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Tag: GoDaddy

  • GoDaddy Suffered Multi-Year Breach, Malware Installed On Servers

    GoDaddy Suffered Multi-Year Breach, Malware Installed On Servers

    GoDaddy has informed customers it suffered a multi-year breach, one that involved hackers installing malware on its servers.

    GoDaddy said it started receiving complaints from customers in December 2022. Some customers reported their websites intermittently redirecting to other domains. The company investigated, but the issue was difficult to prove since it appeared to be happening randomly across its customer base.

    Ultimately, the company realized it had been hacked and malware was responsible for the unusual behavior:

    As our investigation continued, we discovered that an unauthorized third party had gained access to servers in our cPanel shared hosting environment and installed malware causing the intermittent redirection of customer websites. Once we confirmed the intrusion, we remediated the situation and implemented security measures in an effort to prevent future infections.

    In the company’s 10-K filing, it acknowledged the breach was the result of a multi-year campaign against the it:

    Based on our investigation, we believe these incidents are part of a multi-year campaign by a sophisticated threat actor group that, among other things, installed malware on our systems and obtained pieces of code related to some services within GoDaddy.

    GoDaddy says it is applying the lessons it has learned from this breach in an effort to improve security. The company also says “these incidents as well as other cyber threats and attacks have not resulted in any material adverse impact to our business.”

    Despite its assurances, it’s a safe bet many customers will likely start migrating away from GoDaddy to more secure hosting services, something that will likely have a major impact on its business.

  • GoDaddy Online Shops Now Integrate Across Google

    GoDaddy Online Shops Now Integrate Across Google

    GoDaddy online shops will now be able to integrate their products and inventory across Google.

    GoDaddy is a popular web hosting option used by many small and medium-sized businesses. Google has been teaming up with e-commerce platforms in an effort to better integrate their inventory and products across the search giant’s properties.

    “Starting today, we welcome GoDaddy online store customers to more easily integrate their product inventory across Google at no additional cost,” writes Matt Madrigal, VP/GM of Merchant Shopping. “This means that GoDaddy merchants can now get discovered across Search, Shopping, Image Search and YouTube in just a few clicks. With this integration, GoDaddy merchants can upload their products to Google, create free listings and ad campaigns and review performance metrics — all without leaving GoDaddy’s Online Store.”

    The move is good news for small shops, and should help them gain even more visibility. Especially as small companies have increasingly turned to e-commerce to survive the pandemic, the arrangement should help them make the transition even more successful.

  • Internet Companies Launch Initiative In Support of Section 230

    Internet Companies Launch Initiative In Support of Section 230

    Some of the most prominent internet companies have formed the Internet Works coalition to promote Section 230, a key internet law.

    Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act gives companies immunity for content users upload or post on their sites. As a result, companies like Facebook, Twitter and others cannot be held legally liable for an offensive post, picture or the like.

    In recent years Section 230 has come under fire, culminating in President Trump threatening to veto a defense spending bill unless Section 230 is revoked. While President-elect Biden has not weighed in on Section 230 directly, his former top tech advisor has said its time for changes to the law, throwing in question the law’s status even with a change of administration.

    Internet Works, however, is working to help educate lawmakers about the role of the law. Automattic (maker of WordPress), Cloudflare, Dropbox, eBay, Etsy, Glassdoor, GoDaddy, Medium, Nextdoor, Patreon, Pinterest, Reddit, Snap Inc., Tripadvisor, Vimeo and the Wikimedia Foundation are all members of the coalition.

    “These well-known internet companies and nonprofits launched Internet Works to elevate the voice of stakeholders across the digital economy and work with policymakers to preserve the benefits of Section 230, the foundational internet law that enables the United States to lead the world in innovation and robust job growth in the technology sector,” said Josh Ackil, Spokesperson for Internet Works. “Internet Works members rely on CDA 230 to make their platforms safe for users and support free expression. This coalition brings new voices and diverse perspectives to Washington’s current Section 230 debate, which too often focuses on the largest internet platforms.”

    The wide range of companies making up the coalition illustrates the far-reaching impact of Section 230. While many think of social media platforms as the primary beneficiaries of the law, companies like Dropbox also benefit. As a cloud storage provider, should Dropbox be liable for whatever a customer chooses to use that storage for? If Dropbox should be liable, then what measures should they be expected to take to verify the content they host? What privacy protections will customers be able to expect, or not expect, as a result of those measures?

    Whatever happens with Section 230, it’s clear there are significant challenges to addressing the problems of a modern internet.

  • GoDaddy In Hot Water After Employees Help Hackers

    GoDaddy In Hot Water After Employees Help Hackers

    GoDaddy is once again in the news for all the wrong reasons after employees were tricked into helping hackers take over domains.

    This latest attack targeted a number of cryptocurrency services, and relied on “social engineering” to convince GoDaddy employees to hand over control of the target companies’ domain names. Mike Kayamori, CEO of Liquid, described the attack:

    On the 13th of November 2020, a domain hosting provider “GoDaddy” that manages one of our core domain names incorrectly transferred control of the account and domain to a malicious actor. This gave the actor the ability to change DNS records and in turn, take control of a number of internal email accounts. In due course, the malicious actor was able to partially compromise our infrastructure, and gain access to document storage.

    Kayamori said the company believes all client funds and digital wallets are secure, although personal information was compromised, including names, emails and encrypted passwords.

    Although there does not appear to be any statement on GoDaddy’s website acknowledging the breach, the company issued a statement to Engadget, confirming that a “limited number” of its employees had fallen for “social engineering” tactics resulting in unauthorized changes to customers accounts and domains.

    This is a huge embarrassment for GoDaddy, especially since the company was victim of a similar attack that impacted Escrow.com back in March.

  • GoDaddy Launches Collaborative Business Idea App

    GoDaddy launched a cool app today called Flare, so that entrepreneurs can gain needed feedback on new business ideas from their friends, experts and other small business owners. Flare is available immediately in the Apple App Store. It will launch in June on Google Play for Android devices.

    GoDaddy says that Flare empowers people to share ideas and get guidance from friends, fellow entrepreneurs, and experts in a fun and collaborative way, providing an immediate resource to receive feedback and drive new concepts or ideas forward.

    Recently, GoDaddy conducted a study where 67% of their business oriented user base has come up with a concept for a business, product or service, but just 15% actually went passed the idea stage and tried to create a business.

    GoDaddy stated, “The biggest barriers for not taking action: people didn’t know what to do next (30 percent) and fear/self-doubt (15 percent). Nearly 55 percent said they regret not taking the next step with an idea.”

    “Everyone has ideas, but too often they don’t go anywhere,” said Rene Reinsberg, vice president of Emerging Products at GoDaddy. “We created Flare because we recognized the need for a community where people can get impartial feedback on ideas and connect with others to help them turn those ideas into something meaningful. Whether you’ve just had a fleeting thought and want to explore where you might be able to take it, or you’ve been dreaming of creating your own business your whole life, Flare is the first place to go for someone that wants to take the next step.”

    Screen Shot 2016-05-26 at 1.45.51 PM

    Flare Features:

    – A simple, easy-to-use, elegant interface reminiscent of popular social media feeds

    – Quickly give feedback by swiping left/right to dismiss or be reminded of an idea if it becomes popular

    – Tap on an idea to learn more. Love an idea to follow its progress and shape its direction

    – Spread ideas by easily sharing them via social media

    – Explore ideas that are nearby

    – Quickly poll your followers for directional feedback regarding pricing, desirability, feasibility, among other things

    – See all of your followers, across all ideas, and their expertise

    – Gauge interest of your followers in being future customers via pledging

    – Flare represents the latest example of GoDaddy’s ongoing commitment to develop innovative technologies and products designed to empower entrepreneurs – whether they’re looking to simply get started with a new idea, get online, or grow a business.

    Here’s how GoDaddy describes Flare in the iTunes store:

    Flare is a social network that connects entrepreneurs to fellow entrepreneurs, potential consumers, investors and experts and creates community around new ideas.

    With Flare you can:

    – Be an adviser to great ideas
    – Give feedback on others’ ideas
    – Get feedback for yours to refine it
    – Connect with fellow entrepreneurs
    – Build relationships with potential customers
    – Meet potential investors
    – Learn from experts

  • GoDaddy Launches Over 40 New Features Across All Product Lines

    GoDaddy announced its new product update for Spring 2016 with over 40 new features that span across all of its products. Updates are aimed at helping entrepreneurs start, grow, and successfully run their own business ventures and become more competitive.

    “At GoDaddy, we’re completely dedicated to the growth and success of the small businesses that power the global economy,” said Chief Product Officer Steven Aldrich. “Our responsibility in helping them achieve that success is to provide them with the best products and services to empower them, so we’re constantly looking at ways we can add to our services, or improve existing ones. The updates we’re announcing today are really just the tip of the iceberg, and customers can expect to see a more regular cadence of updates in the future, all designed with their success in mind.”

    “Recent research commissioned by GoDaddy found that 59 percent of small businesses still don’t have their own website,” the company adds. “Of those intending to build a website, only one in five had bought a domain name. The improvements to GoDaddy’s offerings give small business owners more choices for naming, web design help, SEO and a wide variety of tools that enable them to get up and running easily.”

    There are new top-level domains to choose from including: .CN, .PET, .BET, .PRO, .CAR, .CARS, .AUTO, .CLOUD, .FAMILY, .IST, .ISTANBUL, and .STORE.

    Other domain updates include the availability of v2.0 of the Domain Investor app, which is now available in 10 new languages, new security measures (transfer risk mitigation), and improvements to domain name availability search (new international search capabilities).

    For Website Builder, there are three new starter themes for businesses and new built-in SEO features. They’re also providing SEO services and a customer dashboard for tracking SEO activity.

    There’s a new WordPress-based design and build service.

    For hosting, there are new cloud servers and cloud applications as well as new data center selection functionality and a rewards point program for Pro members.

    GoDaddy Email Marketing now has a new “second send” functionality for resending messages, new Online Store integration, and free trials for Online Store customers.

    Also new is version 1 of integrated encryption and archiving for Office 365.

    More details on all the new stuff here.

    Image via GoDaddy (Facebook)

  • GoDaddy Offers Domains, SSL Certificates Through Microsoft Azure App Service

    GoDaddy Offers Domains, SSL Certificates Through Microsoft Azure App Service

    GoDaddy announced that it is now offering domains and SSL certificates through the Microsoft Azure App Service platform, building on an existing relationship with Microsoft.

    Azure App Service users can now buy and configure domain names right from the platform without having to leave the Microsoft environment. Customers will also be able to access Microsoft’s direct support.

    The integration makes use of GoDaddy’s latest set of APIs.

    “We’ve specifically designed our API to be powerful and simple to use, enabling quick access to our products and services,” said GoDaddy VP Engineering Charles Beadnall. “Giving Azure App Service customers the ability to register domain names right within their Microsoft account creates a better experience for everyone. We built our APIs to enable this type of usability, as it helps our partners and ensure a simple experience for their customers.”

    “Microsoft’s ability to offer GoDaddy’s domains and SSL product through Microsoft Azure App Service will increase the overall functionality of the platform and provide an improved experience for our users,” added Nir Mashkowski, Director of Program management for Azure App Service. “We look forward to our continued collaboration with GoDaddy and bringing even more products to market that directly benefit our customers.”

    Late last month, GoDaddy launched on AppDirect to provide custom domain names for those purchasing Office 365 in AppDirect-powered marketplaces.

    Last week, Squarespace announced it is now competing with GoDaddy with its new Squarespace Domains service.

    Image via GoDaddy

  • Squarespace Goes After GoDaddy with Squarespace Domains

    Squarespace just announced the launch of Squarespace Domains enabling customers to start their website building process by buying a domain directly from Squarespace.

    In case you think the “goes after GoDaddy” headline is too dramatic, the company is being pretty clear about this being the intent. A spokesperson for Squarespace said in an email the launch allows them to “compete directly with companies like GoDaddy and tap into an adjacent, multi-billion dollar market.”

    “Now, our customers will be able to purchase a domain, create a website, build an online store, connect to Google Apps for a custom email, and more, all in one place and with zero configuration,” the spokesperson says.

    Users can go to Squarespace.com/domains and enter terms or browse over 200 top-level domains, which start at $20/year.

    “Unlike some of our competitors, Squarespace Domains includes WHOIS Privacy at no extra charge, a beautiful ad-free parking page, a same-rate guarantee for renewals, and no hidden fees,” the company tells us. “We’ll also soon be offering SSL certificates and domain transfers at no additional cost.”

    Squarespace says it will introduce additional features for Squarespace Domains in the coming months. You can find more info about the service in this help guide.

    Image via Squarespace

  • GoDaddy Hits AppDirect For Office 365 Domain Offerings

    GoDaddy announced that it is now live on AppDirect so small businesses can add custom domain names when purchasing Office 365 in AppDirect-powered marketplaces.

    With the news, service providers and VARs on AppDirect can provide domain names and email addresses to small businesses as part of the Office 365 purchase experience.

    “Owning your digital identity is important to individuals and businesses,” said GoDaddy Chief Product Officer Steven Aldrich, who is a keynote speaker for the AppDirect Partner Summit later this year. “Now that GoDaddy is on the AppDirect platform, customers can quickly add custom email addresses to their Office 365 accounts. This gives them a professional email address which increases prospects’ willingness to do business with them and the business owner can also use their domain name for a website or social presence.”

    “AppDirect has always focused on helping businesses find, buy and manage the software they need to thrive,” said Richard Dufty, Senior Vice President, Worldwide Sales, Customer Success and Alliances. “Allowing our partners to sell GoDaddy domains with Office 365 helps them create better and more lasting relationships with their business customers, who gain access to the applications they need while growing their online presences.”

    GoDaddy says it will also be offering standalone domain name registration in the near future, but didn’t specify beyond that.

    Image via GoDaddy (Facebook)

  • GoDaddy Launches Cloud Servers

    GoDaddy Launches Cloud Servers

    GoDaddy just announced the global availability of its new Cloud Servers product.

    “Designed to help the underserved market of individual developers, tech entrepreneurs and IT professionals, the scalable Cloud platform offers a pay as you go utility billing model to meet the needs of a unique customer base: developers who build solutions for small businesses worldwide,” a spokesperson for the company tells WebProNews.

    “Providing a distinct competitive advantage against hosting-only providers, Cloud Servers: is integrated with a suite of GoDaddy products, including domain names; will be powered by a partnership with Bitnami, meaning one-click optimized installation for app solutions like WordPress, Drupal, Odoo and Magento; is built on OpenStack in line with GoDaddy’s commitment to open source technology; [and] offers the highest level of stability and security,” the spokesperson adds.

    Cloud Servers customers get full access to various public facing APIs. You can automatically backup your data without downtime to keep user data and configuration covered. They’re guaranteeing 99.9% uptime.

    User servers can be kept in constant contact with each other with private networking maintaining secure communication and protocols, GodDaddy says. You can assign permanent IPs and multiple IP addresses to a single server with as many available as needed.

    Supported distributions include: Ubuntu 14.04, CentOS 6 & 7, Fedora 23, Debian 8, FreeBSD, CoreOS and Arch Linux.

    At launch, Cloud Servers are only in U.S. datacenters.

  • GoDaddy Gives Businesses Worldwide .CN Domains

    GoDaddy Gives Businesses Worldwide .CN Domains

    GoDaddy announced that it is now giving small business customers worldwide access to .cn domains to create better experiences for Chinese customers.

    The company now offers a total of 421 domain name extensions.

    “We received many requests from customers who were wanting to improve their presence in China,” said GoDaddy Senior Vice President and General Manager Mike McLaughlin. “Internet users in China like having .cn domain names to reflect their identity in their local market. In addition, if a company wants to improve cross-border commerce with China, it makes sense to have a .cn name.”

    “GoDaddy is one of our most important partners, we are looking forward to expanding our .cn domain name business worldwide with GoDaddy,” said CNNIC, President and CEO, Xiaodong Lee.

    The .CN domain offering is part of a larger Asian roll-out from GoDaddy. The company separately announced its expansion into 11 new Asian markets. More on that here.

    Image via GoDaddy (Facebook)

  • GoDaddy Enters 11 New Markets

    GoDaddy Enters 11 New Markets

    GoDaddy just launched in 11 Asian markets, announcing that it is now available in 10 languages and 14 markets across Asia.

    These include: Hong Kong (English and Traditional Chinese), Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia (English and Malay), Philippines (English and Filipino), Singapore (English and Simplified Chinese), South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.

    CEO Blake Irving said, “Asia is home to one of the largest, most vibrant small business communities in the world. As Internet growth and smartphone adoption continue to accelerate across the region, it’s important that these businesses are able to create strong digital identities that will help them achieve their goals and compete online. GoDaddy is committed to providing the products and services that will enable Asia entrepreneurs to easily start, confidently grow and successfully run their own ventures.”

    “Small and medium enterprises serve as the economic backbone in Asia,” GoDaddy says. “SMEs account for over 97% of all enterprises and employ over half of the workforce across APEC economies. At the same time, more people in Asia are utilizing the Internet and connected devices to stay informed and make purchases. 72% of people in Hong Kong access the Internet daily and 74% use a smartphone; 81% of people in Singapore access the Internet and 88% use a smartphone. Overall, Internet growth across Asia has grown 1,319% between 2000-2015.”

    Products available in the new markets include: domains, website hosting, website-building tools, and business applications.

    GoDaddy is now available to businesses in a total of 53 markets, supporting 26 languages, and 44 currencies.

    Image via Facebook (GoDaddy)

  • Microsoft Pilots Outlook.com Premium Email Service

    Microsoft is reportedly piloting a new Outlook.com Premium service, which appears to give subscribers personalized email addresses with custom domain accounts thanks to a partnership with GoDaddy.

    The offering was first reported by ZDNet Microsoft reporter Mary Jo Foley, who was tipped to this support page about the service by a reader. She confirmed the service with the company, sharing the following quotes a from a spokesperson:

    “Outlook.com Premium is not an existing offering, it is an experiment that we are piloting. We’re always investigating new features based on the wants and needs of our users, and we have nothing more to share at this time.”

    “We are evaluating interest in custom domains for Outlook.com. At this time, we are testing with a limited number of users in the United States and will evaluate the experience over time. The previous program required the user to manage the process of purchasing a domain. We are evaluating the appeal of custom domains but with Microsoft managing the processes of procuring the domain.”

    On the linked support page, Microsoft says it has partnered with GoDaddy to supply the email domain names users choose to power their personalized email addresses. The domain names are therefore subject to availability and GoDaddy’s terms.

    Earlier this week, Microsoft announced the global roll-out and removal of the preview label on the new Outlook.com.

    Image via Microsoft

  • GoDaddy Launches Domain Investor App

    GoDaddy Launches Domain Investor App

    GoDaddy announced the launch of a new mobile app for domain investors, aptly called GoDaddy Investor. It’s now available on iOS and Android, and enables investors to watch and bid on domains at auction and stay on top of their current bids.

    As the company rightly notes, aftermarket domain auctions are highly competitive and time-sensitive, so this app seems like a no-brainer.

    “GoDaddy Investor offers several additional features not previously available,” the company says. “After downloading the app, domain investors are able to monitor a watch list of active expiry domain auctions in real time, as well as view their bidding history. Investors can also see the auction history for each domain, including the number of bidders and the prices of their bids. Investors can also place proxy bids and securely re-authenticate with their Auction PIN (Android, iOS) or Touch ID (iOS). A streamlined, visual dashboard count shows, at-a-glance, how many auctions investors have won, bid on, or are watching overall. Finally, since auctions are won and lost in an instant, push notifications will immediately alert investors when they’ve been outbid on auctions that are ending soon.”

    “We worked closely with our domain investors to bring the same great investing experience to mobile that they’ve enjoyed on desktop for years,” said Paul Nicks, GoDaddy’s Senior Director of Aftermarket. “The new GoDaddy Investor app was designed with the timely nature of domain bids in mind, allowing investors to register valuable pre-owned domain names, win more auctions and keep a closer eye on their bids, no matter where they are.”

    The app is available in the App Store and Google Play.

    GoDaddy also announced a new Logo Design service. More on that here.

    Images via GoDaddy (Google Play)

  • GoDaddy Adds Logo Design To Small Business Services

    GoDaddy Adds Logo Design To Small Business Services

    GoDaddy just announced the launch of GoDaddy Logo Design Service, which gives customers a way to “refine their online image” with the help of a professionally designed logo, which can be designed and customized to their own requirements.

    With the service, customers can provide business and design guidelines to professional designers, who will craft a logo tailored to these specifications.

    According to GoDaddy, the customer will get a new logo within three to five business days, along with art files that can easily be deployed across online channels.

    “GoDaddy Logo Design Service was developed expressly for small business owners, bloggers, consultants and other professionals with an online presence who are working to fine-tune their image and build a signature brand,” said Linnea Stenberg, Program Manager at GoDaddy. “The designer is available throughout the process to communicate directly with the customer to field any questions and ensure the finished product is perfect.”

    “GoDaddy Logo Design Service enables even the smallest brands to make a big impact, with eye-catching logos designed by experts exclusively for their brand at an affordable cost,” the company adds.

    Last fall, GoDaddy published results of a study finding that most “very small” business are still without websites. It stands to reason that these businesses could use a hand in the logo design realm as well.

    The company has put a major focus on small businesses since Blake Irving took over the CEO role in 2013. This service is only the latest such example.

    The Logo Design service costs a one-time fee of $199.99.

    Image via GoDaddy

  • GoDaddy Launches Partner Program For WordPress Plugin Developers

    GoDaddy Launches Partner Program For WordPress Plugin Developers

    GoDaddy launched a new WordPress Plugin Partner Program to help with the discovery and use of plugins in the WordPress community.

    The company announced thew news at WordCamp U.S. on Friday.

    “With 40,000+ plugins available, it can be difficult for developers to have their plugin rise above the noise. GoDaddy’s program boosts visibility of the best WordPress plugins, giving authors a chance to drive downloads, and making it easier for small businesses and web developers to find a plugin that meets their needs,” a spokesperson for GoDaddy tells WebProNews.

    When plugin authors become GoDaddy-verified partners, they get access to exclusive, on-demand support and a direct line of communication to the company’s customer service. They also get platform-tuning assistance to allow the plugins to maintain a “high quality user experience” on GoDaddy’s platform.

    “We’re thrilled to be a part of the WordCamp US conference and celebrations this week, and to announce our Plugin Partnership Program, the first of its kind to market,” said Jeff King, SVP & GM Hosting, Security, GoDaddy. “Through new relationships fostered by this program, we hope to help authors stand out among the over 40,000 plugins and roughly 10,000 themes in the rapidly growing and expansive ecosystem, raise the bar for plugins, drive more downloads and delight customers with quality offerings.”

    Verified partners also get referrals from integrated GoDaddy placements, which the company says will help boost downloads and activity.

    Partners will receive a badge to display on their website.

    Images via GoDaddy

  • GoDaddy Earnings Impress, Revenue Up Over 15%

    GoDaddy just reported its financials for Q3 with revenue up 15.2% year over year at $411.1 million, beating Wall Street expectations. The company also reported total bookings of $475.6 million (up 14.1%).

    Domains revenue was $215.0 million (up 10.5%) while Hosting and Presence revenue was $150.8 million (up 14.7%), Business Applications revenue was $45.3 million (up 47.1%), and International revenue was $105.3 million (up 17.4%).

    The company topped 4 million international customers, which is more than double its total international customer base over the previous four years.

    GoDaddy now has over 61 million domains under management, which it says is over 20% of the global total.

    Here’s the release in its entirety:

    SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Nov. 4, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — GoDaddy Inc. (NYSE: GDDY), the world’s largest technology provider dedicated to small businesses, today reported financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2015.

    “Our third quarter results demonstrate that consistent execution against our strategy yields positive results for our shareholders. We’re growing revenue across all of our business lines by delivering products and services that meet the needs of our customers globally. With 15% revenue growth and adjusted EBITDA up over 22% in the quarter, our combination of products, technology and care will continue to differentiate us and produce strong financial results.”

    Third Quarter Financial Highlights

    • Revenue of $411.1 million, up 15.2% year over year.
    • Total Bookings of $475.6 million, up 14.1% year over year.
    • Adjusted EBITDA of $87.7 million, up 22.5% year over year.
    • Unlevered free cash flow of $79.7 million, an increase of 40.6% year over year.
    • Customers were 13.6 million at quarter end, up 8.8% year over year.
    • Annual ARPU of $119, up 6.8% year over year.

    Three Months Ended

    September 30,

    Nine Months Ended

    September 30,

    in millions, except ARPU

    2015

    2014

    Change

    2015

    2014

    Change

    GAAP Results

    Revenue

    $

    411.1

    $

    356.9

    15.2

    %

    $

    1,181.9

    $

    1,015.6

    16.4

    %

    Net loss (1)

    $

    (5.2)

    $

    (27.6)

    NM

    $

    (119.9)

    $

    (116.5)

    NM

    Net cash provided by operating activities

    $

    198.1

    $

    154.9

    27.9

    %

    Non-GAAP Results

    Total Bookings

    $

    475.6

    $

    416.8

    14.1

    %

    $

    1,450.2

    $

    1,265.6

    14.6

    %

    Adjusted EBITDA

    $

    87.7

    $

    71.6

    22.5

    %

    $

    263.9

    $

    215.1

    22.7

    %

    Unlevered Free Cash Flow

    $

    79.7

    $

    56.7

    40.6

    %

    $

    241.8

    $

    170.1

    42.2

    %

    Customers (at quarter end)

    13.6

    12.5

    8.8

    %

    13.6

    12.5

    8.8

    %

    ARPU (Average revenue per user)

    $

    119

    $

    112

    6.8

    %

    $

    119

    $

    112

    6.8

    %

    (1)

    Net loss for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 includes $51.1 million of costs consisting of $29.7 million in termination payments made in connection with the completion of the IPO and the $21.4 million loss on debt extinguishment associated with the prepayment of the $300 million senior note.

     

    Third Quarter Operating Highlights

    • Domains revenue of $215.0 million, up 10.5% year over year.
    • Hosting and Presence revenue of $150.8 million, up 14.7% year over year.
    • Business Applications revenue of $45.3 million, up 47.1% year over year.
    • International revenue of $105.3 million, up 17.4% year over year.
    • GoDaddy topped 4 million international customers during the quarter, more than doubling its total international customer base over the last 4 years.
    • GoDaddy now has more than 61 million domains under management, representing over 20% of the global total.
    • GoDaddy Pro continues to grow, with over 50,000 web professionals now signed up, half of which are in international markets.
    • GoDaddy expanded its Online Store with more than a dozen new features, including the integration of GoDaddy Email Marketing; Shippo, a customized shipping solution; and McAfee SECURE Certification.
    • GoDaddy extended its Search Engine Visibility (SEV) service, which allows a website using GoDaddy’s Domain Name System (DNS) to rank better in search results without requiring manual code updates. SEV was previously offered with GoDaddy’s Website Builder and Managed WordPress products, and is now available for use with any website, regardless of how it was built or how it is hosted.

    Balance Sheet

    At September 30, 2015, total cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments were $333.1 million, total long-term debt outstanding, including current portion, was $1,048.0 million, gross debt was $1,086.3 million and net debt was $753.2 million.

    Business Outlook

    For the fourth quarter ending December 31, 2015, the Company expects revenues in the range of $421 – $424 million and adjusted EBITDA in the range of $70 – $73 million.

    For the full year ending December 31, 2015, the Company expects revenues in the range of $1,603 – $1,606 million and adjusted EBITDA in the range of $334 – $337 million.

    Quarterly Conference Call and Webcast

    GoDaddy will host a conference call and webcast to discuss third quarter 2015 results at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on November 4, 2015. To hear the call, dial (877) 201-0168 in the United States or (647) 788-4901 from international locations, with passcode 51288356. A live webcast of the call, together with a slide presentation that includes supplemental financial information and reconciliations of certain non-GAAP measures to their nearest comparable GAAP measures, will be available through the Company’s Investor Relations website at https://investors.godaddy.net. Following the call, a recorded replay of the webcast will be available on the website.

    GoDaddy Inc. uses its Investor Relations website at https://investors.godaddy.net as a means of disclosing material non-public information and for complying with its disclosure obligations under Regulation FD. Accordingly, investors should monitor the Company’s Investor Relations website, in addition to following press releases, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings, public conference calls and webcasts.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    This press release contains forward-looking statements which are subject to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are based on estimates and information available to us at the time of this press release and are not guarantees of future performance. Statements in this release involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. If the risks or uncertainties ever materialize or the assumptions prove incorrect, our results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact could be deemed forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to: any projections of product or service availability, technology developments, customer growth, addressable market size or other future events; any statements about historical results that may suggest future trends for our business; any statements regarding our plans, strategies or objectives with respect to future operations; any statements regarding future economic conditions; and any statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing.

    Actual results could differ materially from our current expectations as a result of many factors, including, but not limited to: the unpredictable nature of our rapidly evolving market; fluctuations in our financial and operating results; our rate of growth; interruptions or delays in our service or our web hosting; breaches of our security measures; the impact of any previous or future acquisitions; our ability to continue to release, and gain customer acceptance of, our existing and future products and services; our ability to manage our growth; our ability to hire, retain and motivate employees; the effects of competition; technological, regulatory and legal developments; intellectual property litigation; and developments in the economy, financial markets and credit markets.

    Additional risks and uncertainties that could affect GoDaddy’s financial results are included under the captions “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” in the Company’s prospectus dated March 31, 2015, filed with the SEC on April 1, 2015, which is available on the Company’s website at https://investors.godaddy.net and on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Additional information will also be set forth in other filings that the Company makes with the SEC from time to time. All forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information available to the Company as of the date hereof, and GoDaddy does not assume any obligation to update the forward-looking statements provided to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made.

    Non-GAAP Financial Measures

    In addition to financial measures prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (GAAP), this press release includes financial measures defined as “non-GAAP financial measures” by the SEC including Total Bookings, Adjusted EBITDA, Unlevered Free Cash Flow, Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) and Net Debt. These measures may be different from non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies in our industry, as those other companies may calculate their non-GAAP financial measures differently, particularly related to adjustments for acquisition accounting and non-recurring expenses.

    We believe that these non-GAAP financial measures are useful as a supplement in evaluating our ongoing operational performance and enhancing an overall understanding of our past financial performance. The non-GAAP financial measures included in this release should not be considered in isolation from, or as a substitute for, financial information prepared in accordance with GAAP. A reconciliation between each non-GAAP financial measure and its nearest GAAP equivalent is included in this release following the financial statements. We use both GAAP and non-GAAP measures to evaluate and manage our operations.

    Total bookings. Total bookings represents gross cash receipts from the sale of products to customers in a given period before giving effect to certain adjustments, primarily net refunds granted in the period. Total bookings provides valuable insight into the sales of our products and the performance of our business since we typically collect payment at the time of sale and recognize revenue ratably over the term of our customer contracts. We report total bookings without giving effect to refunds granted in the period because refunds often occur in periods different from the period of sale for reasons unrelated to the marketing efforts leading to the initial sale. Accordingly, by excluding net refunds, we believe total bookings reflects the effectiveness of our sales efforts in a given period.

    Adjusted EBITDA. Adjusted EBITDA is a measure of our performance aligning our bookings and operating expenditures, and is the primary metric management uses to evaluate the profitability of our business. We calculate adjusted EBITDA as net loss excluding depreciation and amortization, interest expense (net), provision (benefit) for income taxes and adjustments to the TRA liability, equity-based compensation expense, change in deferred revenue, change in prepaid and accrued registry costs, acquisition and sponsor-related costs and a non-recurring reserve for sales taxes. As a result of our business model, we typically collect payment at the time of sale and generally recognize revenue ratably over the term of our customer contracts. At the time of a domain sale, we also incur the obligation for the domain name registry fees associated with the customer contract. As a result, sales to customers increase our deferred revenue and prepaid and accrued registry costs. We therefore adjust net loss for changes in deferred revenue and changes in the associated prepaid and accrued registry costs to facilitate a better comparison of our performance from period to period.

    Unlevered Free Cash Flow. Unlevered free cash flow is a measure of our performance used by management to evaluate our business prior to the impact of our capital structure and after purchases of property and equipment, such as data center and infrastructure investments, that can be used by us for strategic opportunities and strengthening our balance sheet. However, given our debt obligations, unlevered free cash flow does not represent residual cash flow available for discretionary expenses.

    ARPU. We calculate ARPU as total revenue during the preceding 12-month period divided by the average of the number of total customers at the beginning and end of the period. ARPU provides insight into our ability to sell additional products to customers, though the impact to date has been muted due to our continued growth in total customers. The impact of purchase accounting adjustments makes comparisons of ARPU among historical periods less meaningful; however, in future periods, as the effects of purchase accounting decrease, ARPU will become a more meaningful metric.

    Net Debt. We define net debt as gross debt less cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments. Gross debt consists of the current portion of long-term debt plus long-term debt and unamortized original issue discounts on long-term debt. We believe the presentation of net debt provides useful information to investors because our management reviews net debt as part of its management of our overall liquidity, financial flexibility, capital structure and leverage. Furthermore, certain analysts and debt rating agencies monitor our net debt as part of their assessments of our business.

    About GoDaddy

    GoDaddy’s mission is to radically shift the global economy toward small businesses by empowering people to easily start, confidently grow and successfully run their own ventures. With more than 13 million customers worldwide and more than 61 million domain names under management, GoDaddy gives small business owners the tools to name their idea, build a beautiful online presence, attract customers and manage their business. To learn more about the Company, visit www.GoDaddy.com.

    GoDaddy Inc.

    Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations (unaudited)

    (In millions, except share amounts which are reflected in thousands and per share amounts)

    Three Months Ended
    September 30,

    Nine Months Ended
    September 30,

    2015

    2014

    2015

    2014

    Revenue:

    Domains

    $

    215.0

    $

    194.6

    $

    622.7

    $

    564.1

    Hosting and presence

    150.8

    131.5

    436.5

    369.9

    Business applications

    45.3

    30.8

    122.7

    81.6

    Total revenue

    411.1

    356.9

    1,181.9

    1,015.6

    Costs and operating expenses(1):

    Cost of revenue (excluding depreciation and amortization)

    144.0

    131.7

    420.9

    384.6

    Technology and development

    67.5

    62.4

    202.8

    187.4

    Marketing and advertising

    49.3

    40.2

    150.8

    121.7

    Customer care

    54.8

    48.9

    167.2

    140.6

    General and administrative (2)

    44.6

    41.8

    167.6

    127.5

    Depreciation and amortization

    40.6

    38.5

    116.4

    113.0

    Total costs and operating expenses

    400.8

    363.5

    1,225.7

    1,074.8

    Operating income (loss)

    10.3

    (6.6)

    (43.8)

    (59.2)

    Interest expense

    (14.6)

    (23.1)

    (54.7)

    (61.3)

    Loss on debt extinguishment

    —

    —

    (21.4)

    —

    Other income (expense), net

    —

    1.1

    0.7

    1.0

    Loss before income taxes

    (4.3)

    (28.6)

    (119.2)

    (119.5)

    Benefit (provision) for income taxes

    (0.9)

    1.0

    (0.7)

    3.0

    Net loss

    (5.2)

    (27.6)

    (119.9)

    (116.5)

    Less: net loss attributable to non-controlling interests

    (2.7)

    —

    (44.2)

    —

    Net loss attributable to GoDaddy Inc.

    $

    (2.5)

    $

    (27.6)

    $

    (75.7)

    $

    (116.5)

    Net loss per share of Class A common stock—basic and

    diluted(3)

    $

    (0.04)

    $

    (0.21)

    $

    (0.82)

    $

    (0.91)

    Weighted-average shares of Class A common stock outstanding—basic and diluted(3)

    64,999

    38,826

    56,153

    38,826

    (1)    Costs and operating expenses include equity-based compensation expense as follows:

    Technology and development

    $

    4.4

    $

    2.7

    $

    12.5

    $

    7.2

    Marketing and advertising

    1.5

    3.4

    4.5

    5.1

    Customer care

    0.9

    0.2

    2.1

    0.5

    General and administrative

    3.2

    3.1

    9.4

    9.4

    (2)

    General and administrative for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 includes $29.7 million of additional expenses related to certain termination payments made in connection with the completion of the initial public offering (IPO).

    (3)

    Amounts for periods prior to our IPO have been retrospectively adjusted to give effect to the reorganization transactions that occurred prior to the completion of our IPO. The prior period amounts do not consider the 26,000 shares of Class A common stock sold in our initial public offering. For purposes of calculating loss per share for periods prior to the IPO, including the nine months ended September 30, 2015 for which a portion of the period preceded the IPO, we treated the reorganization transactions as a merger of entities under common control. Therefore, we have retrospectively reflected loss per share as though these transactions had occurred as of the earliest period presented. For purposes of calculating net loss per share of Class A common stock for all periods prior to the IPO, we allocated our historical net loss between the Class A stockholders and the non-controlling interest based on their respective share ownership. For these allocations, the weighted average shares of Class A common stock outstanding was based upon the number of LLC units exchanged in the reorganization transactions, while the weighted average shares of Class B common stock outstanding for the non-controlling interest was based upon the LLC units held by the continuing owners. As of September 30, 2015, we have a total of 155,661 shares of common stock outstanding, consisting of 65,263 shares of Class A common stock and 90,398 shares of Class B common stock as shown in a separate table at the end of this release.

     

    GoDaddy Inc.

    Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (unaudited)

    (In millions, except share amounts which are reflected in thousands and per share amounts)

    September 30,

    December 31,

    2015

    2014

    Assets

    Current assets:

    Cash and cash equivalents

    $

    327.7

    $

    139.0

    Short-term investments

    5.4

    3.0

    Accounts and other receivables

    6.2

    3.5

    Registry deposits

    21.2

    17.8

    Prepaid domain name registry fees

    295.2

    272.8

    Prepaid expenses and other current assets

    28.0

    24.8

    Total current assets

    683.7

    460.9

    Property and equipment, net

    221.5

    220.9

    Prepaid domain name registry fees, net of current portion

    162.9

    152.8

    Goodwill

    1,662.3

    1,661.2

    Intangible assets, net

    728.2

    749.7

    Other assets

    11.5

    19.3

    Total assets

    $

    3,470.1

    $

    3,264.8

    Liabilities and stockholders’/members’ equity

    Current liabilities:

    Accounts payable

    $

    28.9

    $

    31.9

    Accrued expenses

    142.8

    114.5

    Current portion of payable to related parties pursuant to tax receivable agreements

    3.0

    —

    Current portion of deferred revenue

    934.0

    821.4

    Current portion of long-term debt

    4.8

    5.0

    Total current liabilities

    1,113.5

    972.8

    Deferred revenue, net of current portion

    478.5

    429.2

    Long-term debt, net of current portion

    1,043.2

    1,413.9

    Payable to related parties pursuant to tax receivable agreements, net of current portion

    167.9

    —

    Other long-term liabilities

    35.8

    38.5

    Commitments and contingencies

    Stockholders’/members’ equity:

    Members’ interest

    —

    410.4

    Preferred stock, $0.001 par value – 50,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding

    —

    —

    Class A common stock, $0.001 par value – 1,000,000 shares authorized; 65,263 shares issued and outstanding as of September 30, 2015

    0.1

    —

    Class B common stock, $0.001 par value – 500,000 shares authorized; 90,398 shares issued and outstanding as of September 30, 2015

    0.1

    —

    Additional paid-in capital

    395.0

    —

    Accumulated other comprehensive income

    0.9

    —

    Accumulated deficit

    (32.3)

    —

    Total stockholders’ equity attributable to GoDaddy Inc./members’ equity

    363.8

    410.4

    Non-controlling interests

    267.4

    —

    Total stockholders’/members’ equity

    631.2

    410.4

    Total liabilities and stockholders’/members’ equity

    $

    3,470.1

    $

    3,264.8

     

    GoDaddy Inc.

    Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (unaudited)

    (In millions)

    Nine Months Ended
    September 30,

    2015

    2014

    Operating activities

    Net loss

    $

    (119.9)

    $

    (116.5)

    Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash provided by operating activities:

    Depreciation and amortization

    116.4

    113.0

    Equity-based compensation

    28.5

    22.2

    Loss on debt extinguishment

    21.4

    —

    Other

    7.5

    8.2

    Changes in operating assets and liabilities, net of amounts acquired:

    Registry deposits

    (3.4)

    (1.7)

    Prepaid domain name registry fees

    (32.5)

    (24.8)

    Deferred revenue

    161.9

    157.3

    Other operating assets and liabilities

    18.2

    (2.8)

    Net cash provided by operating activities

    198.1

    154.9

    Investing activities

    Purchases of short-term investments

    (7.3)

    (6.0)

    Maturities of short-term investments

    4.9

    6.2

    Business acquisitions, net of cash acquired

    (30.7)

    (40.7)

    Purchase of intangible assets

    (22.5)

    —

    Purchases of property and equipment, excluding improvements

    (31.3)

    (35.1)

    Purchases of leasehold and building improvements

    (3.0)

    (6.3)

    Other

    1.1

    1.1

    Net cash used in investing activities

    (88.8)

    (80.8)

    Financing activities

    Proceeds from issuance of Class A common stock sold in initial public offering, net of offering costs

    482.4

    (1.4)

    Distributions paid to unit and option holders

    —

    (349.0)

    Proceeds from option exercises and other

    1.2

    2.6

    Proceeds from term loan

    —

    263.8

    Proceeds from revolving credit loan

    —

    75.0

    Repayment of senior note

    (300.0)

    —

    Repayment of revolving credit loan

    (75.0)

    —

    Repayment of term loan

    (8.2)

    (4.9)

    Payment of financing-related costs

    (13.5)

    (8.4)

    Repayment of other financing obligations

    (7.4)

    (2.2)

    Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities

    79.5

    (24.5)

    Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents

    (0.1)

    —

    Net increase in cash and cash equivalents

    188.7

    49.6

    Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period

    139.0

    95.4

    Cash and cash equivalents, end of period

    $

    327.7

    $

    145.0

     

    Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

    The following tables reconcile the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure to each of these non-GAAP financial measures.

    Three Months Ended
    September 30,

    Nine Months Ended
    September 30,

    2015

    2014

    2015

    2014

    (in millions)

    Total Bookings:

    Total revenue

    $

    411.1

    $

    356.9

    $

    1,181.9

    $

    1,015.6

    Change in deferred revenue

    29.8

    27.9

    161.9

    157.3

    Net refunds

    34.3

    28.7

    104.8

    87.1

    Other

    0.4

    3.3

    1.6

    5.6

    Total bookings

    $

    475.6

    $

    416.8

    $

    1,450.2

    $

    1,265.6

    Three Months Ended
    September 30,

    Nine Months Ended
    September 30,

    2015

    2014

    2015

    2014

    (in millions)

    Adjusted EBITDA:

    Net loss (1)

    $

    (5.2)

    $

    (27.6)

    $

    (119.9)

    $

    (116.5)

    Interest expense, net of interest income

    14.3

    23.0

    54.2

    61.1

    (Benefit) provision for income taxes and adjustments to the TRA liability

    1.4

    (1.0)

    1.2

    (3.0)

    Depreciation and amortization

    40.6

    38.5

    116.4

    113.0

    Equity-based compensation expense

    10.0

    9.4

    28.5

    22.2

    Change in deferred revenue

    29.8

    27.9

    161.9

    157.3

    Change in prepaid and accrued registry costs

    (4.0)

    —

    (32.8)

    (22.3)

    Acquisition and sponsor-related costs (1)

    0.8

    1.4

    54.4

    3.9

    Sales tax accrual

    —

    —

    —

    (0.6)

    Adjusted EBITDA

    $

    87.7

    $

    71.6

    $

    263.9

    $

    215.1

    (1)

    Net loss for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 includes $51.1 million of costs, consisting of $29.7 million in sponsor-related termination payments made in connection with the completion of the IPO and the $21.4 million loss on debt extinguishment associated with the prepayment of the $300 million senior note.

    Three Months Ended
    September 30,

    Nine Months Ended
    September 30,

    2015

    2014

    2015

    2014

    (in millions)

    Unlevered Free Cash Flow:

    Net cash provided by operating activities

    $

    78.7

    $

    50.3

    $

    198.1

    $

    154.9

    Cash paid for interest

    11.9

    28.4

    47.3

    54.4

    Cash paid for acquisition and sponsor-related costs

    0.4

    0.8

    30.7

    2.2

    Capital expenditures

    (11.3)

    (22.8)

    (34.3)

    (41.4)

    Unlevered free cash flow

    $

    79.7

    $

    56.7

    $

    241.8

    $

    170.1

    September 30, 2015

    (in millions)

    Net Debt:

    Current portion of long-term debt

    $

    4.8

    Long-term debt

    1,043.2

    Unamortized original issue discount on long-term debt

    38.3

    Gross debt

    1,086.3

    Less: Cash and cash equivalents

    (327.7)

    Less: Short-term investments

    (5.4)

    Net debt

    $

    753.2

    The following table sets forth expenses included in net loss related to the termination payments made in connection with the completion of the IPO and the loss on debt extinguishment related to the prepayment of debt following the IPO:

    Nine Months
    Ended September 30,

    2015

    2014

    (in millions)

    Expenses incurred in connection with the IPO:

    Transaction and monitoring fee agreement termination fee

    $

    26.7

    $

    —

    Executive chairman services agreement termination fee

    3.0

    —

    Prepayment premium on debt

    13.5

    —

    Write-off of unamortized original issue discount on debt

    7.1

    —

    Write off of unamortized deferred financing costs on debt

    0.8

    —

    $

    51.1

    $

    —

    Shares of Class B common stock do not share in our earnings and are not participating securities. Total shares of common stock outstanding are as follows:

    September 30, 2015

    December 31, 2014(1)

    (in thousands)

    Shares Outstanding:

    Class A common stock

    65,263

    38,826

    Class B common stock

    90,398

    90,177

    155,661

    129,003

    (1)

    Shares for December 31, 2014 have been retrospectively adjusted to give effect to the reorganization transactions that occurred prior to the completion of our IPO.

     

    © 2015 GoDaddy Inc. All Rights Reserved.

    Logo – http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150330/195302LOGO

    Source: GoDaddy Inc.

     

    SOURCE GoDaddy Inc.

    Image via GoDaddy (Facebook)

  • GoDaddy Partners With AdAgility To Give Pro Members Deals

    GoDaddy announced some new perks for members of the GoDaddy Pro program for designers and developers. These come in the form of members-only offers on freelancer tools thanks to AdAgility.

    Offers include deals from Bidsketch, Ninja Forms, FreshBooks, Pluralsight, Yoast, Dropbox, Shutterstock and Adobe, all of which are available now via the GoDaddy Pro Client Dashboard.

    Judd Jacobs, Director of Product Management at GoDaddy, said, “We know freelancers have their favorite tools to make beautiful sites for their clients and keep their business organized. This partnership with AdAgility provides us the opportunity to present our customers with awesome, curated partners deals right from their current GoDaddy Pro Client Dashboard. With AdAgility’s technology presenting and fulfilling relevant partner deals, we are able to keep a consistent pipeline of great offers that freelancers care about.”

    “Our offer delivery technology in support of the GoDaddy Pro Program is an ideal combination,” says Bryan Seastead, President and co-founder of AdAgility. “Our ability to provide targeted, relevant tools and capabilities to GoDaddy’s freelancer community is a win-win for all parties involved.”

    For now, the deals will only be offered in English-speaking markets, but the companies plan to expand to other markets soon.

    Image via GoDaddy

  • Study Finds Most ‘Very Small’ Businesses Still Without Websites

    Study Finds Most ‘Very Small’ Businesses Still Without Websites

    GoDaddy recently commissioned RedShift to poll 4,000 “very small” businesses (5 employees or less) hoping to understand how they are using the web. They found that the majority (59%) have no website, and that this is impacting their ability to grow and market to new customers.

    The study also found that 55% are planning to come online within the next 2 years, and that nearly half of these businesses believe they’ll see growth as a result. GoDaddy says this is in line with what those who have built sites have experienced, adding that 59% of very small businesses with sites say their businesses have grown since coming online.

    The study also found that 48% said they intend to sell goods from their website (ecommerce functionality) within a year of its launch.

    CEO Blake Irving, who recently participated in an interesting reddit AMA about small business initiatives as well as the company’s various past controversies, wrote about the new research in a blog post.

    “Given that there are roughly 200 million VSBs globally, their getting online effectively could have a major impact on small business growth as a percentage of the economy,” he wrote. “However, there are still some notable distinctions about who is ready to take the plunge. Newer small businesses were nearly twice as likely to want a website compared to their older counterparts; firms with at least one employee (vs. sole-proprietors) were further along in their plans.”

    The following infographic is from Irving’s post.

    “While we take for granted that everyone is online, the reality is that for many small businesses it’s simply not true,” Irving said. “What is clear is that these very small businesses are realizing that if they don’t fully engage online, they are at a competitive disadvantage.”

    The full study is 32 pages, so if you’re a “very small” business, you might want to grab some coffee and get comfortable. Find it here.

    Images via GoDaddy

  • GoDaddy CEO Talks Controversies, What Company Is Doing For Small Businesses

    Few Internet companies have drawn the amount of controversy that GoDaddy has over the years. If you look at its Wikipedia page, you’ll find a huge section specifically dedicated to its controversies with that section having 10 of its own sub-sections.

    It goes without saying that people have a lot of questions for CEO Blake Irving, and Irving took to reddit to answer many of them. In fact, he answered some tough ones that many execs probably would have ignored. It’s clear that he’s trying to put the controversies in the past and make GoDaddy a more respected brand, particularly among small businesses.

    Has GoDaddy improved its image in your mind since Irving has taken over? Let us know in the comments.

    Irving has been CEO since 2013 having taken the reins after a lot of the aforementioned controversy, and has been focused on moves to pivot the company away from that. Irving hosted a reddit AMA, telling the audience, “In my 2½ years at GoDaddy, we’ve made considerable progress in bringing big technology to small business around the world—and in being a voice for progress in closing the gender gap in tech.”

    He added that he’s “passionate about building technology that changes the world for the better.”

    While you can read about each of them in more depth here, the controversies surrounding the company throughout the years include backing SOPA (which led to a boycott), suspension of Seclists.org and purchase of No Daddy, the shutdown of RateMyCop.com, the deletion of FamilyAlbum.com, implementation of a selective DNS blackout policy, former CEO Bob Parsons’ killing of an elephant, the halting of registration of China domains, a major service outage in 2012, among others.

    That’s not to mention all the sexually charged ads the company has run over the year, which have seen their own share of backlash. In fact, in the AMA, his response to a question about that got more upvotes than any others. He was asked if “using overtly sexual advertisements” has been helpful for the brand, he responded:

    The old ads helped GoDaddy build massive brand awareness in the US. They weren’t helpful to our reputation as an egalitarian provider of services though, and they didn’t do enough to tell people what we actually do. One of the first things I did at GoDaddy was pivot the advertising to reflect what we did and who we did it for. When 58% of small businesses in the US are run by women you should reflect the great work they do as small businesses. That’s what we’ve done with our ads over the past two years.

    On “support for SOPA/CISPA,” Irving said:

    That was before my time and the company got it wrong, and we learned from it. The damage to the companies reputation had already been done, of course, but it won’t happen again. CISPA never made it off the ground so there was really no position to take, but GoDaddy didn’t support the direction. I personally never supported SOPA nor CISPA.

    On leaving motorsports marketing, he said:

    We’ve gone into 37 countries and 17 languages in the past 20 months and will continue to broaden our offerings internationally. We needed to broaden our marketing spend beyond the US. NASCAR and Indy car are not as well known outside of the US. We have very precise metrics on how these perform outside of the US and inside the US.

    He also said Danica Patrick is a “stud,” and has “a hell of a strong handshake.”

    On the future of the new gTLDs:

    We’re seeing steady increases in awareness and the first instances of big global brands using the names (like abc.xyz and brand TLDs like home.barclays). We expect this to continue to drive new gTLD sales over time. For the foreseeable future, COM will likely remain the most desired name in the US and outside. It’s universally recognizable around the world. Either way, our goal is to provide the best choices available for each customer and the new gTLDs make getting the perfect name for you much more likely.

    That’s really just the tip of the iceberg. He left over 65 responses, and really didn’t do much dodging of difficult questions. Among the other topics he got into were gender diversity at the company and affirmative action hiring.

    Much of the conversation was about how GoDaddy is catering to small businesses. In fact, just last week, they launched some new tools for GoDaddy Online Store.

    Irving says that while domainers are an important part of the domain ecosystem, small businesses and personal websites are the large majority of the market. On what’s next for the company, he said:

    Ultimately, I’d like to see GoDaddy with only one product: business success…and all of our existing products would become features of that singular experience. We’re moving down that path of giving individuals and small and growing businesses a super simple entry to a digital presence, and unique insights about their day-to-day operations, marketing and customers. Imagine giving small businesses the same analytical capabilities that very large enterprises utilize today but oh so much more simple. I love the notion of democratizing big data to empower individuals, entrepreneurs and small business owners. We’ve made a ton of progress toward that vision with our new global platform and the data science that comes with it—and you’ll see a lot more on this theme in the next year or so.

    This isn’t the first time Irving has done an AMA. Here’s one he did last year.

    What do you think about Ivring’s responses? Do you like the direction the company is taking? Do you (or would you) use their services? Discuss in the comments.

    Image via Blake Irving (Twitter)

  • GoDaddy Online Store Gets Email Marketing, Shipping, Security Features

    GoDaddy Online Store Gets Email Marketing, Shipping, Security Features

    GoDaddy announced the integrations of GoDaddy Email Marketing, Shippo, and McAfee Secure Certification with GoDaddy Online Store to help users grow their small businesses without having to “deal with disparate technologies.”

    “GoDaddy Email Marketing will help small business owners easily communicate with current customers and start relationships with prospects,” a spokesperson for the company tells WebProNews. “Shippo will give Online Store users a single dashboard to manage and track orders, print shipping labels, and offer small businesses shipping rate discounts which gives a leg up against other sites that attract customers with promises of low cost shipping. Lastly the McAfee SECURE trustmark will help ensure the security and safety of GoDaddy online stores to visitors.”

    GoDaddy Online Store first launched last year, and now has over 40,000 customers.

    The email marketing integration will enable small businesses to easily collect email addresses, manage contacts, and send email campaigns. This and the other features join previously released updates like integration with Facebook stores (through a partnership with Shopial) and the inclusion of customer reviews (via a partnership with Yotpo).

    “We created Online Store to make it easier for small businesses to build ecommerce websites. We are proud to expand our offering with GoDaddy Email Marketing integration, Shippo, and McAfee SECURE certification,” said Lauren Antonoff, SVP Presence & Commerce at GoDaddy. “We are constantly working to provide tools that improve the lives of small business owners who need our products to work without having to sift through technical details. Online Store answers this call for functionality without hassle; our customers will now be able to easily keep in touch and with and better serve their customers, driving more repeat business.”

    GoDaddy Online Store is available to small businesses in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Philippines, Singapore, and India.

    Image via GoDaddy