GoDaddy’s poor user interface and error messages are frustrating.
Managing GoDaddy’s web site must be a major undertaking. With dozens of products and new ones added seemingly every week, fitting everything onto a web page and making it easy to navigate is a big task.
Last month GoDaddy made a major improvement to its domain management interface. But other areas of the site are still lacking. GoDaddy’s parking service has an interface similar to its new domain management console but just getting there takes multiple clicks.
Some of the messaging on GoDaddy’s web site also leads to frustration. When GoDaddy changed its locking functionality so that you could still change name servers and other features while the domain was locked, they didn’t update their messaging. When you clicked on “lock” you received a warning popup informing you that you would not be able to change the DNS when the domain was locked.
The most frustrating issue for me is when you get locked out of your account. Instead of alerting you that your account is locked (usually due to incorrect logon attempts), you get a generic error message that your account doesn’t exist:
This makes you worry that your account has been deleted. The only way you know your account is locked is if you call customer service. (Don’t get me started about paying long distance and being on hold for 10 minutes just to talk to a rep).
Domain registrars should understand that usability is one of the top reasons customers defect. It probably doesn’t show up in customer service surveys, but it has a cumulative effect. Frustration mounts to the point that one day you give up on the registrar.
GoDaddy isn’t alone in having a poor user interface. Even some of my favorite registrars could use a bit of work. Don’t make me search for simple functions. Don’t make me click on 4 links just to edit or register a domain. And most importantly, don’t give me error messages that don’t make sense.
I suspect most domain registrars think paying a usability consultant is a waste of money. Or they listen to whatever their developers tell them (and developers usually are not user interface experts). But I’d highly recommend they call in the experts.
Activa says
I agree, getting locked out of GoDaddy is a painful process… especially when you have to call customer service from overseas and get put on hold.
Editor says
They used to have extra security measures if you kept a credit card on file. If you entered the wrong password *once* they locked you out. I think they give you a couple chances now, but that’s it.
Arno says
GoDaddy’s inept/stupid design is legendary.
Look no further than TDNAM.com. They had
the (early) chance to dominate the emerging
domain auction and high-end sales market at a
time when Sedo and Afternic etc. were still
old-format. What did GoDaddy produce ?
A labyrinthine amateur site where no high-end domain owner would want to sell their assets.
Worse, for those of us that remember the old
(pre-crash) Great Domains fiasco, TDNAM.com
made all the same mistakes. No experience.
GoDaddy clearly leaves its design to its
space-cadet programmers, not design experts.
mike says
Wow?
The new domain manage interface is terrrible. I have over two thousand domains with them and I can’t figure out how to bulk fwd them. There is no “load all your domains” button. There is no ” check all your domains button”. Apparently the only way is to paste a complete list into the box. They only offer a printable list, not one you can copy and paste. If they don’t change it soon I’ll be leaving godaddy soon.
Editor says
Mike, doesn’t this beat the old design where you had to scroll through page by page to find your domains?
Personally, if I had over 2,000 domains there, I’d just transfer them all to Moniker. You’ll save a bundle and get better service. However, Moniker’s user interface isn’t perfect.
Editor says
Mike, just looked into your complaints- \”check all your domain\” seems simple — just click on the checkbox at the top of the checkbox column, then select either check this page or check all domains. I suspect that\’s how you can bulk forward them.
In the old interface it would only let me load all of my domains on one page if I had fewer than 10 pages of domains, otherwise it only let me go page-by-page.
mike says
Thanks, I was trying to figure it out for half an hour and couldn’t. It’s not intuitive.
I actually was going to transfer everything to Moniker but this auth code stuff is going to make that a nightmare.
Editor says
Mike, I hadn’t thought about the auth code issue. Especially since GoDaddy doesn’t provide the codes through the interface; you have to request an email.
As for the intuitiveness of the control panel, I wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t run any usability tests before it launched…but I personally find it better than the old interface.
Kevin says
For the first time tried GoDaddy’s business product and as I was trying to list my favicon.ico it will not allow you too. Instead it renames your file to some long address name that isn’t even your domain name. SO the results were that I had to follow the actual ridiculous location but yet it still will not list it as an .ico for it to show on Google Chrome. It will show it on Firefox as well as Internet Explorer but that’s it. In addition trying to create a subdomain and a user interface is impossible. The reason is because although your subdomain is the name you chose.yourmaindomain it still won’t allow you to create the normal step of subdomain.yourdomain.com. I’ve tried everything and unfortunately I’m going to have to change hosting plans to a company that will not create some off the wall address redirecting it to my domain.