GoDaddy Most Popular Among SMBs, But Is The Web Hosting Giant's Future Dominance Assured? New Report From Clutch Analyzes Position In Market

WASHINGTON, Sept. 29, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Eighty-six percent (86%) of small- to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) say that their web hosting provider offers cloud hosting options, according to a new survey and analysis report from Clutch, a leading B2B ratings and reviews site.

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Data also shows that the largest percentage of SMBs (26%) currently use GoDaddy as their hosting provider.

GoDaddy began offering cloud hosting options in March 2016. In response, Clutch used data from their recent Cloud Hosting Survey to analyze GoDaddy's dominant position in transforming the hosting industry, specifically in relation to SMBs. The analysis includes predictions and recommendations for GoDaddy's future.

Industry experts point to three factors that contribute to GoDaddy's popularity among SMBs:

1. Cost Savings
2. Additional Features
3. Brand Awareness

"I think they offer unbelievably inexpensive service, which will always garner a lot of attention," said Rachel Bair, Director of Hosting & Client Services at Unleashed Technologies, a web development and hosting service. "It's the same reason Walmart does exceptionally well when grocery stores and Target and lots of 'mom and pop' shops offer the same product. You will buy it where it's the least expensive."

Furthermore, Clutch found that 57 percent of SMBs use site backup as an additional feature from their hosting provider, while 55 percent use email hosting and 42 percent use mobile access to administration and statistics. The largest percentage of SMBs (40%) backup their website and applications exclusively with their hosting provider.

"The web hosting landscape is not like five years ago," said Osman Seyrek, COO of Renovatio Cloud Solutions, a cloud technology and custom software development firm. "There are way more competitors right now… So all the participants are trying to provide extra services in order to get the upper hand."

GoDaddy is well known for being a full-service hosting provider, but the company has angled their cloud servers' marketing toward developers with small business clients, as opposed to small business owners. As a result, the features they promote are more technical in nature.

Lastly, brand recognition played a large role in fueling GoDaddy's popularity, especially in regards to their unique, and often controversial, advertising campaigns.

"You can't beat having Danica Patrick all over the TV interviews with the GoDaddy logo," said Raul Ramirez, CEO of Renovatio Cloud Solutions. "It goes back to marketing and how they position that. They did a great job early on and that's what differentiated them."

However, the report speculates that the recent shift toward family-friendly marketing may affect their popularity. Given that GoDaddy's revenue structure increasingly depends on hosting services – hosting brought in $160.4 million in the first quarter of 2016 – their ability to remain dominant in the SMB cloud server market could be vital.

The Clutch survey included 300 U.S. SMBs with 2-1,000 employees. Sixty-eight percent (68%) of the companies surveyed have 200 employees or less.

For more information and to view the complete article, please visit: https://clutch.co/cloud/hosting/resources/godaddy-and-cloud-servers.

About Clutch

A B2B ratings and reviews firm in the heart of Washington, DC, Clutch connects you with the agencies and software solutions that can help you enhance your business and meet your goals. Our methodology maps agencies and software solutions based on consumer reviews, the type of services offered, and quality of work.

Contact

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SOURCE Clutch