GoDaddy Domain Protection: Is It Worth It? (2024 Update) Published: 18 Jun, 2023
many users ask about GoDaddy Domain Protection and if it worth it? If you own a website, you know how important it is to protect your domain name. Your domain name is your online identity, your brand, and your asset. It is what people use to find you, trust you, and do business with you. But did you know that your domain name can also be vulnerable to various online threats, such as hijacking, unauthorized transfers, spam, malware, and blacklisting?
That's why you need domain protection services to keep your domain secure and prevent these risks from happening. And one of the leading providers of domain protection services is GoDaddy. GoDaddy is a well-known and trusted registrar that offers different plans and features to suit different needs and budgets.
In this article, we will review GoDaddy domain protection and answer some of the most common questions about it, such as:
- What are the benefits of GoDaddy domain protection?
- How much does GoDaddy domain protection cost?
- What are the alternatives to GoDaddy domain protection?
- How do I sign up for GoDaddy domain protection?
By the end of this article, you will have a clear idea of whether GoDaddy domain protection is worth it for you and how to get started with it.
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Benefits of GoDaddy Domain Protection
GoDaddy domain protection helps secure your domain from various online threats, such as:
Domain hijacking
This is when someone steals your domain name by hacking into your account or using fake documents to transfer it to another registrar. Domain hijacking can result in losing your website, your email, your traffic, and your reputation.
Unauthorized transfers
This is when someone transfers your domain name without your consent or knowledge, either by mistake or by malicious intent. Unauthorized transfers can happen if you forget to renew your domain, if you share your login details with someone else, or if you fall victim to phishing or social engineering attacks.
Spam
This is when someone uses your domain name to send unsolicited emails or messages to other people. Spam can damage your reputation, expose you to legal issues, and increase the chances of your domain being blacklisted by email providers or search engines.
Malware
This is when someone injects malicious code or software into your website or server. Malware can compromise your website's security, functionality, and performance. It can also infect your visitors' devices or redirect them to harmful websites.
Blacklisting
This is when your domain name is flagged by search engines or other authorities as suspicious or harmful. Blacklisting can affect your website's visibility, ranking, and traffic. It can also prevent your visitors from accessing your website or warn them that it is unsafe.
To prevent these threats from happening, GoDaddy offers different levels of domain protection plans, each with its own features and benefits. Here are the main features of each plan:
Domain Privacy
This feature replaces your personal info with proxy info in the public WHOIS directory. The WHOIS directory is a database that contains the contact details of every domain owner. By hiding your personal info, you can protect your privacy and prevent spam with private email for domain inquiries. Domain Privacy is free with every GoDaddy domain.
Full Domain Protection
This feature prevents hackers from stealing your domain or making any other unauthorized changes by requiring your approval via 2-factor authentication for vital changes like deleting or transferring a domain. 2-factor authentication is a security measure that requires you to enter a code sent to your phone or email before making any changes. Full Domain Protection costs $10 per month.
Ultimate Domain Protection
This feature includes the benefits of Full Domain Protection, and also helps keep your domains from canceling unexpectedly because of failed billing by automatically turning on auto-renew and holding on to your domain for an extra 90 days if it expires. This way, you can avoid losing your domain due to expired credit cards or other billing issues. Ultimate Domain Protection costs $15 per month.
Domain Ownership Protection
This feature has the same coverage as Ultimate Domain Protection and was created to directly support some domains that are not eligible for Domain Privacy, such as some country-code extensions (ccTLDs). These domains require you to provide accurate and verifiable contact info in the WHOIS directory. Domain Ownership Protection costs $15 per month.
As you can see, GoDaddy domain protection offers many benefits that can help you protect your domain from online threats and secure your online presence.
Costs of GoDaddy Domain Protection
Now that you know the benefits of GoDaddy domain protection, you may be wondering how much it costs and whether it is worth it for you.
The costs of GoDaddy domain protection vary depending on which plan you select. As we mentioned earlier, the Basic Plan is free and includes Domain Privacy, while the Full Domain Protection costs $10 per month, the Ultimate Domain Protection costs $15 per month, and the Domain Ownership Protection costs $15 per month.
These costs may seem high at first, but they are actually very reasonable when you compare them with the costs of losing your domain or having it compromised by hackers or spammers.
Here are some examples of how much money and reputation you could lose if your domain is hijacked, transferred without your consent, infected with malware, or blacklisted by search engines:
Domain hijacking
According to a report by Verisign, the average cost of recovering a hijacked domain is $10,000. This includes the legal fees, the lost revenue, and the damage to your brand. Moreover, some domains may be impossible to recover if they are transferred to another country or jurisdiction that does not cooperate with your registrar or law enforcement.
Unauthorized transfers
According to a study by ICANN, the average cost of reversing an unauthorized transfer is $1,000. This includes the fees charged by your registrar, the time and effort spent on contacting the parties involved, and the potential loss of traffic and revenue during the process. Moreover, some transfers may be irreversible if they are done by someone who has legitimate access to your account or if they are not detected within a certain period of time.
Spam
According to a report by Radicati Group, the average cost of spam per user is $20.5 per year. This includes the costs of filtering, deleting, and responding to spam messages, as well as the risks of phishing, malware, and identity theft. Moreover, spam can also damage your reputation and credibility as a website owner and expose you to legal issues if you are accused of sending spam yourself.
Malware
According to a report by IBM Security, the average cost of a malware attack is $4.6 million. This includes the costs of detecting, containing, and recovering from the attack, as well as the lost business opportunities, customer trust, and competitive advantage. Moreover, malware can also affect your visitors' devices or redirect them to harmful websites that can harm their security and privacy.
Blacklisting
According to a report by Sucuri, the average cost of a blacklisted website is $10,000 per day. This includes the costs of losing organic traffic from search engines, losing paid advertising campaigns from platforms like Google Ads or Facebook Ads, losing conversions and sales from potential customers, and losing referrals and word-of-mouth from existing customers. Moreover, blacklisting can also affect your website's ranking and visibility for a long time after you remove the threat.
As you can see, these costs are much higher than the costs of GoDaddy domain protection. Therefore, investing in domain protection is a preventive measure that can save you a lot of money and hassle in the long run. It is better to be safe than sorry when it comes to protecting your domain name.
Alternatives to GoDaddy Domain Protection
Of course, GoDaddy is not the only provider of domain protection services, and some website owners may prefer other options for various reasons. For example, some may find GoDaddy's plans too expensive or too restrictive, while others may have different preferences or needs for their domains.
Therefore, it is important to know what are the alternatives to GoDaddy domain protection and how they compare with it. Here are some of the alternatives to GoDaddy domain protection that you may want to consider:
Other registrars
There are many other registrars that offer similar or cheaper domain protection plans than GoDaddy. For example, Namecheap offers free domain privacy for life with every domain registration, Google Domains offers free domain privacy and protection with every domain purchase, and Bluehost offers free domain privacy for one year with every hosting plan. However, these registrars may not have all the features or benefits that GoDaddy offers, such as 2-factor authentication or 90-day grace period. Moreover, transferring your domain from one registrar to another may involve some fees or complications that you need to be aware of.
Other methods of protecting your domain privacy
If you don't want to use a domain protection service like GoDaddy's Domain Privacy, you can also use other methods of protecting your domain privacy from spammers and scammers. For example, you can use a business address or a PO box instead of your home address when registering your domain name. This way, you can avoid exposing your personal information in the WHOIS directory. Alternatively, you can use a separate email account for domain inquiries that is not linked to your personal or professional email account. This way, you can avoid receiving spam messages or phishing emails on your main email account.
Other ways of securing your domain from unauthorized changes
If you don't want to use a domain protection service like GoDaddy's Full or Ultimate Domain Protection, you can also use other ways of securing your domain from unauthorized changes by hackers or impostors. For example, you can use strong passwords for your domain account and change them regularly. This way, you can prevent someone from guessing or cracking your password and accessing your account. Moreover, you can enable multi-factor authentication for your domain account if your registrar supports it. This way, you can add an extra layer of security by requiring a code sent to your phone or email before making any changes. Furthermore, you can monitor your domain activity regularly and check for any suspicious or unusual changes. This way, you can detect and report any unauthorized transfers or modifications as soon as possible.
As you can see, there are some alternatives to GoDaddy domain protection that you may want to consider. However, these alternatives may not have all the advantages or convenience that GoDaddy domain protection offers. Therefore, you need to weigh the pros and cons of each option and decide what works best for you and your domain.
GoDaddy Domain Protection FAQs
How do I turn on GoDaddy domain protection?
You can turn on GoDaddy domain protection by logging into your account, going to My Domains, selecting the domain you want to protect, and choosing the protection plan that suits your needs. You can also add or change your protection plan at any time.
How do I cancel GoDaddy domain protection?
You can cancel GoDaddy domain protection by logging into your account, going to My Domains, selecting the domain you want to cancel protection for, and clicking on Manage next to Domain Privacy & Protection. You can then choose to downgrade or remove your protection plan.
How can I get godaddy full domain privacy and protection?
You can get GoDaddy full domain privacy and protection by following these steps:
- Log into your GoDaddy account and go to My Domains.
- Select the domain you want to protect and click on Manage next to Domain Privacy & Protection.
- Choose the Full Domain Protection plan and click on Add to Cart.
- Complete the checkout process and confirm your purchase.
Alternatively, you can also add Full Domain Protection when you register a new domain with GoDaddy. Just select the Full Domain Protection option during the domain registration process and add it to your cart.
Full Domain Protection costs $10 per month and includes the following features:
- Domain Privacy: Replaces your personal info with proxy info in the public WHOIS directory and prevents spam with private email for domain inquiries.
- Domain Locking: Prevents hackers from stealing your domain or making any other unauthorized changes by requiring your approval via 2-factor authentication for vital changes like deleting or transferring a domain.
Full Domain Protection is a great way to protect your domain from online threats and secure your online presence. To learn more about GoDaddy domain protection, visit their website at https://www.godaddy.com/domains/full-domain-privacy-and-protection.
How preventing unauthorized domain actions?
There are different ways of preventing unauthorized domain actions, such as transferring away, changing nameservers, and editing domain contact info. One of the ways is to use a domain protection service, such as GoDaddy’s Full Domain Protection. This service prevents hackers from stealing your domain or making any other unauthorized changes by requiring your approval via 2-factor authentication for vital changes like deleting or transferring a domain1.
Another way of preventing unauthorized domain actions is to use strong passwords for your domain account and change them regularly. This way, you can prevent someone from guessing or cracking your password and accessing your account. Moreover, you can enable multi-factor authentication for your domain account if your registrar supports it. This way, you can add an extra layer of security by requiring a code sent to your phone or email before making any changes.
Furthermore, you can monitor your domain activity regularly and check for any suspicious or unusual changes. This way, you can detect and report any unauthorized transfers or modifications as soon as possible.
By following these steps, you can protect your domain from online threats and secure your online presence.
How do I contact GoDaddy customer support?
You can contact GoDaddy customer support by calling them at 1-480-366-3546 or by visiting their help center at https://www.godaddy.com/help/.
Conclusion
In conclusion, GoDaddy domain protection is a service that helps protect your domain name from various online threats, such as hijacking, unauthorized transfers, spam, malware, and blacklisting. It offers different plans and features to suit different needs and budgets, such as Domain Privacy, Full Domain Protection, Ultimate Domain Protection, and Domain Ownership Protection.
GoDaddy domain protection has many benefits that can help you secure your online presence and avoid losing money and reputation due to domain issues. It also has some costs that you need to consider before signing up for it. However, these costs are usually much lower than the costs of losing your domain or having it compromised by online threats.
There are also some alternatives to GoDaddy domain protection that you may want to explore, such as other registrars, other methods of protecting your domain privacy, or other ways of securing your domain from unauthorized changes. However, these alternatives may not have all the advantages or convenience that GoDaddy domain protection offers.
Therefore, we recommend that you sign up for GoDaddy domain protection today and enjoy the peace of mind that comes with knowing that your domain name is safe and secure. To get started with GoDaddy domain protection, visit their website at https://www.godaddy.com/domains/full-domain-privacy-and-protection and choose the plan that works best for you.