Godaddy WordPress Managed Hosting: Fusion Builder Not Working?
UPDATE:
I wanted to do a follow up post about Fusion Builder and whether or not you should upgrade to the latest version. Since publishing this post, I’ve gone back and forth on whether or not to push the upgrade. After talking to a number of WordPress developers, I’ve decided that if you’re having issues, you should probably upgrade. However, if you’re happy with the way things are, you shouldn’t have any reason to upgrade.
ORIGINAL POST:
I received an email this morning from Godaddy with the subject line, “Fusion Builder not working“. The contents of the email were as follows:
“Fusion Builder is currently not accepting new customers or going live with new features. We are working hard alongside our developers to resolve this as soon as possible. For now, if you are experiencing any issues with your account, please contact our support team by phone or email.
Thanks for your patience.”
So let’s dive right in and see if we can’t figure out what is going on here.
The Problem
If you’re reading this post, then most likely you’re already aware that Fusion Builder is a web tool created by GoDaddy for managing multiple websites and domains. You can register a free account with the company and then use their service to connect any available domain to a free template-based WordPress blog. If you don’t already use WordPress, you can use their service to set up a simple blog in less than 10 minutes.
Unfortunately, GoDaddy has decided that they’re taking a break or have changed their mind about supporting this product. The email I received this morning stated that the product is “currently not accepting new customers or going live with new features.” This is unusual behavior for a company, especially one that prides itself on being so supportive of their products. But maybe these are just the words that they chose to say because they want to keep the customers that they have instead of courting new ones. Or maybe they’re just losing interest in the product. Who knows.
What About The Developer?
It’s important to remember that while GoDaddy is providing the outlet for your product and services, their developers are still working hard to make Fusion Builder the best it can be. So if you’re experiencing any issues with the product, it might be worth checking with the support team to see if they can help you out.
Reasons Why You Might Have Issues
There are several reasons why you might experience issues with Fusion Builder. Some of these reasons are outlined below:
1. Incorrect Usage
I’m sure there are plenty of people who have had no issues whatsoever with the tool, but it’s important to remember that not all users will have the same experience. If you’re not familiar with the way WordPress or templates work, then it’s quite possible that you’re not using the tool in the best way possible. For example, if you’re unfamiliar with how to use plugins or what a cache is, then you might find that certain features are not as easy to use as they could be. Or if you use a lot of acronyms and abbreviations, it might be difficult to find the right information when you need it. These are all things that you might not be aware of and could make a difference in the way you utilize the tool. So while there are many reasons why you might not have issues, it’s also important to remember that it’s not guaranteed that you will.
2. Third-Party Plugins Are Conflictual
When WordPress first came out, there were a lot of issues with plugins not playing nice together. Luckily, with a little bit of research and experimentation, all these issues were resolved. Unfortunately, this is not the case today. If you’re using any plugins on your site, you might experience issues with them not working together or with conflicts between the plugins. For example, if you have the Contact Form 7 plugin and the WP Form Generator plugin, you might see some weird behavior unfold because the two of them don’t play well together. Or if you have multiple versions of WordPress installed, each one with it’s own set of plugins, and one of the plugins conflicts with the others, you’ll end up with a broken site. These are all things you should be aware of and prepare for before you start using plugins on your site. If you do decide to use them, make sure that you test and validate your site after you’ve added all the plugins to see if they’re all working properly together. Sometimes it’s not obvious what the cause of the issue is, but with a bit of research and trial and error, you’ll figure it out. Just remember that it’s always better to be safe than sorry, and make sure that everything is tested before you use it on a live site.
3. Missing Features
It’s important to remember that while Fusion Builder might work perfectly for you, it’s still an alpha product, and there are a number of features that still need to be added. If you do decide to use the product, then make sure to sign up for the alpha test so that you can provide feedback on what you think about the tool. You can also become a contributor so that you can help out with the development process and bring your expertise to the table. Just remember that while this might all sound good in theory, it still takes time to actually implement all of this, and a lot of feedback and testing along the way. If you want to see the product grow and change, then by all means, contribute as much as you can.
4. Template Choices Are Restricted
If you decide to use a professionally designed template to launch your product or service, you’ll most likely want to pick a theme that’s built on the Skeleton framework. This is a fantastic choice because it’s extremely easy to use and anyone can figure out what’s going on. The problem is that the templates that are built on this framework often don’t work well with Fusion Builder. For example, if you try to use the Yeti template, you might run into issues because it’s not specifically designed for use with WordPress. One of the things that makes Fusion Builder so easy to use is its drag and drop functionality, and the Yeti template doesn’t have all of those functions. So while it might look like the perfect match on paper, in reality, it doesn’t work that well when implemented. To further complicate matters, some of the themes on the market today are built on the same framework as Skeleton and can cause major issues if used together. So be careful and do your research before making a choice.
What About Hosting?
Another important thing to consider is the web host that you’re using. Just because you’re using a content management system (CMS) doesn’t mean that you have to limit yourself to using only the WordPress platform. When it comes to web hosting, there are a variety of features and functionalities that you can achieve by changing your website’s code. While most web hosts don’t offer all of these features, it’s important to pick one that does because it’ll make a massive difference in the way your site functions. I’d recommend looking for a shared hosting plan from a reputable web host because they usually offer the most features and customization options.
The bottom line is that while Fusion Builder is a fantastic product, and there are a lot of benefits to using it, it’s still in beta and things could break.
Just remember, if you are having issues, it might be a good idea to reach out to their support staff to see if they can help. Hopefully, this article will assist you in choosing a hosting platform that can accommodate your needs and the needs of your business. But for the time being, if you’re enjoying what Fusion Builder has to offer, then there’s no reason to upgrade just yet.