Should I Buy A Domain Through Shopify Or Godaddy

Which Will You Choose

If you subscribe to a service from a link on this page, Reeves and Sons Limited may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

Are you considering launching an online storefront? With such a vast choice of ecommerce website builders on the market, it’s never been easier to create a site and start selling within minuteswithout any coding knowledge!

That said, choosing just one of the many platforms vying for your attention can feel like a daunting prospect. So, we’re making your life easier by comparing two solutions claiming to be the best of the best: Shopify and GoDaddy.

How do they compare on features? Which provides better value for money? Which one of the two is easier to use?

Were taking a deep dive into Shopify and GoDaddy to find out. Hopefully, by the end of this review, youll have a better understanding of what each platform offers and which best suits your needs.

We have a lot to cover! So lets dive into this Shopify vs GoDaddy comparison.

Godaddy: What Are The Cons

• If youre planning to sell digital products, this may be a deciding factor for you.
• Dont have any app store like Shopify.
• Some users feel that the GoDaddy website builder does not give them as much creative control as other website builders. GoDaddy websites are said to be less visually appealing than other web designers.

Is Godaddy Good For Ecommmerce

The main argument for using GoDaddy as your commerce platform is that it is cheap, very easy to use and comes with a good range of basic selling tools. However, it lacks many profeatures that youd find in dedicated e-commerce platforms like Shopify, including the option to sell in multiple currencies and languages. And due to its lack of an official app store or Zapier integration, its hard to get GoDaddy to integrate with other key e-commerce applications.

Recommended Reading: How To Purchase An Email Domain

Is It Easy To Switch From Godaddy To Shopify

How complex a job this will be will depend largely on on how many products you have in your store, and how much other content you have on your site but in most cases, switching from GoDaddy to Shopify is pretty straightforward. You will need to export your products to CSV format first , and copy and paste any pages blog posts you want to move across.

Hiring Godaddy To Do Your Seo

One thing about GoDaddy that might appeal to SEO novices is that you can pay GoDaddy to optimize your site for you via its SEO Services offering. Pricing for this bespoke one-to-one SEO service is negotiated based on your SEO needs.

Some store owners will be happy to hand-over their SEO work to GoDaddy. But as discussed above, if you want to do it all yourself, youll find that the technical SEO features of GoDaddy are relatively basic in nature.

Also Check: Is Global A Good Domain

Add Products To Your Store

After customizing your theme and building your online store, the next step is to add products to your Shopify store. If you dont want to do this manually, you can also upload a .csv file to upload your product catalog.

Two key aspects here are your product descriptions and product photography. Use this space to create an enticing product description with all the relevant keywords. This will help with your SEO and drive organic traffic to your storefront.

If you have products to sell under different categories, note that putting your products into collections makes it easier for people to arrive at what they are looking for faster.

As for product photography, ensure that you put up professional-looking product images. Use multiple angles to ensure that your customers know what to expect.

Also, be sure to highlight any unique features of your product in the product pages under the description and the images.

Provide as much information as possible about your product. An informed customer is a happy customer.

Read Also: What Is The Io Domain Used For

Do I Need To Buy A Domain For My Shopify Store

While Shopify does provide a free domain name, its better to purchase one. The free Shopify domains are sub-domains, and include myshopify.com. If you want people to take your store seriously, you need to purchase a domain.

You dont need to purchase a domain to have a Shopify store, but a registered domain is standard for a professional look. Many sellers will feel a lack of trust towards a sub-domain.

It indicates that you dont take the business seriously. Purchasing a domain is relatively cheap, and its a necessary step to creating a business.

Also Check: How Do I Get My Domain Name Back

Why Would I Do This

Reason #1when I get my team of world-class funnel builders and marketers to WORK DIRECTLY WITH YOUI can almost guarantee you will see success building & launching your first funnel in a matter of days…Reason #2you are join my elite programs including my 2CCX and Insiders Circle where youll be able to rub shoulders with the top 1% of online entrepreneursReason #3they tend to get stuck in a darkness we call analysis paralysis, where they overthink things to the point where its nearly impossible to move forward.give you the best marketing secrets for FREE…Reason #4I want to OVER DELIVER and not charge you a single dime. )YES! I’m Ready To Build My First Funnel Now!Please Give Me A FREE 30 Day Trial To ClickFunnels & The $8,745 Gift Now!

Faqs About Shopify Vs Godaddy

Q: Is it better to buy a domain from Shopify or GoDaddy?

Answer: Shopify offers a free domain if you sign up for their Shopify Basic Plan, while GoDaddy charges an annual fee for domain registration. If youre just starting out and on a tight budget, Shopify is the better option. However, in case youre planning to scale your business quickly or need more advanced eCommerce features, you may want to consider upgrading to GoDaddy.

Q: Is GoDaddy the same as Shopify?

Answer: No, GoDaddy and Shopify are two different companies that offer different products and services. GoDaddy is best known for hosting websites, while Shopify is a popular eCommerce platform used by over a million websites worldwide. GoDaddy now offers eCommerce and website-building capabilities to its users, but Shopify has more robust features for online stores.

Q: Can I use Shopify with GoDaddy?

Answer: Yes, you can use Shopify with GoDaddy by transferring your domain to Shopify or connecting an existing domain

Q: Can you use GoDaddy for eCommerce business?

Answer: Sure! GoDaddy offers eCommerce business plans that come with everything you need to get started selling online. You can choose any sales method, and they offer 24/7 support in case you need help along the way.

Recommended Reading: What Is Me Domain Used For

Forms And Data Capture

Both GoDaddy and Shopify provide the option to add data capture forms to your store.

However, despite Shopifys recent Online Store 2.0 update, the options for customizing forms on the platform remain fairly limited youre largely stuck with using default contact form style fields unless you resort to coding, or purchasing a third-party app .

GoDaddy, on the other hand, does allow you to add custom fields easily enough using its form designer.

The key difference in the two platforms approaches to data capture is that Shopify enables you to send your data to more places its app store provides integrations for key email marketing campaign tools like GetResponse, AWeber, Mailchimp and Campaign Monitor.

With GoDaddy, your form data is just sent to your store account you can only really make use of it via the built-in GoDaddy marketing tools.

So, its fair to say that both platforms could provide a bit more out of the box functionality when it comes to building custom forms. Several other ecommerce platforms, Wix and Squarespace to mention two, offer more bespoke form creation options without a need for coding or help from third-party apps.

What Is A Domain Name

A domain name is the address or URL that people type into their browser to get to your website. When they enter your domain name into the address bar of their browser, it sends a request to your host web server which fetches your website and sends it back to their browser. Examples of what is a domain name include , and Oberlo.com.

Also Check: How Much Are Domains

Also Check: What Is My Email Domain Name

Should I Buy A Domain Through Shopify Or Godaddy

You are setting up your Shopify store but you are not sure if you should buy a domain through Shopify, GoDaddy, or other domain registrars. This is a usual question so I will present to you all the pros and cons of each decision so you can reach a conclusion.

**Get a free domain for 1 year and quality website hosting from Hostinger.com . Read my full review here.

Transfer A Domain From Shopify To Other Registrar

Many people afraid that they will not be able to transfer their domain if they ever decide to cancel their Shopify subscription. Thats not true unless you registered or transferred your domain within the last 60 days. This is how you can transfer a domain outside of Shopify Transfer your Domains Outside Shopify .

Here are the instructions for each of the registrars I mentioned earlier. If you follow the previous article and one of the next ones you will be good to go.

Also Check: What Is My Local Domain Name

Importing And Exporting Content

Its very straightforward to bulk import and export products with GoDaddy and Shopify both platforms allow you to do this using a CSV file.

However, limits apply: with Godaddy you can only add 1,500 physical products at a time by CSV, and you cant cant bulk import digital products. You can add as many products as you like via CSV with Shopify, so long as your file size is under 15MB and for bulk importing digital products, youll need to use a third-party app.

Its very easy to manually add products to the two platforms though you just fill in a few fields, add an image or two, and your product is ready to go.

When it comes to web pages and blog posts, importing and exporting is doable in Shopify by way of third-party apps but as these are not part of Shopifys out of the box offering, fees can apply.

Unfortunately, there is no similar import / export option for pages and posts available from GoDaddy.

Should I Buy My Domain Through Shopify

For starting an online store, there are few options easier than Shopify. Theyre user-friendly, a known brand, and quick to start-up. They even offer you the chance to buy your domain name.

You may be wondering if this is the right choice. For a long-term business, the domain will be tied to you forever. Is Shopify the way to go?

Recommended Reading: How Do I Set Up A Domain Name

Why Time Is Of The Essence

YES! I’m Ready To Build My First Funnel Now!Please Give Me A FREE 30 Day Trial To ClickFunnels & The $8,745 Gift Now!1.)I have less than 1,000 physical copies of my 30 Days Book and my Funnel Hacker Cookbook…then you may have to wait up to 6 months OR LONGERwill be disappearing soon.you want STEP-BY-STEP coaching on how to build and launch your first funnelthen NOW is the time to sign up and secure your free gift before its too late!

Should You Transfer Your Domain To Shopify

As we said earlier, its advisable to keep your e-commerce platform and domain separate and not tied to the same company. But you might want to transfer your domain to Shopify to enjoy the superb ease of use and support that Shopify provides.

Transferring your domain to Shopify allows you to manage all of your domain settings directly in your Shopify admin. Adjusting domain settings, creating subdomains, paying and renewing your domains are things youll be able to do on the Domains page.

However, there are several requirements a domain must meet before it is eligible for transfer to Shopify. Here they are.

1. You must have registered your domain for more than 60 days. If your domain hasnt been registered for up to 60 days, you will need to exercise some patience and wait until your domain reaches the old ripe age of 60 days.

2. Only eligible domains can be transferred to Shopify. This shouldnt be an issue since most domains are eligible for transfer to Shopify. However, there are some domains like .ca domains that can be transferred to Shopify.

3. Itll take up to 20 days for your domain to be completely transferred to Shopify after you initiate the transfer process. Patience is a virtue, fellas.

4. Youll have to register your domain on Shopify for 12 months. Dont worry, the 12 months is added to the current expiry date of your domain. But it seems you gotta show some commitment to Shopify, haha.

You May Like: How To Change Email Domain In Gmail

Are Shopify And Godaddy The Same

While you can use both Shopify and GoDaddy to purchase domain names and set up online stores, Shopify differs from GoDaddy with features that protect against fraud, support global growth, and enable omni-channel selling. GoDaddy offers a good feature set for first-time online merchants, but its ecommerce offering is not compatible with long-term or international growth. With no app marketplace to add functionality and differentiate your online store, along with a 5,000 product limit, GoDaddy isnt ideal for ambitious ecommerce businesses that wish to scale globally.

Ecommerce Tools & Features

Inventory Management

Shopifys inventory tracking feature makes it simple to remain on top of your stock if youre searching for a straightforward approach to manage it. You can also manage both your online and offline inventories from one convenient location owing to its POS integration.

With just a few clicks, you can check how much stock you have left and your previous inventories by using this same feature. Additionally, you may interface with accounting software to keep a better check on your profit margins.

This will sync your inventory, allowing you to view precisely what you have on hand.

Customers may place purchases even if youre out of stock, thanks to GoDaddys ability to establish and handle backorders.

Payment Gateways

With more payment methods, merchants can sell to a broader range of customers which ultimately leads to more revenue. Its important that your platform has many payment options, as well as low transaction fees.

Shopify accepts a good deal of payment gateways, including PayPal, Stripe, Amazon Pay, ApplePay, even cryptocurrency and cash on delivery.

You will have to pay transaction fees on all payment gateways if you dont use Shopify Payments. In other words, you only need to pay the usual credit card rates charged by the credit firm when using Shopify Payments.

Regarding Payment gateways, GoDaddy is doing fairly fine. It accepts three key payment options including PayPal, Stripe, and Square, at the same time supporting Apple Pay through Stripe.

Read Also: How To Claim Website Domain

Cant Buy A Domain On Shopify: Heres How To Solve It

Its not uncommon for people to have issues when trying to buy a domain from Shopify. There are several reasons why you may have problems buying a domain from Shopify but here are the most popular ones

Formatting issues with a phone number: You need to input the correct dial code of your country else you will experience issues when trying to buy a domain on Shopify. Also, you may correctly input your countrys dial code but format your phone number differently than expected.

You can check and edit your phone under Settings > General section of your admin page. Ensure you input the correct dial code of your country and use the formatting you see there.

Formatting issues with your billing address: Youll have to provide a billing address when buying a domain through Shopify. Shopify requires your billing address to have a number and street names should not be abbreviated. Avenue should be completely spelled instead of using Av. Same with Road and Street instead of St.

Browser issue: Sometimes your browser is the issue. Shopify recommends using a Chrome browser. You should also clear your cache before trying to purchase a domain if the previous attempt failed and youve used the fixes we discussed above.

You can find more information about how this on the Shopify community page.

Read Also: How To Find Out Who Owns Domain

Should I Buy A Domain Through Shopify Or Godaddy Etc

I hope you enjoy reading this!Dont forget to share this blog with your friends.

Congrats, you just finished your online store! Now you need one last thing Domain name, here you might be confused about where to purchase a domain name from Shopify or other third-party registrars.

So, let me clear your doubt.

Read Also: How To Pick The Right Domain Name

No Code And Custom Code Tooling

GoDaddy and Shopify are both easy to use for non-technical users, but Shopify was made with the needs of modern merchants and ecommerce store owners in mind. Shopifys NoCode tooling makes it extremely easy to build and launch a store. Shopify also caters to technical users and gives developers the freedom to edit HTML and CSS for greater control.

Is Godaddy A Good Place To Buy A Domain

GoDaddy is a great option if you want web hosting along with your domain, or want it all to be managed under the same umbrella. But GoDaddy is a domain registrar first and a web hosting company second, so you can always transfer the domain to a different registrar or change the DNS to point to a new host.

Recommended Reading: How To Buy A Parked Domain From Godaddy