KeyDB (YC S20) Is Hiring a Full Stack Developer

Article URL: https://www.workatastartup.com/jobs/42391

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26314373

Points: 1

# Comments: 0

The post KeyDB (YC S20) Is Hiring a Full Stack Developer appeared first on ROI Credit Builders.

Laylo Is Hiring a Senior Front End

Laylo is building a platform to connect content creators and artists with their biggest fans. We work with the world’s largest record labels and brands to provide communication, marketing and messaging tools to content creators.

We’re expanding our team to provide these tools to millions of creators around the world. You will be taking on fullstack responsibilities including:

Managing React / Next JS frontend
Using GraphQL APIs
Analyzing & visualizing data
Scaling infrastructure with a growing user base
Exploring/building new technologies to optimize frontend performance
Huge bonus if you have experience with:

Graph databases / Neo4j / Cypher
React Native
iOS Development (Swift / Objective-C)
Android Development (Java)
Startups
The aux cord
Together we can build better tools for creators and fans alike.


Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26310633

Points: 1

# Comments: 0

KeyDB (YC S20) Is Hiring a Full Stack Developer

Article URL: https://www.workatastartup.com/jobs/42391

Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26314373

Points: 1

# Comments: 0

5 Ways to Get a Business Loan to Buy a Business

Getting a loan to buy and existing business is a somewhat different animal than getting a regular business loan.  There are plenty of options, but it can take some careful consideration and research to figure out which option will work best for you.  What’s your best option for a business loan to buy a business? 

How to Get a Business Loan to Buy a Business Regardless of Credit

It’s also important to know that, even if your credit isn’t the best, you can still get a business loan to buy a business.  It may not be the traditional term loan you probably expect, but you can most likely still get the fund you need. Sometimes, it takes combining a couple of options to get the best funding for your specific needs. 

Business Loan to Buy a Business: Traditional Loans

Traditional loans are a decent first stop when you are trying to figure out how to get a loan to buy a business. If you have good personal credit, you’ll have no problem here.  Furthermore, if your credit is good, you will get the best interest rates and loan terms from a traditional loan. 

business loan to buy a business Credit Suite

Credit Line Hybrid Financing: Get up to $150,000 in financing so your business can thrive.

Collateral-based Loans

These are loans that are secured by some asset that you own.  Rates are lower, and your personal credit doesn’t have as much of an impact. The bank is taking on less risk due to the fact they can take possession of the asset if you default.  The business you are purchasing can be used as collateral for the loan. However, there are other, outside of the box options, that you can use if needed.  We’ll talk about this more later. 

Guarantor Loans

Here’s another idea if you do not have or want to use assets as security for a loan, but your personal credit score isn’t quite up to par. Ask a friend or family member who has these kinds of assets or a good credit score. They may let you leverage their asset in exchange for a percent of your business. They usually want less of a percent of your company than a venture capitalist would.  

If you are going to get help from friends and family to buy a business, asking them to sign on as a guarantor may be a better option than borrowing from them directly.  That can cause a lot of drama. 

SBA Loans

Qualified borrowers may be eligible for SBA loans.  These are loans guaranteed by the federal government. Yet, funds are distributed through banks. The application process is more involved. However, interest rates are often better.  Typically, minimum credit score requirements are lower than what banks would offer without the government guarantee as well. 

7(a) Loans 

This program offers federally funded term loans up to $5 million. Banks, credit unions, and other specialized institutions, in partnership with the SBA, process these loans and disburse the funds. 

The minimum credit score to qualify is 680.  There is also a required down payment of at least 10% for the purchase of a business, commercial real estate, or equipment. The minimum time in business is 2 years. In the case of startups, business experience equivalent to two years will suffice. 

504 Loans

These loans are also available up to $5 million.  Terms range from 10 to 20 years. Funding can take from 30 to 90 days. They require a minimum credit score of 680.  The asset you are financing is the collateral for the loan. In addition, there is a down payment requirement of 10%.  This can increase to 15% for a new business. 

There is also a 2 years in business requirement, or management must have equivalent experience if the business is a startup.

business loan to buy a business Credit Suite

Credit Line Hybrid Financing: Get up to $150,000 in financing so your business can thrive.

Business Loan to Buy a Business: Alternative Lenders

Alternative lenders are lenders that are not traditional banks or credit unions.  These are typically private or peer-to-peer lenders that operate online, though not all operate online. They work better than banks for some because they will usually use other information besides credit score.  As a result, they will often approve loans to borrowers with a lower minimum credit score if they meet other criteria. 

These other criteria could include annual revenue, time in business, average balance in business bank account, and more. 

One popular online lender that works well for funding to buy a business is Lending Club. You can get a quote in less than 5 minutes, and funds are available in as little as 48 hours if approved. There are no prepayment penalties. Loans go up to $300,000 and you need a minimum credit score of 620.  Of course, details like this change frequently, so be sure to check with any lender directly for the most up-to-date information on rates and fees. 

Lending Club is only one option. There are many out there, but you have to be careful.  There are some great lenders, but there are also some predatory lenders in this industry. It can be hard to tell the difference. To ensure you are working with a reputable lender, consider working with a business credit expert. They can help you find the best lender with the best products for your needs. They can also help you figure out what you can improve to get the best rates and terms possible.  This may include building business credit, or improving fundability some other way. 

Business Loan to Buy a Business: Rollover for Business Startups

This is a form of collateralized business loan to buy a business that uses your existing 401(k) or IRA.  This program uses IRS proven strategies. You will pay no tax penalties, and you still earn interest on your 401(k). Rates are low, and this option usually has a quick closing and funding process as well. 

Credit Suite offers excellent options for this type of 401(k) financing.  You can get up to  100% of current retirement

account value that’s “rollable” from a previous employer.  Terms can be up to 5 years, and rates as low as 5.25% (Prime + 2) + $1995 rolled in lender fee. 

There are no credit requirements. If bad credit is blocking you from getting the funding you need to buy a business, this is your chance. 

For the retirement account to qualify, you must no longer be contributing, no longer be employed by the issuing company, and you must have a minimum of $35,000 in the account. Typically all that is required is a copy of the retirement account statement. 

Business Loan to Buy a Business: Seller Financing

If you have trouble getting all the funding you need to purchase a business,  you may be able to get help from the seller. Some sellers are willing to help buyers by bridging the gap with seller financing. Sometimes a seller will sell a business solely on seller financing.  

Typically in these transactions, you pay at least one-third of the sale price up front. Then, the buyer makes payments for the rest directly to the seller, plus interest.  Sometimes, a bank may be willing to lend this lesser amount, the amount of the down payment only, when they will not lend the entire selling price.  

The reason for this is twofold. First, the lower amount means less risk for the bank.  However, banks also see that if a seller is willing to finance, then they have faith that the business will continue to produce a profit into the future.  This is seen as a positive. 

business loan to buy a business Credit Suite

Credit Line Hybrid Financing: Get up to $150,000 in financing so your business can thrive.

Using the Credit Line Hybrid to Help Fund a Business Purchase

That said, here is another option to get funding to buy a business.  The Credit Line Hybrid offers no-doc, unsecured business financing.  You can get  up to $150,000.  In some circumstances,  interest rates can be as low 0% for a limited amount of time. This can be used as some or all of the down payment required for an SBA loan or  seller financing.  The interest rate could be substantially lower than using a bank loan.  Furthermore, you can take on a credit partner.  This is helpful  if you do not meet the 680 minimum credit score or some of the other requirements.   Even better, the Credit Line Hybrid reports to the business credit reporting agencies. That means you build business credit and fund your business purchase at the same time. A business credit expert can walk you through the process

Business Loan to Buy a Business: Heloc and HEL

Borrowers who have a minimum credit score of at least 620 and at least 20% equity in their home can usually get a home equity  loan (HEL) or home equity line of credit (HELOC). You can use funds from this type of loan to buy a business, but your house will be on the line.  If you have the option of 401(k) financing or seller financing combined with the Credit Line Hybrid, that may be better.  

You Can Get a Business Loan to Buy a Business Even With Bad Credit

If  you  have great credit you probably are not worried about how to get a business loan to buy a business. However, if your credit is less than desirable, you have probably been wondering how you could ever make it work.  The fact is, there are options, and Credit Suite can help.

The post 5 Ways to Get a Business Loan to Buy a Business appeared first on Credit Suite.

Predictions for all 31 conference tournaments

ESPN.com’s college basketball experts pick a winner for all 31 men’s conference tournaments.

The post Predictions for all 31 conference tournaments appeared first on Buy It At A Bargain – Deals And Reviews.

What is Equity Crowdfunding and How Can You Use it For Your Business?

Creating a successful startup is hard; it’s even harder without access to startup funds. However, if you’ve got a great business plan and the ability to create a buzz around your brand, equity crowdfunding could be the perfect option for your business.

New legislation is opening up this crowdfunding option and making it a more viable method of raising capital for thousands of businesses.

An Overview of Equity Crowdfunding

Equity crowdfunding enables members of the public to invest in a privately-owned company. An entrepreneur or a business, generally a startup, will use an equity crowdfunding platform to offer securities in return for an investment from members of the public.

Most commonly, that security will be in the form of shares, and as the company grows and prospers, the value of those shares increases, offering the investor a return on their investment.

Why is this important for businesses?

If you’ve ever started a business, then you know it’s not straightforward, and one of the biggest challenges is raising funds to get your company off the ground. In the past, if you wanted to raise funds through members of the public, then you would need to find a venture capitalist or angel investor (people with a net worth of at least $1 million, or with an annual income of at least $200k).

However, the introduction of the JOBS Act in 2012 opened the door for privately-owned companies to raise capital through regular members of the public.

On the other side of the equation, equity crowdfunding allows regular investors to get in on the ground floor of a business opportunity. Even the biggest companies in the world like Google and Amazon started off life as startups, and with equity crowdfunding, regular people have the opportunity to invest right at the beginning of a future Google’s journey.

For every Google or Amazon though, there are endless examples of startups that fail. In fact, the 2019 failure rate for startups was 90 percent, so investing through equity crowdfunding is a risk.

Trends in Equity Crowdfunding

Many of the trends in equity crowdfunding stem from a need for consumer protection. When you invest in publicly-traded companies, you’re investing in an established, highly-regulated business, but it’s not necessarily the same story with equity crowdfunding.

It takes vast resources to become a publicly-traded company though, so it’s out of reach for startups and small businesses. Instead, they turn to alternative means of raising capital, such as equity crowdfunding, and while this offers regular investors great opportunities, it can also open them up to great risk.

This is why investing in startups was previously reserved for venture capitalists and angel investors because they were seen as having the means and experience to manage that risk. However, cutting the regular investor out of these options also created a two-tier system, where savvy investors couldn’t get in on enterprising startups.

JOBS Act 2012

While protecting investors is important, it meant that regular investors were missing out on promising opportunities, and startups were finding it hard to raise the capital needed to get their businesses off the ground.

This changed with the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act, which set out legislation to open up the equity crowdfunding market.

Regulation remained strict, particularly compared with some other countries, but crucially, businesses could now reach out to “the crowd” for funding. With Regulation crowdfunding allowing companies to raise up to $1.07 million annually, and Regulation A permitting up to $50 million of funding each year, this offered businesses a viable option to raise capital.

JOBS Act Update 2020

In 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission made some adjustments to the JOBS Act, raising the amount of capital businesses could crowdfund each year. Under the new regulations, businesses could raise up to $5 million annually through Regulation Crowdfunding and up to $75 million annually through Regulation A.

Since the average seed round in 2020 was $2.2 million, this made equity crowdfunding a much more feasible option for startups, allowing them to secure the funds they need to succeed in their business.

A Growing Market

Equity crowdfunding is a relatively new market, and although it’s valued at over $10 billion, that’s a tiny drop in the ocean compared with the $282 billion raised through venture capital in just a year.

However, equity crowdfunding is growing quickly, and when you look to the markets in other countries, there are signs that this fundraising option could grow exponentially in the coming years.

Over in the U.K., equity crowdfunding is much more established. This is largely due to more favorable legislation that has allowed equity crowdfunding companies to grow much more quickly. However, with the update to the JOBS Act, it’s likely we might see a similar uptick in the U.S. startup market.

How to Get Equity Crowdfunding for Your Startup

As you might expect with a growing market like equity crowdfunding, there are plenty of platforms to choose from. Each has its unique selling points, so it’s important to do your research and find the platform that’s going to represent the best deal for your business.

Once you’ve decided on a platform, you’ve got to apply, and this is a very important step. These platforms are extremely invested in protecting their investors, so they’re going to vet your application exhaustively. You’ll have to portray your business in a strong light, and offer up a business plan that represents value to the platform’s many investors.

If you’re accepted onto a platform, you can then decide on your terms (what type of security you want to sell, how much you want to raise, etc.). This is one of the big bonuses about equity crowdfunding because you’re in control of your terms.

You’re not negotiating with one single angel investor who might be able to negotiate you down. Instead, you’re putting your offer out to the crowd, and it’s up to each individual as to whether or not they take it up.

The last step is taking care of compliance by ensuring you have all the legal documents and pass the financial tests. For Regulation Crowdfunding (up to $5 million), you will need an independent financial review, but for Regulation A+ Crowdfunding (up to $75 million), you will need a full financial audit, which will take a bit longer.

If your business is found to be in good shape, then according to StartEngine you can be ready to raise funds through Regulation Crowdfunding in four to six weeks with very few costs, or through Regulation A Crowdfunding in about six months for a cost of roughly $50,000-$75,000.

Successful Equity Crowdfunding Case Studies

Equity crowdfunding might be relatively new in the financial world, but plenty of companies have had huge success with it.

BrewDog

When we think of startups, our minds are generally drawn toward tech, but one of the greatest examples of equity crowdfunding comes from the world of beer.

Starting life in 2007 as two guys with a love of beer, BrewDog has developed into a $2-billion company, and equity crowdfunding has a lot to do with it. The privately-owned company is 22 percent owned by a collection of 120,000 investors who have put in around $95 million as of 2020.

Successful Equity Crowdfunding Case Studies - BrewDog

In a world dominated by a handful of major brewers, this has allowed BrewDog to expand well beyond the reach of your average craft brewery, and they continue to use equity crowdfunding to invest in their green credentials.

Paradox Interactive

Gaming company Paradox Interactive was able to raise $3 million in the first 8 minutes of its offer going live. This goes to show the power of crowdfunding and the ability it offers businesses to raise capital quickly.

Later that year, Paradox Interactive went public, listing on NASDAQ at a value of $420 million. This demonstrates that equity crowdfunding is more than just a tool for raising money, it’s also an opportunity to create a huge buzz around your business.

When someone invests in you, they’re going to become a brand advocate, and when you’ve got thousands of these people around the world, it can catapult your brand into the public consciousness.

Knightscope

Security technology company, Knightscope is a perfect example of the flexibility equity crowdfunding offers. Initially raising $150k in just 7 days, Knightscope used this to scale, and then came back to the table 6 months later to raise $1.1 million.

This was nothing compared to the $20 million they would raise just two years later.

CEO, William Santana Li specifically noted the effect equity crowdfunding had on amplifying the Knightscope brand. This, combined with the capital raised has allowed the company to grow, reaching an estimated value of over $320 million, and leading to speculation that the business might go public.

This is another example of how good equity crowdfunding can give a start-up an excellent platform to go on to much bigger things.

Equity Crowdfunding Companies

The U.S. equity crowdfunding market is largely dominated by three companies: WeFunder, StartEngine, and Republic.

The top 10 platforms raised $209 million in 2020 and over $177 million of that was raised by these three companies.

WeFunder

WeFunder played a big part in lobbying the government over the JOBS Act and has been at the forefront of equity crowdfunding since its beginning. It has the biggest market share in terms of capital raised and can give your business excellent exposure.

Equity Crowdfunding Companies - WeFunder

One of the most appealing aspects of WeFunder’s offerings is the ability to sign up with no fees until you’ve successfully raised money.

This means you can dip your toe into the world of crowdfunding and focus on marketing your business as an investment opportunity before you have to worry about paying out.

StartEngine

StartEngine boasts a community of over 300,000 investors, which means it’s a great platform to get your startup noticed.

With over 375 successful raises, totaling over $250 million for its clients, StartEngine is one of the first places to look when it comes to equity crowdfunding.

Equity Crowdfunding Companies - StartEngine

StartEngine prides itself on helping you every step of the way, with a full-service plan that gives you complete control over your offer. It’s focused on keeping the power in the hands of the entrepreneur and allowing them to tailor their offer to suit their business needs.

Republic

Republic focuses on the ability of its platform to do more than just raise capital for your business. With over 350,000 investors, it touts its ability to create “true fans and engage supporters” all around the world.

Equity Crowdfunding Companies - Republic

This is certainly an underestimated part of equity crowdfunding, and it’s important to remember that it’s about more than just money. The exposure a successful crowdfunding campaign can bring you is a great source of marketing in its own right, and Republic is quick to highlight this.

Crowdfunding, VC Capital, or Angel Investments: Which is Right for Your Business?

On the face of it, crowdfunding sounds great, but as with anything, it has its drawbacks. When you’re weighing up how to get investment in your startup, you’ve got to look at the positives and negatives, and focus on how they fit in with your business plan.

Benefits of Equity Crowdfunding

  • Create thousands of brand advocates around the world.
  • Gain public validation from a successful crowdfund.
  • Boost brand awareness.
  • Maintain control over your business (you’re not offering investors a say in how the business is run).

Drawbacks of Equity Crowdfunding

  • You have to be in the right stage of your business development.
  • You’ve got to create a buzz around your brand.
  • It often takes prealigned investment to get people interested in your offer.
  • It can be a time-consuming process.

When you compare crowdfunding with venture capital or angel investments, it’s clear where crowdfunding triumphs, though: control.

When you have thousands of small investors rather than a handful of large investors, the external pressures and potential influence of your investors are much smaller.

Thousands of small investors aren’t there telling you how to run your business, but they are going out into their communities and spreading the word about your business, which can have a huge impact.

Conclusion

Building a thriving startup isn’t easy, but when you don’t have access to capital, it’s a lot harder. In the past, private companies had limited options for raising funds, but with changes to legislation, equity crowdfunding gives startups access to thousands of investors who are looking for the next big thing.

Not only is this an opportunity to raise a large amount of capital, but it can also supercharge your marketing by creating a huge buzz around your brand.

When you raise millions of dollars from investors worldwide, people will start talking about your business and become brand advocates, which is almost as valuable as the money you raise.

What’s holding your startup back?

The post What is Equity Crowdfunding and How Can You Use it For Your Business? appeared first on Neil Patel.

What Are Productized Services?

If you try to grow your consulting or freelance revenue by merely adding more clients to your portfolio, you may hit a common obstacle: Living project to project.  This kind of lifestyle isn’t sustainable for everyone, and it can be frustrating and stressful. One solution to this problem may be productized services. The productized services …

The post What Are Productized Services? first appeared on Online Web Store Site.

Dover (YC S19) is hiring engineers to modernize recruiting

Article URL: https://www.dover.com/open-roles/senior-software-engineer Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26294739 Points: 1 # Comments: 0 The post Dover (YC S19) is hiring engineers to modernize recruiting first appeared on Online Web Store Site. The post Dover (YC S19) is hiring engineers to modernize recruiting appeared first on ROI Credit Builders.

The post Dover (YC S19) is hiring engineers to modernize recruiting first appeared on Online Web Store Site.

Fly.io (YC W20) Is Hiring Elixir Developer Advocates (Remote)

Fly.io is a hosting platform for distributed applications. Our users give us containers; we transmute them into fleets of Firecracker micro-VMs and run them on a WireGuard-backed network that runs app servers close to end users.

We are (almost) the ideal Elixir/Phoenix hosting infrastructure because:

* Built in encrypted private networking means simple and secure clustering

* Running app processes close to users minimizes LiveView latency

* HA PostgreSQL clusters are the default

We are hiring an Elixir dev advocate to improve our tooling and show people how to get the most out of Elixir on Fly.io. This is important – our primary goal is to attract more Elixir devs as customers.

## The Work

We do content based developer outreach, this is not a high travel job. We think the work will break down like this:

* 20% working on the [Fly.io](https://fly.io) UX for deploying and operating Elixir apps. This will mean working in Go and wrangling Docker – so Elixir folks don’t have to.

* 80% community engagement: examples, blog posts, and community outreach. Hopefully you like working with open source projects and showing other people how to get the most out of them.

That 80% covers a lot! If you are actively working on a relevant open source project, you could theoretically spend almost all that time developing your work, posting about it on our blog, and showing people in the community how to use it.

Some of your content might be useful for talks. We want you to help us decide how valuable meetup and conference talks are. Later. When the pandemic is over.

This is our first attempt at focused developer relations. There is a lot to figure out. Your work will determine how we spend money on future marketing. If you’re the type of person who wants to try a bunch of outreach to see what works, help build a dev relations organization from the bottom up, and even hire people to do the same work in other communities, you might _really_ like this job.

## The Hiring Process

Our hiring process is project based. We want to let you try the job on, see your work, and pay you to do a little more work.

1. Email jobs+elixir@fly.io, tell us in a few sentences what you like about Elixir.

2. Schedule a call with us so we can pitch the company to you and answer all your questions. We’ll also tell you the bad parts.

3. Sample project: we have a small Phoenix + LiveView demo we want you to improve. This should only take about 2 hours, but you can spend as much time on it as you want: https://github.com/superfly/elixir-hiring-project#flyio-elix…

We rate the sample projects as objectively as possible. The best projects do what they’re supposed to, use idiomatic Elixir, and are read-to-show.

In our experience, the hardest part of a sample project like this is just getting it done.

## A Larger, paid project

If we like your sample project work, we want to pay you to work on a larger project. We will offer a paid project ($1,000 flat rate) to about half the people who submit complete sample projects.

The goal here is to get a real, firm idea of what doing the job will be like. We’ll get you setup with Slack access, a channel to work in, and future coworkers to collaborate with.

We want you to do four things for us:

* Write “Elixir community report” describing where Fly fits well with a plan for community outreach.

* Come up with a bunch of sample project ideas (like, 10). Single sentence descriptions of projects to demo Elixir on Fly.

* Build a from-scratch Elixir app to demo.

* Write a blog post about the demo app.

When you’re done, we’ll ask you if we can publish it.

## Working at Fly.io

We are a remote-first company with people in Chicago, Montreal, Boulder, and London. We’re hoping we can take field trips to visit each other soon, right now all our work happens over chat with periodic audio breaks.

We’re not a family, but we do _have_ families and try to keep work prioritized from dominating our lives.

Benefits are pretty typical for a company of our size – pretty-good healthcare for US based employees, flexible vacation time, and a hardware/phone allowance.

But, we’re small! We all wear many hats and sometimes multiple hats at the same time. Come wear a hat for us.

To apply, email jobs+elixir@fly.io and tell us in a few sentences what you like about Elixir.


Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26288121

Points: 1

# Comments: 0

The post Fly.io (YC W20) Is Hiring Elixir Developer Advocates (Remote) appeared first on ROI Credit Builders.

GoDaddy Review

Disclosure: This content is reader-supported, which means if you click on some of our links that we may earn a commission.

GoDaddy hosts millions of websites all over the world as a giant in the hosting and domain name selling game. Its long list of products offers just about anything you might need to get a website up and running on a shoestring budget, at least for the first year. 

After lots of research, comparison, and consideration, it’s safe to say GoDaddy satisfies most of your website needs, especially if it’s your first time building a site and you want affordable VPS hosting. 

Beyond that, and as with any other web hosting and domain name provider, there are solid pros and cons to its plans and packages. 

GoDaddy Compared to The Best Cheap Web Hosting

I curated a top list of affordable web hosting providers, so you know your options if you need to start a website on a budget. GoDaddy is one of the best choices if you want hosting that’s a step above shared hosting with its affordable VPS hosting plan. For the price that some hosting providers would charge for shared hosting, you can get VPS hosting through GoDaddy. 

But, if you’re trying to find a more robust web hosting solution for your web project, GoDaddy does start to get expensive quickly. That’s why I deem it a great option for starter sites that can do with either shared or dedicated hosting and that don’t need tons of server power to run well. 

You don’t have to make a hosting decision in a hurry, though. See all of my top picks to make a more informed decision. 

Who is GoDaddy Best For?

GoDaddy is great for beginner website owners that want an affordable and convenient start for their websites with generous storage. GoDaddy also does well with around-the-clock site security monitoring, but perks like SSL certificates are add-ons you’ll have to purchase as extras. 

This is why it’s a great hosting option for smaller and beginner websites working with a budget and don’t need too many robust website solutions. 

GoDaddy: The Pros and Cons

There’s no question GoDaddy is one of the biggest names out there as far as how recognizable it is. It also houses the most domains globally, with over 17 million domain names on its roster. 

Still, there are pros and cons to choosing GoDaddy as your web hosting provider. Here are the more prominent ones to take into account.

Pros

24/7 support: GoDaddy ensures it’s always within reach if you ever need a hand or run into trouble with your site. You can either reach them by phone or use its handy chat support option. 

Lots of storage: When you look through and compare GoDaddy’s hosting plans, it’s generous with its unmetered bandwidth feature for all tiers.  

Affordable .com domain: GoDaddy offers you the chance to snag a domain for only 99 cents  for the first year, which can save you money as you begin. 

Unlimited site hosting: Most GoDaddy plans let you host an unlimited number of websites except for its cheapest Economy plan. 

Convenience: Since you can manage your domain and website in one place, GoDaddy offers convenience in managing both from one dashboard. 

Cons

Constant upsells: GoDaddy is notorious when it comes to its upsells through every step of the checkout process. While it does honor the prices for each tier if that’s all you’re going for, it’s quick to suggest add-ons and extra features you might not need. 

Expensive renewal rate: This is one of the reasons why I think GoDaddy is great for beginner sites that just want to get their foot in the door with hosting. Once that initial year is up, GoDaddy’s renewal rates can start to get costly for what you get. 

Charges for add-ons: Other hosting providers throw in free first-year domain registration, for example, or include free SSL certification as part of its plans. GoDaddy does not always include these features depending on the plan you choose and can charge extra for them.  

Inconsistent customer support: Support for GoDaddy isn’t always top-notch as convenience and reliability are concerned. There is always the possibility of long wait times to be connected to the right person. 

GoDaddy Pricing

GoDaddy’s prices can be broken down into two main categories: Domain name purchases and hosting plans.

Domain Names

One of GoDaddy’s strengths is its huge list of domain name extensions. Its cheapest .com option, which is also one of the most popular extensions, is affordable for only 99 cents for the first year. 

If you happen to choose a hosting plan that doesn’t include a free domain name, a 99-cent .com extension isn’t a terrible price to pay. 

GoDaddy makes it easy to create, search for, or check on your domain name’s availability. GoDaddy offers some of the most affordable domain name plans out there as far as introductory pricing goes. 

Hosting Plans

Here’s a closer look at each of GoDaddy’s hosting plans:

Web Hosting

  • Economy – $5.99 a month
  • Deluxe – $7.99 a month
  • Ultimate – $12.99 a month
  • Maximum – $19.99 a month

WordPress Hosting

  • Basic – $6.99 a month
  • Deluxe – $9.99 a month
  • Ultimate – $12.99 a month
  • Ecommerce – $15.99 a month

WordPress Ecommerce Hosting – Starting at $15.99 a month

Business Hosting

  • Shared Hosting – $5.99 a month
  • Business Hosting – $19.99 a month
  • VPS Hosting – $4.99 a month

VPS Hosting

  • 1 vCPU – $4.99 a month
  • 2 vCPU – $19.99 a month
  • 4 vCPU – $39.99 a month
  • 8 v CPU – $69.99 a month

Dedicated Server

  • DS 32 – $129.99 a month
  • DS 64 – $169.99 a month
  • DS 128 – $299.99 a month
  • DS 256 – $399.99 a month

Windows Hosting – Starting at $5.99 a month

  • Economy – $5.99
  • Deluxe – $7.99
  • Ultimate – $12.99

Reseller Hosting – Starting at $39.99 a month 

  • Enhanced – $39.99
  • Grow – $49.99
  • Expand – $64.99
  • Established – $89.99

It’s safe to say GoDaddy offers a ton of hosting plans that cover anything you might need. A giant list of 27 different hosting plans leaves little to be desired. 

I highly recommend you spend the time carefully walking through each hosting option and its corresponding tier according to your site’s needs. 

If you know you’re going to be using WordPress as your CMS, then you’ll want to pay special attention to its WordPress solutions. They’re geared for SEO compatibility, speed, and ease of use once you sign up for a hosting account. 

I’d like to highlight GoDaddy’s VPS hosting plan, as it’s one of the most affordable on the market. Other big-name hosting providers don’t even come close to how affordable GoDaddy’s VPS hosting plans are. You can’t beat a $4.99 price point for a self-managed virtual private server plan. 

GoDaddy Offerings

GoDaddy hasn’t gotten as big as it has without offering an extensive list of website building and hosting options. Once you land on the homepage, it can be overwhelming and hard to know where to start. 

To simplify its long list of plans and tools, there are three main categories its product offerings fall under. Let’s take a closer look at each one and how they stack up. 

GoDaddy Name & Protect

GoDaddy Name & Protect offers some useful domain tools:

  • Domain name transfers
  • Domain name generator
  • Domain name search and WHOIS tools
  • SSL Certification
  • Website backup tools
  • Protect against malware and site attacks

If you’re starting a website, you know you’ll need a domain name, and this is where GoDaddy shines. It’s the biggest repository of domain names, and it’s sure to have the domain name you’re looking for.

If you happen to want a domain name that’s taken, you can try out its domain brokerage services or try the domain name generator to come up with a new site name.  

Like any other reputable hosting provider, GoDaddy also offers SSL certification, website backup tools, and your standard protection against malicious cyber attacks. 

Because GoDaddy offers plenty of usable domain tools, it’s frequently rated as one of the most popular hosting providers out there. 

But the fun doesn’t stop there. GoDaddy also offers plenty of website building and growth tools. 

Go Daddy Build & Grow

GoDaddy’s Build & Grow product offerings include:

  • Website builder
  • Online store builder for ecommerce sites
  • An extensive array of hosting options
  • Email and Microsoft 365 tools
  • Second mobile phone number
  • Digital marketing suite
  • GoDaddy marketing services

If I were to list every single tool GoDaddy offered its customers, we’d be here forever. As a web host and domain name registrar, GoDaddy seems to have taken the route of going wide instead of going deep with its key features and offerings. 

This can either appeal to you as a customer or turn you off and onto other hosting providers. It all comes down to what you value in a web host and what you’re willing to invest or need to manage your site successfully. 

The most important feature in GoDaddy’s Build & Grow product offering is its buffet of web hosting options. Here’s a more in-depth look at each.

Web Hosting: GoDaddy’s most basic hosting plan starts at $5.99 a month. Not quite as cheap as other beginner-friendly hosts, but still considerably affordable and great for starter sites that want to build their online presence. 

WordPress Hosting: WordPress hosting is specifically optimized for WordPress users in terms of speed and accessibility. WordPress plans start at $6.99 for basic hosting perks, including 30 GB of storage along with a free domain, free business email, and free SSL certificate. This plan works for you if your site hoovers around the 25,000 visitor mark. With three additional WordPress tiers, the deal only gets sweeter the more you pay per month. 

WordPress Ecommerce Hosting: GoDaddy has solutions for ecommerce hosting as well, with plans starting at $15.99 a month along with free WooCommerce extensions. Once you sign up to one of its WooCommerce tiers, you’ll easily be able to download and install WordPress and WooCommerce together to get up and running in no time. 

Business Hosting: A business hosting plan comes with more dedicated resources, but with a simplified control panel, so you don’t need a full IT team to manage your site. Plans start at $5.99 a month for shared hosting, which you can eventually upgrade as your site grows.

VPS Hosting: GoDaddy’s self-managed virtual private hosting plan is definitely one of its redeeming offers because of how affordable it is for developers and system administrators that want a more hands-on approach to their websites with plenty of customizable options. Plans start at just $4.99 a month, and it comes with one CPU Core, one GB RAM, and 100 GB SSD Storage. This is a steal when compared to what other websites charge for similar VPS hosting packages. 

Windows Hosting: Yet another solid GoDaddy option for Windows fans that starts at just $5.99 a month and comes with a free domain, 100 GB of storage, and a free Office365 email for your first year. If you’re already using Windows products, this can be a great plan to integrate into what’s already working. 

Reseller Hosting: Are you a reseller looking for reliable hosting resale options? GoDaddy lets you use its servers to build your own hosting business, starting at just $39.99 a month. If you’re in a unique position where you need more hosting options, you’ll have to give them a call to strike a deal with its sales team. 

Dedicated Server: GoDaddy has over eight powerful dedicated server plans you can choose from, each with its own set of isolated resources at your disposal. This is perfect for system developers and agencies looking for fast and reliable server capabilities. 

Plans can start as low as $129.99 a month. If you’re a beginner building a website for the first time, plans like these aren’t necessary to successfully build and grow your site. But it’s still good to know you have the option of powerful dedicated servers if you were to need it in the future. 

GoDaddy doesn’t hold back in giving you plenty of customized web hosting options. But it’s up to you to decide which tiers are right for you according to your website goals. 

This is what makes GoDaddy so beginner-friendly. It caters to basic hosting needs as well as more advanced options with specific server needs.         

GoDaddy Pro

The GoDaddy Pro dashboard is where developers and resellers can manage client projects. A hub where you can manage all your tools, content, support, and discounts, as well as get in touch with GoDaddy support. 

Since I’m recommending GoDaddy as a great host provider for beginners, the GoDaddy Pro dashboard might not be a necessary tool for you if you aren’t a webmaster or reseller. But it’s a free option if you’re interested in signing up for it. And it’s another way to get in touch with support. 

The Best Cheap Web Hosting Provider

My team and I have created an in-depth review for the best cheap web hosting providers on the market you’ll want to read before making any real hosting decisions that you can see here. Here’s a quick recap:

  1. Hostinger — Best Web Hosting Plan Under $1
  2. Bluehost — The Best Value in Web Hosting
  3. A2 Hosting The Best Customer Service
  4. HostGator — The Best Cheap Cloud Hosting
  5. iPage — Best Cheap Web Hosting Features
  6. GoDaddy — The Best Cheap Hosting for Beginners

Overall, GoDaddy is a great cheap hosting provider for beginner websites who’d like affordable VPS hosting, especially in their first year. It’s a more budget-conscious option than others out there, and it offers plenty of add-ons you can choose to include in your plan, so you’re never left without the hosting tools you need to succeed.

Once you’ve made up your mind on a hosting plan, you can get started with GoDaddy here.

The post GoDaddy Review appeared first on Neil Patel.