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You’re not a real website designer or developer until you learn to hate GoDaddy. I joke but GoDaddy doesn’t have the rosiest of reputations among seasoned designers & developers. Recent news of GoDaddy acquiring ManageWP (a popular service to manage multiple WordPress websites) has kicked up #WPdrama dust and once again stirred the GoDaddy hate.

I don’t hate GoDaddy, but I don’t love them either

I don’t like GoDaddy. I stopped liking them years ago before the elephant shooting (which may or may not have been to help the local Zimbabwe population) and before their support of SOPA (eventhough it was reportedly brief). I felt their products were sub-standard, their support lacking and their 90s attitude off-putting. But while I never hated them I wouldn’t recommend them, nor would I try and stop any of my clients from purchasing their services if they so wished.

But over the years I have had to service clients who, for one reason or another, use GoDaddy’s services. And while I did so with a generous rolling of my eyes I had to admit they had improved. Their interface was cleaner and their support much more responsive. And since I specialize in delivering WordPress solutions I was impressed they had taken notice of WordPress and were developing WordPress-only services. So their eventual acquisition of ManageWP isn’t too surprising.

GoDaddy can change too

I’m with Brian Krogsgard here: I believe anyone, including GoDaddy, can change and I also believe they ought to be given a chance to show they have changed. But like Ahmad Awais writes, I also believe GoDaddy needs to communicate the change to their user base. The sooner, the better.

I’m not trying to turn anyone’s opinion. But GoDaddy is such a big player in the field of website design & development that one ought to at least keep an eye on what’s going on with them.