There’s been a lot of talk of what’s going to happen to ManageWP after the GoDaddy acquisition, and some speculated that ManageWP is going to be closed in the near future. 10 months after we joined GoDaddy, we did the opposite.
Pro ManageWP renamed to Pro Sites, ManageWP continues its mission
Since December 2016 there are 2 versions of ManageWP: the one you know and love, and Pro ManageWP, dashboard that’s part of the GoDaddy Pro program. Having two specific services caused us a lot of headache so far, so we decided to rename Pro ManageWP to Pro Sites.
- It’s more intuitive. If someone hasn’t heard of our service, the name Pro ManageWP wouldn’t be all that helpful. But Pro Sites implies that it’s about site management.
- It’s more accurate. ManageWP is about WordPress. Pro Sites dashboard allows you to also add non-WordPress websites.
ManageWP in 2018
Our goal is to stay ahead of the pack as the most reliable WordPress website management service on the market; to keep improving existing features and rolling out new ones, like Safe Updates that we recently launched. We’re a part of the WordPress community, and we’re not going anywhere. Oh, and did we mention that next year’s WordCamp Europe is in our home town? 😀 If you’re coming, you gotta stop by our office for the best view and the worst coffee in Belgrade.
Pro Sites in 2018
At the same time, we will be working on the GoDaddy Pro program. Almost everything we build for ManageWP will be rolled out for Pro Sites as well. But the Pro program is much more. It’s about giving web professionals a helping hand and showing them a better way to stay organized, learn new skills and get new leads. We will focus on helping you with your weekly tasks, from building websites faster to handling your clients with ease to negotiating better contracts. GoDaddy Pro is what we always wanted ManageWP to be, given enough time, manpower and money. And by joining GoDaddy we are able to make that happen.
TL;DR: Which dashboard is better for me?
Choose ManageWP if you:
- Build only in WordPress
- Have a specific need that ManageWP solves perfectly
- Don’t host websites at GoDaddy
Choose Pro Sites if you:
- Also build and manage non-WordPress websites
- Host at least some websites on GoDaddy
- Feel you could use a helping hand in getting your web pro business off the ground
John W. J. Snyder
I think the ManageWP plugin in probably the best out there in it’s class. I hope the integration with Godaddy proves to only improve an already great plugin without forcing Godaddy services upon users.
ict.services
My sites are hosted on Godaddy. Now I have a number where managewp cannot connect to the sites. I go to the plugin folder and see the sites plugin which I did not install. I try to activate managewp plugin and the sites plugin seems to take over.. major pain
Worse is that managewp will not longer enable me to set plugins to auto update.. unhappy
Nemanja Aleksic
No worries, we got your back:
1) Connection issues – The Pro Sites branding kicks in when the plugin is connected to the Pro Sites dashboard, but it’s still the ManageWP Worker plugin. Could you open a support ticket so we could investigate why this is happening?
2) Auto update – we are actually rolling out a feature before the end of the month that will take care of automatic updates. Stay tuned!
Mark Fayard
I see the plugin no longer shows as ManageWP and now (unfortunately) GoDaddy Pro Sites Worker. The majority of my clients want nothing to do with GoDaddy and that plugin name alone will strike fear in some. How can I get ManageWP to appear as it used to?
Nevena Tomovic
Hi Mark,
If the plugin is installed on the GoDaddy dash it will be labeled with GoDaddy, if it’s installed on ManageWP then as ManageWP. You have two options, you can install it over ManageWP and continue using it as ManageWP, or you can white label it and no one will see it as GoDaddy.
Hope that helps.
Nevena
Cathy
I’m still worried. I’ve been moving away from Godaddy since they had really screwed up a few of my sites. If you completely switch to a Godaddy Only product, I may have to find a new way to manage my client sites. These kind of buyouts by large corporations always make me worry.
Nemanja Aleksic
Hey Cathy!
You don’t have to worry, and here’s why:
GoDaddy Pro program caters to web professionals. As such, you know that there’s no single hosting solution that fits all your clients perfectly. So you’ll probably end up with 50% of your clients on one hosting, and the other 50% on a mix of AWS, GoDaddy and a bunch of other solutions. We recognize that it wouldn’t make sense to force you to move everything to GoDaddy, so we are happy to help you manage your websites, wherever they are. If at some point you decide to give GD another shot, great! If not, it’s still fine by us.
Does this make sense?
Cathy
I only just now saw this reply. It seems to me that I’m competing with Godaddy for serving my clients with professional website maintenance. Godaddy bought the program and now they offer some of the services, but people think they get all the maintenance they need there. Hard to say in just these few words, but Godaddy bought the program so they can steal client services.
Nemanja Aleksic
I wouldn’t be concerned if I were you.
First off, we’re still a cockpit that needs someone skilled at the helm (i.e. you) – I rarely see a small business managing their website through ManageWP.
Then there’s also the matter of quality. GoDaddy does offer some website maintenance services through WPPS, but the service catalog is very narrow, and I assume the whole experience is nowhere near what you can offer just by being an actual person, not a business. In fact, the majority of WPPS customers are web designers and developers looking to offload some of the tedious work to a reliable 3rd party.
Fred Sessoms
Exciting news! Please bring back your affiliate program.
Rajkumar Kanagaraj
name looks familiar n cool. keep rocking!!!
Alec Kinnear
HI Nemanja,
I’m a bit worried the non-WordPress features could become a distraction. You’ve really managed to take WordPress management to a new level in the last year and a half with the full release of Orion and a lot of attention to aesthetics and user experience. Please stay true to the core mission. I’ve always liked the ManageWP name and it would be a pity to give up that brand. Pro Sites sounds kind of generic to me and indistinguishable from dozens of other domain registrars, agencies and services.
Nemanja Aleksic
In a way it was intentional – the GoDaddy Pro program as a whole is what we want to put under the spotlight, so Pro Sites is something that should be known to members of the Pro program. At the same time, we want ManageWP to keep thriving as a separate brand.
Amy
So nice to see this team is committed to excellent service and future goals. Glad to see things continue to grow!
John
I think the changes are quite good especially the name since I find it being minimalist. Good work !
lemongrass
Hi! So I have a few clients with GD and also some clients who have non WP sites, if I use GoDaddy Pro will I be able to manage them all (even those not with GD), and if so what is the fee plan?
Thanks
Ernie
Nemanja Aleksic
Hey Ernie!
– Yes, you will be able to add and manage clients and their non-WordPress websites in GoDaddy Pro
– Your websites don’t have to be hosted on GoDaddy (that part is the same as with standalone ManageWP)
– The pricing model is completely the same
– Non-WordPress sites have limitations to what it can be done. SEO, Uptime Monitor, Performance Check, Security Check & Client Report add-ons work with non-WordPress sites. Other ManageWP features require the Worker plugin on site, so they are not supported for non-WP sites
I hope this explanation helps!
Matt
Will backup work in sites pro?
Nemanja Aleksic
The same way it works in standalone ManageWP. Please note that the Backup add-on is a WordPress specific feature.