GoDaddy Review

Why GoDaddy Is Best for Tracking Sales

GoDaddy is our pick for the best POS system for tracking online and in-person sales. The company’s central dashboard makes it easy to view online and in-person transactions from one location. Plus, the software’s detailed reporting features help you gather information about your customers and their buying habits. This information can help you create upsell offers and special promotions for your customers and aid in driving repeat business, which is especially important for new businesses and local, independent stores.

You can use GoDaddy to accept credit cards, debit cards, Apple Pay and mobile wallet payments, giving even the smallest of businesses the ability to provide customers with options. If you download GoDaddy’s mobile app, you can accept customer payments directly from your phone without purchasing any hardware. 

Additionally, you can expand your online selling capabilities when you connect your POS with an online store that’s also managed with GoDaddy. Customers can buy items online and pick them up in the store and vice versa. 

GoDaddy provides the hardware and software businesses need to accept payments and track sales.  Source: GoDaddy

Usability

GoDaddy’s POS system – both the hardware and software – is easy to set up and use, making it a good option for beginners. The software’s data is cloud-based, so you can access your data from anywhere. Further, the platform implements end-to-end encryption and complies with payment card industry (PCI) standards for security.

We like that merchants can use GoDaddy’s Smart Terminal to accept card payments and seamlessly integrate sales and inventory data across the system. These features come free for qualified new customers. With that in mind, you can also choose to download GoDaddy’s mobile app if you’d like to use your own hardware. You can even use your phone’s near field communications (NFC) chip to accept card payments if your device is compatible.

If you use GoDaddy’s hardware, you can easily integrate it with third-party platforms, like top accounting software, including QuickBooks. GoDaddy’s third-party app integrations allow you to create a truly customized solution for your business. The company also provides helpful features to business owners, like appointment booking and website building. However, potential customers should confirm with GoDaddy representatives that the apps in their workflow integrate with the POS before committing. 

GoDaddy lets you create branded Pay Links for your business. Source: GoDaddy

GoDaddy Features

E-Commerce

GoDaddy’s e-commerce features are more extensive than many competitors we’ve reviewed. You can set up a mobile-friendly website with built-in marketing, appointment booking and security features. If you want to start selling online, you can also pay to upgrade your site to include an online store with over 100 customizable templates to choose from. This makes it easy for new businesses to set up shop quickly with a professional look, even if they don’t have support from a web developer.

We like that you can use GoDaddy’s online dashboard to track orders and inventory. Plus, you can connect your website to Instagram, Google, Etsy, eBay, Facebook and Amazon for more online selling options. You can fully customize templates to help match your site’s aesthetics with your brand identity— an absolute must for businesses that are just starting out and looking to make a name for themselves. 

Payment Processing

We like that GoDaddy makes it easy to accept payments online and in person through its in-house GoDaddy Payments service. The company offers competitive pricing on its transaction fees. However, you can’t use a third-party payment processor, which limits your options. 

The GoDaddy Smart Terminal comes with two screens — one for the customer and one for you to add the orders. On the employee side, staff will see an interface for adding items to the customer’s total price. The client views a smaller screen that gives them direct, easy-to-understand payment directions. The terminal also comes with a built-in payment processor, scanner and printer.

However, if you don’t want to purchase hardware, you can accept mobile payments using GoDaddy’s Virtual Terminal. We like that merchants can transform a smartphone or tablet into a terminal without any extra equipment, as long as their device supports NFC payments. This is ideal for new businesses and those on a budget that want to start small with their investment and grow over time.

GoDaddy’s Virtual Terminal makes it easy to receive payments from anywhere. Source: GoDaddy

Marketing

We were pleased to see that GoDaddy offers marketing features, which is something many competitors we’ve reviewed lack. For example, you can create a professional email address using your domain name and create targeted email marketing campaigns for your customers.

This is thanks in part to the fact that GoDaddy POS is part of a wider ecosystem of products, including web hosting, e-commerce management, email marketing and more. New businesses that want to get their name out there will find these additional marketing tools especially useful.

We also like that you can add SEO features to help your business rank higher in Google search results. You can use the GoDaddy Digital Marketing Suite to track your Facebook and Instagram ads and increase your social media engagement. 

Analytics

We were impressed by GoDaddy’s POS reporting and analytics features that help businesses track in-person and online sales from a central dashboard. You can view all transactions and returns in real time and track your revenue over specified time periods via detailed POS sales reports. This is helpful for tracking sales trends over days, weeks, seasons or even longer timelines. 

With GoDaddy’s analytics and reporting features, businesses can track customers’ online and offline purchases, monitor buying habits, and identify the right inventory to carry and reorder. These insights can be highly valuable when making strategic decisions for your business.

GoDaddy Costs

We like that GoDaddy offers multiple payment options for businesses of all sizes. However, one of the downsides of using GoDaddy is that it doesn’t offer a monthly payment option — you must pay annually, which could present difficulties for businesses on a tight budget. 

Here’s an overview of GoDaddy’s relevant plans for those wanting to manage a store and take payments:

It is worth noting that you may be able to negotiate better pricing or free extras to your plan depending on your company’s volume. For example, GoDaddy notes that businesses generating more than $100,000 in annual sales can get a free Poynt Smart Terminal with their service. Confirm pricing via a sales representative with the company before signing any agreement for your service.

GoDaddy Setup

It’s impressive how easy GoDaddy makes setting up your POS system. All devices come with free two-day shipping and a Quick Start Guide, which walks you through the installation process. If you run into any problems, GoDaddy offers 24/7 customer support via phone, chat and text message. 

Download the GoDaddy mobile app to start accepting payments. Source: GoDaddy

GoDaddy Customer Service

We found GoDaddy’s customer service to be on par with competitors’ offerings. GoDaddy offers 24/7 customer support over the phone or through text message or chat. You can also use the searchable Help Center to find answers to your questions. We like that GoDaddy received an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau — not every competitor we’ve reviewed has this distinction.

GoDaddy’s extensive Help Center covers account management, payments, marketing and much more.  Source: GoDaddy

GoDaddy Drawbacks

GoDaddy POS is a good solution for many businesses. However, we identified a couple of drawbacks:

• No third-party payment processors: One of GoDaddy’s biggest drawbacks is that you can’t use a third-party payment processor — you must use GoDaddy Payments. This could be a downside for business owners who already have a payment processor they like using. 
• No monthly payment plans: GoDaddy also doesn’t offer monthly payment plans, and you must pay for the service annually. This can make the software less affordable for newer businesses. 

Methodology

When researching the best POS systems for tracking sales, we looked specifically at payment acceptance methods and reporting and analytics tools. We also examined pricing, feature availability, ease of use and customer support. Our evaluation process also included comparing GoDaddy POS with over a dozen POS systems. This detailed analysis helped us see where GoDaddy stands out and falls short. 

Overall Value

We recommend GoDaddy for …

• Businesses that accept in-person and online sales.
• Anyone looking to start or grow an e-commerce business. 
• Businesses that want to accept mobile payments. 

We don’t recommend GoDaddy for …

• Businesses looking to use a third-party payment processor. 
• Businesses looking for monthly pricing plans. 
• Companies looking for a wider range of hardware options.