Internet domain registrar and web hosting company GoDaddy recently announced that it has completed an acquisition deal with one of its biggest European rival, Host Europe Group. The acquisition, which is worth $1.8 billion, is part of GoDaddy's effort to expand into the international market.
Host Europe Group has more than 1.7 million customers throughout the European region. The company is managing more than seven million domains. In comparison, GoDaddy's recent quarterly report revealed that the company services more than 14.5 million customers and manages more than 63 million domains.
Even before this acquisition deal, GoDaddy had been aggressively expanding its international presence. In the United Kingdom, GoDaddy was able to register its one millionth UK domain. The company claims that it manages 25 percent of the UK's domains.
According to Tech Crunch, GoDaddy's last quarter report revealed that the company earned a total of $129.2 million in international revenue. This figure represents a 21 percent increase in the company's year-over-year revenue.
In a statement acquired by Venture Beat, GoDaddy chief executive officer Blake Irving said, "By joining forces with HEG, we accelerate our expansion into Europe with the delivery of a broader range of cloud-based products, built on a single global technology platform, and supported by unparalleled customer care to help small business and web designers succeed online."
Irving added that GoDaddy's international business has expanded to 56 global markets in the last four years. GoDaddy's latest acquisition comes just three months after the company acquired Serbian startup ManageWP. The startup allows users to manage multiple WordPress websites from a single dashboard. GoDaddy integrated this feature into the company's Pro service which is offered to developers.
Industry experts said that if GoDaddy can integrate its business into Host Europe Group's customer base, the company can essentially expand not only its revenue but also its overall presence in Europe faster than originally anticipated.