Amanda Smith is a freelance journalist and writer. She reports on culture, society, human interest and technology. Her stories hold a mirror to society, reflecting both its malaise and its beauty. Amanda's work has been published in National Geographic, The Guardian, Business Insider, Vice, News Corp, Singapore Airlines, Travel + Leisure, and Food & Wine. Amanda is an Australian living in the cultural center of gravity that is New York City.
GoDaddy, a well-known provider of website domains and hosting, has entered the artificial intelligence game with Airo. GoDaddy is one of the better-known options for people who want to build a website, and now it wants to make things even easier with AI.
Launched in 1997 and now with more than 62 million registered domains, GoDaddy is the fifth largest web host in the world. CNET's list of best website builders ranks GoDaddy as the best for beginners but also notes that its tools are limited. And while it actually released Airo in late 2023, the AI service got a publicity boost this week thanks to its Super Bowl 2025 ad starring Walton Goggins.
Airo generates domain names, emails, websites and campaigns in seconds and is particularly targeted toward small businesses with budget and skill constraints.
Airo is free if you purchase a new GoDaddy domain. While Airo is presented as "your team of AI assistants," keep in mind that AI is rarely a 100% set-and-forget scenario. Just because it promises to craft a beautiful logo or generate emails instantly doesn't mean these assets will have resonance in the market or capture what's unique about you.
With all AI tools, you should think of them as just that: tools. AI can help get a business off the ground and to market faster, but speed doesn't mean success. Drag-and-drop website builders, like GoDaddy Airo, might also come with an SEO disadvantage, due to inefficient code and slower page speeds.
It's important to keep the pros and cons in mind, especially when you see that Super Bowl ad this week starring GoDaddy Airo's magical powers.
If you are a new business and starting from scratch, visit GoDaddy Airo to buy your domain in order to access the Airo features.
If you've got a domain idea in mind, prompt it in the search bar to see if it's available. For example, I recently got married and need to hyphenate my name, so I could search "amandahixsonsmith.com" or the name of my LLC.
If the exact match is available, select that or look at the various options suggested. Then place the order for your new domain.
Here are the steps to take to leverage GoDaddy Airo:
Running a small business is hard, especially at the start. It's handy to have all the business creation elements in one place, rather than having to navigate (and potentially pay for) separate platforms. However, Airo might not be the best option in the long run if you want to build a recognizable brand with assets you designed yourself.
GoDaddy Airo's Super Bowl ad ends with the line: "Look like you know what you're doing." By all means, use AI to help you get up and running. Just be cautious of tools that celebrate "fake it till you make it."