Web hosting is a service provided by companies (the web host) that sell or lease space on a server where you store the files that make your website accessible on the internet. These companies typically require that you own a domain, and they may help you purchase one.

Once you purchase a Web hosting plan, we store your site on our servers and assign it a unique DNS. The DNS is the address that allows people around the world to access your website. This unique address is required in order for people to view your site.

By purchasing a website hosting package, you're buying space our servers. It’s similar to the space on the hard drive of a computer, and the being on our server allows your website files to be accessed from anywhere.

For more information: Web Hosting product support page.

Shared hosting is a popular hosting option where a provider hosts multiple websites on one physical web server. Typically, most websites don't use many server resources, so shared hosting lets providers offer stable service at a low cost. If you decide that shared hosting is right for you, you’ll need to decide which type of shared hosting you prefer. We offer three shared hosting solutions: Linux plans using cPanel, Windows plans using Plesk and WordPress Hosting. Shared hosting allows you to share hosting space and costs with others, while benefitting from the speed and space you need for your small business website.

Depending on the what you want to do with your website, we offer Windows and Linux hosting. For instance, if you want to create a shopping cart, host a podcast, or add a blog, check out Should I choose a Windows or Linux hosting account? to see which is the best fit.

Or, call the GoDaddy Hosting support team. We're here to help 24/7. 

cPanel is a web hosting control panel that provides a web hosting customer/owner a user interface intended to help them easily manage their website and shared server. It allows users to create websites using a variety of content management systems (CMS) including WordPress, Drupal, Magento and Joomla.

There are several options to help you build your website  – from hand-coding with HTML to using a website builder program. If you require a high degree of functionality and versatility from your website, you’ll benefit from programs and applications that can help you build your site. Our Web Hosting plans give you access to free, server-side applications to develop and customize your website, including popular Content Management System (CMS) applications like WordPress^® and Joomla!^®. You can also add a Dedicated IP and add an SSL Certificate later.

Moving your website to GoDaddy is a simple process; access your existing website files and upload them through our Hosting Control Center (or via an FTP client). If you don’t immediate access to your website files, you should be able to request a copy from your current website hosting provider.

If you have any questions along the way, our 24/7 support team is here to assist you. We can help you determine the best method for transitioning your website to a GoDaddy account.

For more information: Transferring Your Hosting Account.

If you’ve built your website in a HTML editor (like Dreamweaver or Microsoft Expression Studio), upload your website files via FTP (File Transfer Protocol). We have a built-in FTP File Manager for you to access in our Hosting Control Center.

If your files are larger than 20 MB, we recommend using the tool FileZilla, compatible with Windows^®, Mac^®, and Linux^® operating systems. Or, you may choose to use third-party FTP clients.

For more information: Uploading Files to Your Website (FTP).

The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI-DSS or PCI for short) designates security standards to protect cardholders’ credit card data. That means, entities that store, process or transmit credit card information are expected to be compliant to the standards in the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards.

Our hosting services are a great place to setup your online presence and product catalog. You can then work with a third-party provider to process payments on your behalf to keep credit cards off your server. If you would like to accept payments directly on your server, we offer PCI-certified products like our Managed WordPress Ecommerce Hosting and the GoDaddy Online Store. Whichever path you choose, make sure to be informed of additional requirements to keep your business PCI compliant.

We recommend you work with your payment provider (e.g., PayPal Checkout, Square Online Checkout and Stripe Checkout) to understand any additional requirements for which you are responsible. If you’re using one of our PCI-certified products, we have a simplified checklist for you here.