GoDaddy is a popular web hosting platform and domain registrar that has helped over 20 million customers claim a domain name and start a website. However, setting up a site is just the beginning. The more challenging aspect is driving traffic and earning customers through effective search engine optimization. This guide explains how to set up SEO on GoDaddy Website Builder and WordPress, based on the platform's specific features and capabilities.
Why GoDaddy Users Need SEO
GoDaddy is known for its hosting and domain services, but many users mistakenly assume that its built-in SEO features will be sufficient for achieving good search rankings. The reality is that while GoDaddy provides the foundation for a website, proper SEO implementation is essential for visibility in search results.
According to the source materials, GoDaddy Website Builder has basic SEO tools, but these must be configured correctly to be effective. For WordPress sites hosted on GoDaddy, additional optimization requires plugins like Yoast SEO or Rank Math to achieve full optimization. It's important to note that Google does not automatically rank a site just because it is live; active improvement is necessary.
Without proper SEO implementation, a website may appear well-designed but will not generate leads, sales, or visitors. With appropriate SEO strategies, even small sites can achieve first-page positions in search results, potentially boosting search traffic revenue by 700% as noted in one source.
Quick SEO Wins on GoDaddy in 15 Minutes
For businesses looking to implement basic SEO quickly, GoDaddy offers an SEO wizard that can be accessed through the dashboard. The process involves:
- Navigating to your GoDaddy product page
- Scrolling down, expanding Digital Marketing, and selecting Manage next to your plan
- On your dashboard, expanding Marketing, and then selecting SEO
- Selecting Start and following the guidance to set up SEO
If this is your first time using the SEO wizard, it will ask questions to help optimize your homepage. For returning users, selecting "View all tasks" at the bottom of the "Show up on Google" section provides options to optimize the homepage again or to optimize other pages, blog posts, or images.
After completing the wizard, you'll be prompted to publish your website immediately or wait until later. It's important to note that changes won't go live until you publish, and it takes up to 8 weeks for SEO settings to affect your site's ranking in relevant search results.
On-Page SEO Setup in GoDaddy
On-page SEO refers to elements that can be directly edited within your website. For GoDaddy users, several on-page factors require attention to improve search visibility.
Title Tags and Meta Descriptions
Effective title tags and meta descriptions are crucial for click-through rates from search results. The source materials recommend:
- Using your primary keyword in the title once
- Adding a secondary keyword if it sounds natural
- Focusing meta descriptions on benefits rather than just keywords
For example, an effective title might be "GoDaddy SEO Guide for Website Builder and WordPress," while a meta description could state: "Learn how to configure SEO in GoDaddy Website Builder and WordPress with titles, sitemaps, and speed tips."
Headings and Keyword Placement
Proper heading structure helps search engines understand content hierarchy. The guidelines recommend:
- Using one H1 per page, typically the main title
- Using H2s for sections and H3s for sub-points
- Incorporating keyword variations naturally in headings
For instance, using variations like "GoDaddy Website Builder SEO" in some H2s or H3s can reinforce topical relevance without keyword stuffing.
Image Optimization
Images contribute to both user experience and SEO. The source materials provide specific recommendations:
- File names should be descriptive, such as "godaddy-seo-dashboard.webp"
- Alt text should be descriptive and natural, like "GoDaddy SEO dashboard settings example"
- Avoid keyword stuffing in alt text
Technical SEO Considerations
Technical SEO ensures that a website is crawlable, indexable, and performs well. Several technical aspects require attention for GoDaddy sites.
Sitemaps and Indexing
Sitemaps help search engines discover and understand website content. The source materials indicate that:
- WordPress with SEO plugins generates sitemaps automatically
- GoDaddy Website Builder also offers sitemap links
- These sitemaps should be submitted to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools
Robots.txt and Canonical URLs
Proper configuration of robots.txt files and canonical tags prevents crawling issues and duplicate content problems. According to the source materials:
- Robots.txt files should tell search engines what to crawl and not block important pages
- Canonical tags should be added to avoid duplicate content issues
Speed and Core Web Vitals
Website speed has become a critical ranking factor, especially since Google incorporated Core Web Vitals into its algorithm in 2021. However, the source materials indicate that GoDaddy sites may experience speed issues. Testing revealed:
- A basic blog post had a Google PageSpeed Insights score of just 41
- Total blocking time reached 7000 ms
- Issues with layout stability were observed, with layers loading and then hiding
The slow load times were primarily attributed to heavy script usage. Despite these issues, the source materials note that GoDaddy Website Builder websites can be optimized when built correctly.
To improve performance, the source materials recommend:
- Compressing images before uploading
- Using lazy loading for images
- Limiting unnecessary scripts and plugins
- Achieving specific Core Web Vitals metrics:
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) should be less than 2.5 seconds
Content Strategy for GoDaddy Sites
While the source materials don't provide extensive details about content strategy, they do emphasize the importance of incorporating keyword research into content creation. GoDaddy's SEO team uses the Search Engine Visibility tool to develop keyword recommendations, which are then incorporated into:
- Meta titles
- Meta descriptions
- Page URLs
- Image alt tags
This approach helps search engines better understand the content of your website. Before implementing these changes, GoDaddy's team typically contacts customers for approval.
Local SEO Tips
For local businesses using GoDaddy, several strategies can improve local search visibility. The source materials mention that GoDaddy offers local SEO tips but don't provide specific details. However, they do note that GoDaddy's SEO team will analyze site data over time, compare it against previous periods, and identify emerging issues that may negatively impact local search performance.
GoDaddy SEO Services and Pricing
GoDaddy offers several SEO-related services with different pricing structures:
SEO Tool
- Available for most customers of GoDaddy's Website + Marketing plans and all customers of its Digital Marketing plan
- The cheapest option starts at $10.99 for 12 months
- Includes features like keyword recommendations and monitoring tools installation
Managed SEO Services
- Priced on a per-customer basis depending on the scope of the SEO project
- Past customers report paying as low as $50 per hour for the service
- Significantly lower than the average SEO agency hourly rate
Offsite SEO Services
GoDaddy offers offsite SEO services including submissions to Google, Bing, and Yahoo search engines. The source materials indicate that their SEO team will set up Google Search Console for your website, which contains Google Analytics and Webmaster tools to provide insights into website performance.
Tracking SEO Performance
To monitor the effectiveness of SEO efforts on GoDaddy sites, the source materials recommend:
- Tracking how your site is ranking on Google through your Google account
- Using Google Search Console to monitor site metrics
- Analyzing site data over specific durations
- Comparing performance against previous periods
- Identifying emerging issues that may negatively impact your website
The source materials note that GoDaddy's SEO team will analyze site data and recommend appropriate remediation measures when issues are detected.
Conclusion
Setting up effective SEO on GoDaddy websites requires understanding both the platform's built-in capabilities and additional optimization strategies. While GoDaddy provides basic SEO tools through its Website Builder and offers managed SEO services, achieving sustainable rankings requires proper configuration of on-page elements, technical considerations, and ongoing performance monitoring.
The source materials indicate that GoDaddy sites can experience speed issues that may affect SEO performance, but these can be mitigated through proper optimization techniques. Businesses should take advantage of GoDaddy's SEO wizard for quick improvements while implementing more comprehensive strategies for long-term success.
For businesses seeking professional SEO help, the source materials suggest that while GoDaddy offers basic SEO services, they may not provide the comprehensive optimization needed for sustainable, long-term rankings. Companies with more complex SEO needs might consider looking elsewhere for experienced and reputable SEO providers.