GoDaddy is one of the best-known domain registrars in the world, and many website owners end up with an account there whether they planned to or not: a domain bought years ago, an email address tied to it, perhaps a starter website. This guide is for that owner. It explains what GoDaddy actually does for you, how its DNS settings work, how its Website Builder differs from WordPress hosting, and, most usefully, how to connect a GoDaddy domain to a WordPress site hosted anywhere, without breaking your email.
If you want a review of GoDaddy’s own managed WordPress hosting plans instead, see our separate GoDaddy WordPress hosting guide.
What GoDaddy does: the three separate jobs
Most confusion comes from mixing up three services that can each live with a different company:
- Domain registration. You rent the name (example.com) through a registrar. GoDaddy is a registrar; so are many hosts and specialist companies.
- DNS. The address book that tells browsers and mail servers where your website and email live. By default, GoDaddy runs DNS for domains it registers, but you can hand DNS to another provider.
- Hosting. The server that stores and serves your site. GoDaddy sells hosting and a Website Builder, but your domain can point to hosting anywhere.
Keeping a domain at GoDaddy while hosting WordPress elsewhere is completely normal. You do not need to transfer the domain to move a website, and doing so adds risk and delay for no real gain unless you want everything in one account.
Managing a domain at GoDaddy
Sign in and open your domain list (the Domain Portfolio in the account area), then select a domain. GoDaddy rearranges its dashboard from time to time, but the same controls are always there:
- Auto-renew: leave it on for any domain you care about. An expired domain takes your site and email down with it.
- Renewal pricing: first-year domain prices are often promotional and renew at a higher standard rate. Check the renewal price in your account rather than relying on the price you first paid.
- Privacy: domain privacy keeps your personal contact details out of public registration lookups. Check whether it is included or an add-on for your domain.
- Lock and transfer: the domain lock prevents unauthorized transfers. To move a domain to another registrar you unlock it and request an authorization code. Under ICANN rules, a newly registered or recently transferred domain generally cannot be transferred again for 60 days.
- Contact email: make sure the registrant email is one you read. Renewal notices and transfer approvals go there.
GoDaddy Website Builder vs WordPress
GoDaddy sells two quite different ways to build a site, and they are easy to confuse:
| GoDaddy Website Builder | WordPress (on GoDaddy or any host) | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | GoDaddy’s own hosted, section-based builder | Open-source CMS with themes and plugins |
| Setup | Very fast, guided, includes AI-assisted content tools | More setup; many more choices |
| Extensibility | Limited to built-in features | Plugins for almost any function, full code access |
| Maintenance | Handled by GoDaddy | Updates and backups by you or a managed host |
| Portability | Cannot move the site to another host | Move to any host at any time |
The Website Builder is a reasonable choice for a simple brochure site or a one-page presence that you want online today, much like other hosted builders. WordPress is the better fit if the site will grow, publish a lot of content, need specific functionality, or might one day move to another provider. If you outgrow the Builder, there is no export to WordPress; you rebuild the pages and point the domain at the new site, which is the process described below.
DNS basics you need before changing anything
Open your domain and go to its DNS tab. You will see a list of records. Four types matter for a typical WordPress site:
- A record: points a name to an IPv4 address. The record with name
@is the bare domain. - CNAME: points one name to another name, typically
wwwto the bare domain or to a hostname your host gives you. - MX records: tell the world where to deliver email for your domain. Do not touch these when moving a website.
- TXT records: hold verification codes and email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC). Also leave these alone unless you know what they do.
Before making any change, take a screenshot or export of the full DNS record list. If something goes wrong, that snapshot lets you put everything back in minutes. Also note the TTL (time to live) values: they control how long resolvers cache a record, which is why changes can take anywhere from minutes to a day or more to be seen everywhere.
Connecting a GoDaddy domain to any WordPress host
Your new host will tell you which of two methods it expects. Both work; the difference is who runs your DNS afterwards.
Method A: change the A record (DNS stays at GoDaddy)
- Get your site’s IP address from the new host’s dashboard.
- In GoDaddy’s DNS tab, edit the A record named
@and replace the value with that IP. If there are several A records for@(some builders and parking pages add more than one), remove the old ones so only your host’s IP remains. - Edit the
wwwCNAME so it points to your domain (@) or the hostname your host specifies. - If the domain was previously connected to the Website Builder or domain forwarding, disconnect or turn off forwarding so it does not override your records.
- Save, wait, and test.
This method is the safest for email, because your MX and TXT records are never touched. It is the right default for most people.
Method B: change the nameservers (DNS moves to the host)
- Get the nameserver hostnames from your new host or DNS provider (Cloudflare works this way).
- First, recreate every existing record at the new DNS provider, especially MX and TXT records for email. Some providers scan and import your records automatically; check the import against your screenshot.
- In GoDaddy, open the domain’s DNS section, choose to change nameservers, select the option to use your own nameservers, and enter the new ones.
Once nameservers change, the DNS records shown in GoDaddy no longer do anything; the new provider’s records are the live ones. Forgetting to recreate MX records is the classic way people lose email for a day. If you plan to use a CDN and firewall in front of WordPress, our Cloudflare for WordPress guide covers this setup in detail.
After the switch
- Issue an SSL certificate at the new host (most hosts do this automatically once DNS resolves), then make sure WordPress uses
https://in Settings → General. - Check both
example.comandwww.example.comload and that one redirects to the other. - Send a test email to and from your domain address.
- Keep the old hosting active for a few days until you are sure all traffic has moved.
If you are setting up WordPress on the new host from scratch, our guide on how to install WordPress covers one-click and manual installs. For moving an existing site and changing URLs, the WordPress Advanced Administration Handbook is the official reference.
Email on a GoDaddy domain
GoDaddy sells business email, including Microsoft 365 plans bundled through GoDaddy. If your mailbox is one of these, it is tied to records in your DNS, not to your website. That is good news: you can move the website freely as long as MX, TXT and any autodiscover CNAME records stay intact.
Two practical points. First, if you ever want to move email away from GoDaddy, treat it as its own project: set up the new mailbox provider, migrate messages, then switch MX records. Second, make sure SPF, DKIM and DMARC records exist and are correct, because major mailbox providers increasingly reject or spam-folder mail from domains without authentication. WordPress itself sends mail too (password resets, form notifications, WooCommerce orders), so an SMTP plugin connected to an authenticated sending service is usually worth setting up on the new host.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to transfer my domain away from GoDaddy to use another host?
No. Point the domain at the new host with an A record or nameserver change. Transferring the registration is optional and separate.
How long does a DNS change take?
Often minutes to a few hours, but allow up to a day or two, depending on previous TTL values and caching. Nameserver changes usually take longer than single record edits.
Can I switch from GoDaddy Website Builder to WordPress?
Yes, by rebuilding the site in WordPress and then pointing the domain to it. Plan redirects for any page URLs that change so you keep search traffic.
Key takeaways
- Registration, DNS and hosting are separate jobs; a GoDaddy domain can point to WordPress hosted anywhere.
- Keep auto-renew on and check renewal prices, not just the first-year price.
- Screenshot your DNS records before any change.
- Changing the A record is the safest way to connect a new host; changing nameservers requires recreating every record, especially MX.
- The GoDaddy Website Builder suits simple sites; WordPress suits sites that need to grow or move.
