Godaddy and WordPress Hosting Issues
If you have a website, you most likely use GoDaddy to handle your domain names and associated email hosting. Maybe you’ve also tried WordPress for your blog platform of choice. Now with the new year already started, you’re thinking about making some changes to grow your site this year.
Whether you’re just dipping your toes into the internet world or you’ve already established yourself, you’re going to encounter issues with GoDaddy and WordPress at some point. This article is an overview of the most common problems and how to fix them. It’s not intended to be a comprehensive troubleshooting guide, but instead a collection of tips and tricks that can help you solve the most common problems.
Premium Package Issues
One of the first problems you’re going to encounter is related to your premium package. You’ll either need to upgrade or change your plan. The good thing is all you need is usually a credit card on file. Once you make the payment, your premium package is updated and you can continue using the service as usual.
The bad news is, sometimes you have to change your email address also. If you’ve been using your old email for your domain, you’ll need to update it to a premium address. This can be a pain to do manually. Fortunately there’s a plugin that can help you out with this. You can find a free version here: WP-Auto-Email.
If you find this to be a hassle, you can always choose a different email provider. For example, you could try WordPress’ own email service. Or you could use a service like MailChimp, which is a free service.
DNS Issues
Another very common issue that many people experience is related to their domain name system (DNS). If you use the GoDaddy’s free DNS service, you’ll most likely encounter issues. The good news is you can fix this problem by creating a proper DNS record for your domain. If you do this properly, you won’t have any issues. Keep in mind, though, that this isn’t always the case, and it can take some time to get it right. Once you do, you’ll never look at DNS records in the same way again.
To create a DNS record, navigate to Tools > Domains > Manage DNS Records from your dashboard. You’ll see a screen like this:
Simply create a new A record (Type: Host Name (TLD): A (IP): Record text) for your domain, substituting your domain’s TLD (top-level domain) for the Host Name.
For example, if you have a domain named blog.example.com, you’d create an A record for blog.example.com with the following settings:
Type: A (IP): Record text: blog.example.com
Host Name (TLD): A (IP): Record text: example.com
Once you create the record, you’ll need to verify it by refreshing your browser window.
You can also verify your creation by navigating to Tools > Domain Tools > Manage DNS Records > Your Records > A record (Type: A). This will take you to a page like this:
If you want to make sure your DNS settings are correct, you can use the DNS Checker tool from Cloudflare. Just type your domain’s name into the tool and press enter. This will quickly scan your domain’s DNS records and give you a report of any issues.
If you need help, their DNS support team is available 24/7 via phone, email, or live chat.
Email Template Issues
Another very common problem that many people experience is related to their email marketing software or platform. You’ll either need to upgrade or change the software you’re using to utilize all the features of the service, or to fix the problems you encounter. The good news is this can be fairly easy to do. Just make sure you’re aware of the issues you’re encountering and that they’re not intentional from the service’s side.
One of the major issues that people run into when using WordPress alone as an email marketing platform is that the emails they send out are usually very generic and can’t be personalized for many different types of audiences.
WordPress has a very powerful marketing automation feature that can help solve this problem. Let’s dive into how.
First, you’ll need to create an automation in WordPress using a tool like Automator. Once you have that set up, you’ll need to create a new email campaign in your business email’s mailchimp account. Within the email campaign, you’ll need to use the automation to send out the emails to the different lists or groups of people you’ve created.
It’s very easy to do, and with the help of their email marketing automation team, you can quickly get up and running with a campaign. Just make sure to enter a valid email address when prompted. This team is very helpfully available 24/7 via phone, email, or live chat.
Failed to Install WordPress Completly
Another very common issue that many people encounter when trying to install WordPress is that something goes wrong and they don’t end up installing the entire thing. This happens for a variety of reasons, but mostly it’s related to an incomplete download, a corrupted file, or an incompatible program on their end.
If you experience this issue, simply re-download the WordPress installer from WordPress.org. If that doesn’t work, try the Windows or Mac OS installers instead. Sometimes it takes a bit of trial and error to get WordPress installed correctly, but it’s usually worth it in the end.
If you need help, their WordPress support team can be very helpful.
Import Issues
If you’re trying to import products from other online stores, you’ll most likely encounter issues. This is because of varying compatibility issues between different platforms. For example, if you’re trying to import products from Amazon, but some of those products are missing a barcode or have incorrect product information, it can be hard to track down the issue.
If you want to be able to properly import your products, you’re going to have to spend a lot of time testing and debugging. Simply put, it’s best to avoid this if possible.
The problem is, not all online stores are created equal. There are a few that work very well with WordPress, and with a bit of research, you can usually find out which ones are the most compatible. Of course, this all depends on what software you’re using on your end as well.
Performance Issues
If you’re running a site that gets a decent amount of traffic, you’ll most likely encounter performance issues. Especially if you’re running a traditional hosting service, making the switch to a VPS or dedicated server can boost your site’s performance significantly. If your host offers these types of services, it’s usually a good idea to give them a call and see what they can do to help you out. Maybe they can offer you a discount if you’re paying annually rather than month to month.