31 Reasons WordPress is better than GoDaddy Site Builder

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31 Reasons WordPress is better than GoDaddy Site Builder

We love GoDaddy. Who doesn’t? They’re like OG internet service providers. We even love that they make the GoDaddy Website Builder, but for many organizations, the tool simply isn’t sufficient for developing global enterprise websites.

Here’s a look at some of the advantages WordPress offers over GoDaddy Site Builder:

Create any kind of website with WordPress

WordPress can be used to create any type of website while GoDaddy Site Builder only works for fairly basic sites with limited design options.

With WordPress, you’re only limited by your imagination. This makes WordPress more versatile since it can handle anything from large-scale e-commerce stores to membership sites and even non-profit websites.

Analytics and User Insight

WordPress comes with built-in Google Analytics support, so tracking your website’s performance is easier than ever before out of the box. With GoDaddy Website Builder, insight is limited.

Open vs Closed Source

WordPress is open-source and free while GoDaddy Site Builder is closed-source and requires you to pay for access, although they do sometimes give it away for free with other services.

WordPress gets constant updates and new features, and there are many WordPress developers available with experience building and contributing to the project. GoDaddy Site Builder is a closed source proprietary service so any changes or fixes must come from GoDaddy’s team and you can’t see how they actually build the platform.

Themes in WordPress are awesome

WordPress allows you to customize templates, whereas with GoDaddy Website Builder’s drag-and-drop interface, the selection of elements is much more limited and there are nearly no customization options available for those elements once placed on the page.

There are literally hundreds of thousands of WordPress themes and templates to choose from in the plugin repository.

Integrate more features with APIs

WordPress is built on top of a powerful API system that makes it easy to integrate external tools and services for customizing the site.

GoDaddy Site Builder does not offer any kind of API integration, so if you need specific functionality then you’ll have to look for third-party solutions or build them yourself.

Plugins

WordPress has a vast library of user-developed plugins that offer additional features and functions, such as SEO tools, analytics software, event registration forms and much more. GoDaddy Site Builder does not provide any type of plugin system or third party add ons.

WordPress currently has around 57,000 plugins available, so doing anything you imagine is likely possible with off-the-shelf solutions.

You control your server and resources

With WordPress, you own the server, which means you have complete control over your hosting environment and all the resources available to it. With GoDaddy Site Builder, you don’t have access to any of your system’s internals so if something is going wrong with your website, then you’re basically out of luck since there’s no way for you to diagnose or fix whatever’s causing an issue.

Edit the code, anyway you want it

With WordPress, you can edit the code directly to customize and tweak any aspect of the site. On GoDaddy Website Builder, however, making changes is much more difficult without a developer’s help.

Plus, if you ever want to move away from GoDaddy Site Builder then your entire website might need to be rebuilt, as there’s no easy way to transfer it over to another platform. With WordPress you can export all data with a single click and import it in a new system whenever needed.

Super-fast page loads with advanced cache options

GoDaddy Site Builder doesn’t have any caching options, and websites built with the tool can be significantly slower than sites built with WordPress. With WordPress, you can choose from several advanced cache solutions that make page loads much faster.

Plus, there are so many options for improving the performance of a WordPress website.

Multisite WordPress

WordPress Multisite is a feature offered in WordPress that allows its users to create multiple websites on the same WordPress installation. This means that you can manage all your WordPress sites from one central location, instead of having to manage them separately. GoDaddy Site Builder does not offer this kind of functionality.

Unlimited sites and multisite networks

GoDaddy Site Builder allows you to create just one website with their builder. WordPress, on the other hand, allows you to host unlimited sites and build multisite networks that can span entire countries or organizations.

As mentioned, WordPress Multisite makes it easy to manage multiple sites from one central location. This makes WordPress much more efficient for organizations that have a lot of sites to manage.

Features are consistent

WordPress is consistent with its features across websites and the interface changes gradually. In GoDaddy Site Builder, a lot of features use non-standard UI, so its a little confusing.

WordPress features don’t change year-to-year, they’ve been consistent for over a decade.

Contractual requirements are more realistic

WordPress is a service that has been around for over 15 years and it’s used by millions of websites worldwide. GoDaddy Site Builder is still relatively new, so some customers may have contractual requirements that might not be able to be met by this service.

Advanced customizable emails

WordPress offers powerful email tools that allow you to create fully-customizable and branded emails. GoDaddy Site Builder provides a very basic system for sending out automated messages.

You can have your own custom theme made just for your organization, 100% bespoke

With WordPress, you can hire a developer to create an entirely custom WordPress theme for your organization with features and designs specifically tailored to your needs.

With GoDaddy Site Builder, there are limited customization options available as the interface is mostly drag-and-drop so creating completely unique websites will require quite a bit of extra coding knowledge or hiring someone outside their platform.

Custom post types support

GoDaddy Site Builder doesn’t offer any kind of custom post type system, so if you need a way to display different content types on posts or pages then WordPress will be best solution since it allows developers to easily create completely custom post types for managing any kind of content your organization manages.

Custom post types makes it possible to create and store structured data, which just isn’t possible with GoDaddy Website Builder.

No fees directly tied to e-commerce transactions

WordPress does not add any fees to your e-commerce transactions, regardless of the payment gateway you choose. GoDaddy Site Builder charges a fee for each transaction that is processed through their built-in payment gateway. This can quickly add up if you have a lot of sales or high-ticket items.

Easy to manage backups and security measures

WordPress comes with many great backup options as well as a wide range of tools to help you keep your website secure. GoDaddy Site Builder, on the other hand, has very limited options when it comes to backing up or securing your site.

May be a better investment over time

With WordPress, you have much more control and flexibility over your website in the long-term. This means that it’s a better investment since you can scale up or down as needed without having to pay for extra services. On the other hand, GoDaddy Site Builder charges fees at every step of the way so scaling your site could quickly become costly if not done carefully.

E-commerce is in your control

WordPress takes the limitation away with its ability to accept multiple currencies for payments. With GoDaddy Website Builder, you’re limited to two currency options unless you opt for a third-party payment processor.

Manage SSL certificates the right way

WordPress makes it easy to manage your SSL certificates with its built-in tools, whereas GoDaddy Site Builder’s platform doesn’t offer any way of managing these. This means that you have to manually configure and purchase SSL certificates from third parties if needed and then integrate them into the site yourself.

User roles and granular permissions

You can assign user roles on WordPress with different levels of access and capabilities, allowing you to have more control over who has access to what parts of your site.

GoDaddy Site Builder only allows for one set level of access for everyone in the system.

More control over Media Library

WordPress has a very powerful media library with plenty of settings to ensure that you can manage your site’s images, videos and other types of content effectively. GoDaddy Site Builder also has its own version, but it lacks the features available in WordPress making it hard for users who want more control over their media files.

You manage your domain registration

With WordPress, you can easily register and manage your own domain name with any domain registrar you choose. With GoDaddy Site Builder, however, you must use their domain registration service in order to get a website up and running, which locks customers into using the platform for many years even if they decide later that it’s not really what they need anymore.

Communicate with customers and followers

WordPress is a great platform for growing your audience and reaching out to potential customers. GoDaddy Site Builder doesn’t offer any options for communications such as comment sections, forums or newsletters, making it hard to interact with visitors.

Internationalization options with WordPress

WordPress supports multiple languages, and provides plenty of tools for internationalizing your site. Go multi-lingual. Translate everything.

This makes it easy to create a website that can be accessed by people around the world in their own language. GoDaddy Site Builder does not offer any kind of internationalization or localization features, so you’re limited to making one version of the site for everyone who visits it.

More customer support options

WordPress offers an array of helpful and responsive customer service options including online forums, Slack channels, Stack Exchange and more. Several companies offer WordPress Support services that offer comprehensive hands-off management.

Compare Support, Maintenance, and Management Services for WordPress

GoDaddy Site Builder only provides limited email support, which can be slow to respond, or doesn’t offer the right help, depending on your issue. Or, worse, suggests an upsell as a solution. “It feels like they’re not even reading my messages” explains one client, in frustration with the support for her GoDaddy Website Builder based website.

Accessibility is way better

WordPress sites are more accessible than GoDaddy Site Builder websites because of its plugin architecture, which makes it easier to adjust settings and make adjustments. This means that your site can be designed with accessibility in mind from the start, making it compliant with web standards and regulations.

Unlimited Pages or Posts and content contributors

WordPress doesn’t limit the amount of pages you can create and contributors you can have, whereas GoDaddy Site Builder restricts users to just 15 pages. The ability to add unlimited posts, pages or contributors makes WordPress a much better platform for larger organizations that need plenty of room to work with in terms of content creation and user management.

You can add custom code to WordPress

WordPress makes it easy to quickly add custom code with its built-in functions, whereas GoDaddy Site Builder does not offer this ability. The only way you could implement a feature like total customization of website’s design is by hiring a developer who knows how to use their proprietary platform.

Big companies choose to use WordPress

WordPress is trusted and used by some of the biggest companies in the world to power their websites. This shows that WordPress is a platform that can handle even larger enterprises with thousands of users at any one time.

GoDaddy Site Builder has yet to gain this level of trust and credibility from large organizations, although it’s certainly possible for them to do so over time.

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About the Author

Katrina Pfitzner

Katrina Pfitzner

Katrina is a developer, designer, author, and thought leader on topics including GoDaddy and WordPress. For more from Katrina, find her on twitter and follow her on medium.

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Julie Enonmi

Julie Enonmi

Julie Enonmi is an expert in Digital Marketing.

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