GoDaddy reports a bumper year for new websites

GoDaddy Website Builder
(Image credit: GoDaddy)

Website builder GoDaddy has released its full-year financial results for 2020, revealing impressive growth figures. 

The online platform, which also offers web hosting, domain registration, and business email services, saw strong returns on its investments throughout the year.

Headline figures for the fourth quarter of 2020 include total revenue of $873.9 million, a 12% year-on-year increase, and total bookings of $943.1 million, a 13.1% increase. Net cash provided by operating activities was also up, as was the company’s s unlevered free cash flow. Collectively, the results highlight what a good financial year 2020 has been for the GoDaddy business.

Going well

Of course, no discussion of 2020 would be complete without mention of the COVID-19 pandemic. With many services pushed online to maintain social distancing, website builders and other related solutions experienced an uptick in popularity. Unsurprisingly, GoDaddy saw its customers hit 20.6 million by the end of last year, representing growth of 7.1% year-on-year.

Not all of GoDaddy’s success can be attributed to the pandemic, however. The company also launched several successful marketing campaigns, which generated good returns for both bookings and gross profits. The company’s investments, such as its recently completed Poynt acquisition, are also expected to drive revenue growth further.

Looking ahead to the rest of 2021, GoDaddy expects to post total revenue of $3.7 billion for the year but all organizations must be aware that the long-term business outlook remains unclear while markets work out the best way of existing the coronavirus pandemic.

"2020 was a really strong year for our business despite the obvious challenges, as our customers proved once again to be resourceful entrepreneurs and successfully pivoted to expand their online presence," GoDaddy CEO Aman Bhutani said. "We are confident that our 2021 plans to drive innovation and growth will not only bring more everyday entrepreneurs to the GoDaddy ecosystem, but will also help our existing customers achieve new heights of individual success."

Barclay Ballard

Barclay has been writing about technology for a decade, starting out as a freelancer with ITProPortal covering everything from London’s start-up scene to comparisons of the best cloud storage services.  After that, he spent some time as the managing editor of an online outlet focusing on cloud computing, furthering his interest in virtualization, Big Data, and the Internet of Things.