Go Daddy is an Internet domain registrar and web hosting company that also sells e-business related software and services. In 2010, it reached more than 40 million domain names under management. Go Daddy is currently the largest ICANN-accredited registrar in the world, and is three times the size of its closest competitor.
Known for its racy marketing, Go Daddy started advertising in the Super Bowl in 2005. Since then, the company expanded its marketing to include sports sponsorships.
Go Daddy filed for an IPO in 2006, but later cancelled it, due to “market uncertainties.”
Go Daddy maintains that it wants to protect the Internet, but some of their actions have drawn criticism.
History
Go Daddy was founded in 1997 as Jomax Technologies by Bob Parsons, who previously founded the software development company Parsons Technology, Inc. The company changed its name to Go Daddy in 1999 when a group of employees were brainstorming on a more memorable name than Jomax Technologies. Someone said "How about Big Daddy?" A quick check revealed that it was taken. Then Parsons said "How about Go Daddy?" The name was available, so he bought it.CEO Bob Parsons states the company stuck with the name because it made people smile and remember it.
Go Daddy has grown to become the largest ICANN-accredited registrar on the internet.In 2001, soon after Network Solutions was no longer the only place to register a domain, Go Daddy was approximately the same size as competitors Dotster and eNom. In April 2005 it surpassed Network Solutions in market share in terms of total domain names registered.
In 2002, Go Daddy sued VeriSign for domain slamming and again in 2003 over its Site Finderservice.This latter suit caused controversy over VeriSign's role as the sole maintainer of the .com and the .net top-level domains. VeriSign shut down Site Finder after receiving a letter from ICANN ordering it to comply with a request to disable the service. In 2006, Go Daddy was sued by Web.com for patent infringement.
In 2007 and 2008, the company lobbied in favor of legislation that would crack down on unscrupulous online pharmacies and child predators.
In March 2010 Go Daddy stopped registering .CN domains (China) due to the high amount of personal info that is required to register in that country. Some called it a PR campaign since it closely followed Google's revolt in China.
Awards
In 2009 Go Daddy was voted "Best Registrar" Domain Name Wire annual survey for the 4th consecutive year.
In March 2010, Go Daddy won a four star review from The Host Judge - Home for Hosting Reviews, on the basis of supreme web services at affordable prices. Reviews were compared against industry benchmarks and Go Daddy proved to have the best hosting beating the competition. The full review can be read here:
Marketing
Go Daddy's advertising is produced in-house, and typically contains sexually suggestive material (with the exception of their NASCAR advertising; the sanctioning body has a policy that censors sexually suggestive ads on cars and television broadcasts). CEO Bob Parsons refers to the marketing as "GoDaddy-esque" which he describes as "fun, edgy and a bit inappropriate." Most of Go Daddy's early TV ads starred former WWE Diva Candice Michelle, in some sort of sexual-related theme. She has been referred to as "Miss GoDaddy.com" or "The Go Daddy Girl" by fans and on WWE TV shows, where she also does the "Go Daddy Dance" (twirling her arms around her body while slowly turning) as part of her wrestling gimmick.
In 2006, Go Daddy began sponsoring IndyCar driver Danica Patrick, who subsequently joined the "Go Daddy Girl" lineup and began playing a prominent role in the company's commercials. In March 2009, Go Daddy announced professional poker player Vanessa Rousso as the newest Go Daddy Girl. Vanessa competed in the Go Daddy sponsored NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship the same month, finishing second and making history by being the first woman to make it to the finals. Also in March 2009, Go Daddy added pro-golfer Anna Rawson, bringing the Go Daddy Girl spokeswomen count to four. She is edgy, she is fun, she is hotter than firecrackers, she is very clever and everything we look for in a Go Daddy Girl, CEO Bob Parsons said of Rawson at a news conference in Phoenix. In August 2009 another Go Daddy Girl was announced. A Russian native, Marina Orlova is an online linguist, explaining the origin of words on her HotforWords.com Web site. A New Yorker magazine blogger called her the sexiestphilologist in the world.
An order was placed with Orange County Choppers for a custom bike to raise contribution for charity and was revealed in Miami, Florida and featured the models Candice and Danica. The episode was documented by the reality show American Chopper episode number 90.
