GoDaddy(GDDY) - 2019 Q4 - Annual Report

Note about Forward-Looking Statements This section serves as a cautionary note regarding forward-looking statements within the Annual Report on Form 10-K, highlighting inherent risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from projections - The report contains forward-looking statements identified by words like 'believe,' 'may,' 'will,' 'expect,' and 'anticipate,' conveying uncertainty about future events or outcomes[6] - Key areas of uncertainty include the ability to add and retain customers, develop new solutions, scale existing solutions, maintain brand strength, prevent service interruptions and security breaches, manage growth, integrate acquisitions, and comply with regulations[7] - Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements due to competitive and rapidly changing environments, and the emergence of new, unpredictable risks[9][10] PART I. Item 1. Business This section provides a comprehensive overview of GoDaddy Inc.'s business, including its mission, market opportunity, competitive advantages, product offerings, operational structure, marketing strategies, competitive landscape, regulatory environment, and intellectual property Overview GoDaddy's vision is to empower independent entrepreneurs globally by providing cloud-based solutions and personalized guidance to help them establish, grow, and manage their online ventures - GoDaddy's mission is to empower entrepreneurs everywhere, making opportunity more inclusive for all, by providing sage guidance and intuitive experiences to name, create, grow, and manage their ventures[13] - The company is a leading provider of cloud-based solutions, offering products and services for domain naming, website building, online marketing, and branded email to small businesses, individuals, and organizations[14] GoDaddy Business Performance (2019) | Metric | Value | | :----------------- | :-------------- | | Total Customers | 19.3 million | | Customer Retention | Exceeded 85% | | 3+ Year Retention | Approximately 92% | | Annual Spend > $500 | 1.3 million customers | | Total Bookings | $3,401 million | | Revenue | $2,988 million | Our Opportunity and Advantages GoDaddy targets a large and diverse market of underserved everyday entrepreneurs, including micro-businesses and non-employer firms, leveraging intuitive experiences, personalized guidance, and community activation as competitive advantages - The addressable market includes over 500 million micro, small, and medium enterprises worldwide, with a significant portion being non-employer firms or having fewer than five employees[19][20] - Customers' common needs include establishing a distinct digital identity, getting found across various online platforms (social media, search engines, marketplaces), interacting with customers, reliable and secure technology, and affordable solutions[20] - GoDaddy's competitive advantages are built on: (1) Seamlessly Intuitive Experiences (e.g., Websites + Marketing, Managed WordPress), (2) Sage Guidance (personalized support via GoDaddy Guides), and (3) Activating its Community (learning and benefit exchange among customers)[21][22][25][27] The GoDaddy Platform The GoDaddy Platform provides elegant, easy-to-use cloud-based products on a unified technology platform, complemented by personalized guidance, to help entrepreneurs bring their ideas to life online - The platform's goal is to be a trusted partner, integrating technology, ease of use, and customer care to enable online ventures[28] Our Customers GoDaddy serves three distinct customer segments: Independents, Partners, and Domain Registrars and Investors, each receiving tailored products and support - Independents, the largest customer group, are micro-businesses and non-commercial ventures with entrepreneurial spirit but often limited technical skills, needing help with digital identity and technical aspects[30][31] - Partners are website designers and developers who build sites for businesses, often freelancers, seeking flexible tools like WordPress CMS and client-management features to increase throughput[32] - Domain Registrars and Investors include organizations using GoDaddy's platform for their own domain offerings (e.g., AWS) and individuals managing domain portfolios for secondary market sales, providing liquidity and name discovery[33] Our Solutions GoDaddy offers a comprehensive suite of easy-to-use, cloud-based technology products across Domains, Hosting and Presence, and Business Applications, designed to help customers establish a digital presence, connect with audiences, and manage their ventures Domains GoDaddy is the global leader in domain name registration, offering primary registrations, a large domain aftermarket, and add-ons, with domain products contributing approximately 45% of total revenue in 2019 - GoDaddy is the global market leader in domain name registration, managing over 79 million domains as of December 31, 2019, representing over 22% of worldwide registered domains[36] Domain Revenue Contribution to Total Revenue | Year | % of Total Revenue | | :--- | :----------------- | | 2019 | 45% | | 2018 | 46% | | 2017 | 47% | - Domain offerings include primary registrations (410 gTLDs, 55 ccTLDs), a large aftermarket for secondary sales, and add-ons like domain privacy[37][38][39] Hosting and Presence GoDaddy provides a range of hosting and presence solutions, including shared, VPS, and managed hosting, alongside security products and easy-to-use website building tools like Websites + Marketing, contributing approximately 38% of total revenue Hosting and Presence Revenue Contribution to Total Revenue | Year | % of Total Revenue | | :--- | :----------------- | | 2019 | 38% | | 2018 | 38% | | 2017 | 38% | - Hosting products include Shared Website Hosting (most popular, Linux/Windows, cPanel/Plesk), Website Hosting on Virtual Private Servers (VPS) and Virtual Dedicated Servers for greater control, and Managed Hosting (e.g., Managed WordPress) with setup, monitoring, and security[41][42][43] - Presence products feature Websites + Marketing (DIY mobile-optimized builder with e-commerce, appointments, and integrated marketing tools), and Social Media Management (do-it-for-me service for popular social networks)[45][46][47][48] Business Applications GoDaddy offers a variety of business applications, including Microsoft Office 365, domain-specific email, email marketing, and telephony solutions like SmartLine, which contributed approximately 17% of total revenue in 2019 Business Applications Revenue Contribution to Total Revenue | Year | % of Total Revenue | | :--- | :----------------- | | 2019 | 17% | | 2018 | 16% | | 2017 | 15% | - Product offerings include Microsoft Office 365 (email, productivity suite, backup, encryption, archiving), Email Accounts (multi-feature web interface, spam/virus protection), Email Marketing (permission-based campaigns, social media integration), and Telephony (Internet-based services, SmartLine virtual numbers, VoIP systems)[50][51][52][53] GoDaddy Guides The GoDaddy Guides team, comprising nearly 7,300 specialists worldwide, provides 24/7/365 personalized, consultative support across various channels, contributing approximately 16% of total bookings in 2019 - GoDaddy Guides provide personalized guidance and drive incremental bookings, contributing approximately 16% of total bookings in 2019[54] - The team handles around 19 million contacts annually, offering support via phone, chat, WhatsApp, WeChat, and SMS, and is crucial for long-term customer relationships and high retention rates[55][56] Operations GoDaddy's operations are supported by a global workforce, significant investments in technology and infrastructure, and strategic product development, including a large team of GoDaddy Guides and a scalable API-driven technology platform Employees As of December 31, 2019, GoDaddy had 7,024 employees worldwide, including 4,023 GoDaddy Guides, emphasizing a culture of hard work, customer satisfaction, and continuous learning GoDaddy Employee Breakdown (as of Dec 31, 2019) | Department | Number of Employees | | :------------------------- | :------------------ | | Total Employees Worldwide | 7,024 | | GoDaddy Guides (direct) | 4,023 | | Technology and Development | 1,740 | | Marketing and Advertising | 445 | | General and Administrative | 816 | - An additional ~3,300 GoDaddy Guides are employed by third-party partners internationally, dedicated full-time to GoDaddy[58] - Approximately **31% of GoDaddy Guides