GoDaddy Launches New Domain Investor App.
For the past 5 years and counting, I’ve participated in bidding and buying domains via GoDaddy Auction.
Since it was the first domain auction platform I used to purchase expiring domains, it’s all I know.
That’s not to say that I’ve not ventured over to browse NameJet, SnapNames, Sedo, Flippa, or others.
It’s just that for whatever reason unknown to me, I’ve always seemed to gravitate towards GoDaddy Auctions to bid and build my domain investment portfolio.
Of course, my experience hasn’t always been good. I’ve had the good, bad, and ugly when being an engaged and active domain investor using GoDaddy Auctions to buy expiring domains.
There have been several improvements along the way with the GoDaddy Auction interface for the desktop, yet those improvements didn’t lend themselves to be user-friendly for mobile devices.
I can’t count the number of times I’ve wanted to throw my phone due to being unable to actively bid on a domain or a glitchy user experience that caused me to lose a domain auction.
Nevertheless, I was excited to hear about GoDaddy’s new domain auction app last week. I couldn’t wait to download the app and take it for a test drive. I’m on vacation without a laptop this week (perfect timing to be handy!), so let’s hope the app lives up to the hype.
My thoughts about GoDaddy’s Domain Investor App
First, I commend the GoDaddy team for making the initial release of the app a grand canyon of a leap over the hobbling interface of the past, for saying the least.
I was surprised to see domains I watched via desktop popup as the first mobile screen once logged into the app. This watching tab allows you to favorite the domains you watch, narrowing the list even further.
Then there is the bidding tab which functions much like the watching tab but only for the domains you’re actively bidding on.
The next item that caught my attention was using a pin to place bids. One downside when using the pin is entering the pin for each bid, but I can live with the previous interface.
On second thought, the pin code is clever security. The use of pin security will keep my kiddos from inadvertently placing a bid should they have my phone and happen to open the app. No one wants to find out they paid thousands of dollars for a useless domain because their kids liked pressing buttons.
Another feature I like about the app is the countdown clock inside, with 15 minutes remaining in the auction. It’s a live countdown clock. Also, the left side of each domain row is highlighted to alert you that the auction is near the end.
In addition, you can view the bid history for each domain and the exact time the domain auction ends. Too, I’m impressed with receiving the “outbid” notifications informing me someone has challenged my status as a high bidder on a domain.
All in all, I know the frequency at which I bid and participate in auctions is likely to spike for sure now that I have easy-to-use and understand app.
One downside to the app is that you can’t search or add new domain auctions. I’m hoping GoDaddy gets this fixed and SOON!
For now, this means no more popping open the web browser in the second window to bid (although I’ll have to open a browser to add and search).
It’s still a win and more real estate to do more real work and handle pressing items. Do go and download the app for Android or iOS.
There are many other features I would like to see added, but I’ll patiently wait for the next batch of updates. Again, download it and give it a try today.
