my advice is to stay away from them, they simply sucks
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    • Profile picture of the author radar9628
      Thanks! I appreciate your feedback.
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    • Profile picture of the author Kingfish85
      Originally Posted by Tania Edwards View Post

      GoDaddy sucks, so my advice is to stay away from them, they simply sucks
      Don't worry, the "GoDaddy Ambassadors" will be here shortly doing damage control.
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  • Profile picture of the author Johnny12345
    Originally Posted by radar9628 View Post

    Why isn't GoDaddy's 'website tonight' feature good enough??

    Because it's limited and inflexible. In my view, using WordPress would be far preferable. With WP, you have many THOUSANDS of themes available.

    John
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  • Profile picture of the author RexMapes
    Another issue I didn't see referenced here...anytime I have dealt with client's GD's "InstantSites", it is easier to start over from scratch and build a new site than it is to optimize the GD site for SEO. If you look at the code for the GD site, it looks like a GD advertisement in the script. The front end usually has plenty of their logos all over your pages as well.

    Their higher end business sites might be ok, I don't know. Their freebie sites are a mistake to use for business purposes.
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    • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
      Banned
      Originally Posted by RexMapes View Post

      If you look at the code for the GD site, it looks like a GD advertisement in the script. The front end usually has plenty of their logos all over your pages as well.
      Yep ... nothing says cheesy more than Godaddy or any of the freebie site maker's ads all over.
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  • Profile picture of the author andrealhendrick
    Save your self the headache host on your own and install wordpress.

    Here are some that I recommend:
    Hostgator
    Bluehost
    Godaddy
    Just host
    Originally Posted by radar9628 View Post

    Greetings,
    My bro-in-law decided my sister's website should be built inside GoDaddy where they had reserved the domains. When I learned this, I told her my sources told me you should always have:
    1. Your own hosting account
    2. A domain registered in a place different than the hosting account company
    3. Your own website that you can build the way you like.

    The BIL pressed me (okay...BADGERED me) about WHY? Why isn't GoDaddy's 'website tonight' feature good enough?? Why shouldn't a company who has commercials on during the Super Bowl be good enough????

    I didn't have a good answer, but I sure am looking for one! (Not that it will matter a whole lot to my BIL. )
    What say you Warriors?
    Radar
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