Switching guide · Updated September 2026
How to leave GoDaddy Website Builder without losing your domain or email
Short answer: you do not have to cancel first, and you do not have to move your domain. Build the replacement, point your www address to it, leave your email records alone, then turn off auto-renew on the GoDaddy website plan.
Why you rebuild instead of export
GoDaddy Website Builder has no export tool, so the working site cannot be downloaded and moved as it is. Your words, photos, and business details are still yours; the working site is what stays behind. WPBeginner
Web Home Studios reads what is public on your current GoDaddy site and rebuilds it for you to review. Sites that load most of their text with scripts may bring over less, so you check and fill in anything missing before going live.
Step by step
Keep your GoDaddy site running for now
Do not cancel or delete first. GoDaddy warns that once you delete a product you can no longer use it, even with time left on the subscription. Your current site stays live while you prepare the replacement. Source
Build the replacement privately
Enter your current address on the Web Home Studios move page. It reads your public pages, services, and contact details and builds a private draft you can edit in plain words. Nothing on the live site changes.
Keep your domain at GoDaddy
A domain registered at GoDaddy can stay at GoDaddy. In the domain's DNS page you change the record for the www address to point at the new site. You do not have to transfer the domain. Source
Leave your email records alone
Business email runs on separate records (called MX records). The switch only changes the website record, so your inbox keeps working. If your email is a GoDaddy or Microsoft 365 plan billed by GoDaddy, keep that plan.
Check the new site on your own address
Open your www address and confirm the new site, your phone number, and your contact form work. GoDaddy says most DNS changes take effect within an hour but can take up to 48 hours. To make the address without www work too, turn on domain forwarding to https://www.yourbusiness.com in GoDaddy. Source
Turn off auto-renew on the website plan
Once the new site is live, cancel only the website plan, not the domain or email. GoDaddy's help center explains that you can turn off auto-renew and use the product until the end of the term. Your domain registration renews separately, usually yearly. Source
One GoDaddy-specific note
Cancel the website plan, not the domain. In GoDaddy's Renewals and Billing page each product is listed separately, so check that you are turning off auto-renew on the website plan and leaving the domain and any email plan alone. GoDaddy help center
What it costs
| Option | Website cost | Domain |
|---|---|---|
| GoDaddy Website Builder | Every month or year, for as long as the site is online (see the GoDaddy website builder page) | Separate |
| Web Home Studios Personal | $129 once. Hosting included at $0. | Separate |
GoDaddy’s prices vary by region and first-term offers renew higher, so we link to its own page instead of quoting one. Compare 1, 3 and 5 years. Covered hosting is for ordinary business websites, including the built-in menus, shops, bookings and order requests. Large stores with inventory systems, memberships and custom apps may need another solution.