If your domain has already been registered, you don’t need to register it again.

The annual renewal of your domain will suffice to keep it registered. Google will scan and index your site automatically for free. You don’t have to pay anything to get your site on search engines. Listing your website is not about optimizing it for keywords. That’s Search Engine Optimization (totally separate critter).

A small business owner may not be able to distinguish between a real notice from the domain name registration company they are using and a scam. This blog is written to assist clients and any who are unsure about their domain name expiration dates or who they should contact to renew it.

These scammers often use very generic company names to make it seem like they are important and have been around for a long time. They can also look up your contact information and make it appear that they own the domain. This allows them to refer to you via email as if they are familiar with you. They will usually list your address as if you were a customer. However, they have only done a small amount of research and are technically attacking your identity.

These are ways to spot a scam or fake domain name registration notification:

These are not proof of illegitimacy, but they can be used to confirm it.

• This price is far lower than what you paid previously for your domain name. The average annual cost of domain names without private registration is $10-15 Private registration usually costs around $10 more. If it exceeds $25, it is almost certain that it is a scam. GoDaddy, Register.com Domains.com Domains.com NetworkSolutions, SiteTechSupport  are the major Domain Name Registrars. Do more research if it isn’t you!
• Do you recognize the company?
  This is a common mistake. They may name their companies in a generic manner in the hope that you will recognize it.
• The deadline is very close (in 7 days).
• You have never received notifications from this company or person in the past.
• The person asking for a check to mail is not requesting any money. Although they may not be trying to get your money, sometimes they are looking for your credit card information. If they ask you to send them checks, it is likely that they will try to take your money. After they have been cashed, checks are irrevocable and cannot be challenged.

Although this may seem redundant, it is vital. In case it’s more difficult for people to grasp and can be applied to their business.

There are two ways to confirm that a Domain Name Registration Notification is real.
These are not proof of legitimacy in themselves.

• Renewing domain names costs between $10-15. This is the average annual cost for domain names without private registration. Private registration usually costs around $10 more. It is more likely that it will be legal if the total amount is $25.
• Do you recognize the company? GoDaddy, Register.com Domains.com Domains.com NetworkSolutions, SiteTechSupport (which we… Modern Web Studios) are the major Domain Name Registrars. Do more research if it isn’t you!
• Automated email notices will be sent to you at 30 days, 15, and 5 days before the expiration date. Every customer is given a phone call or personal email to let them know when it expires. Look for emails that have been sent by the same contact or person before it expires.
• If you are a legitimate domain name or hosting company, they will ask you to log in to your account to renew it. It doesn’t matter if the email is legitimate. Instead, click the link and go to the domain you use to register your domains. It is best to give us a phone call so we can tell you where and when your domain expires. If you have any questions about the expiration of your domain name, please call.

Here are some steps to take to stop domain scammers.

1. You should make sure your domain registration is private. Most domain registration companies charge a fee for this service.
2. You should ensure that you do not list any personal information on your website, such as your home address or phone number. It is natural for businesses with physical locations to need this information. However, it is best to remove that information from websites that don’t have any.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate calling us even if you’re not a current customer. We are happy to help someone avoid being scammed.

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What You Should Know About Domain Names

To start, we’ll discuss domain names and how they are obtained. You register a domain name for a site via another entity. There are many reputable companies that handle this, such as HostGator, Bluehost, and GoDaddy. Domains are purchased in year-long increments, and it is possible to purchase a domain for as long as 10 years.

The company you used to create your website may register your domain or domains for you. This means that domain information may not be readily available. It’s possible that you are no longer in touch with the company that registered your domain. Since domains are registered for at least a year at a time, it’s easy to forget which domains you own or where those domains are registered.

If you see a reference to transferring your domain name, you should proceed with caution. It’s likely that someone is attempting to persuade you to transfer your domain name to a new company when you renew it. It’s no wonder that people fall for these scams. Renewing your domain is a necessary step, and if you receive a message like this around the time your domain needs to be renewed, you may not be aware that you won’t just be renewing that domain, but you’ll also be transferring the domain to a new company. This scam often appears as a letter or a bill, but people may also be contacted on the phone or through email.

A reputable company won’t ask you to transfer your domain during the renewal process. That’s why you’ll want to ignore these kinds of requests. Take the time to see when your domain expires and where it was registered. If you receive a domain related bill from another company, you’ll know that it’s not legitimate.

What You Can Do To Avoid Domain Name Scams

There are plenty of things you can do to protect yourself from domain name scams.

Above all else, you’ll want to make sure you know the name of your domain name registrar. You’ll also want to keep track of when your domain names are set to expire. You can get this information by visiting whois.net and entering your domain name. Look for a section that says “Registrar URL.” The name you’ll see here is the name of your registrar. You’ll also be able to see when the domain is due to expire. If you’re not in contact with your registrar, reach out to them now. Make sure you keep this information in a safe place.

If you receive a message about your domain, you’ll want to read it carefully. Certain scams are more advanced than others are, but there will always be warning signs that something’s wrong. Don’t ever give out sensitive information on a site or on the phone unless you’re completely sure that it’s legitimate.

Don’t use an intermediary when it’s time to renew your domain name. Do it directly through your registrar. With that said, if you have domain names that are owed by multiple companies, you’ll may want to look into transferring them all to a single company. When you only need to deal with a single account, it’s far less likely that you’ll miss a renewal date or fall victim to one of these scams. However, if your domain(s) are owned by a legitimate company already, there usually won’t be any reason for you to switch.

Make sure both you and two of your employee are listed under your ICAN WHOIS registration as the Registrant Contact, Tech Contact, and Admin Contact. The way, if a domain is nearing its expiration date, you’ll know that someone will be notified, even if you go through staffing changes.

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However, if the website owner finds out that their domain has expired during a period known as Auto Renew Grace Period, it is possible to renew the domain with no penalties or extra fees. The vast majority of domain providers offer approximately 45 days to renew a domain.

It is during this time in which you can repurchase your domain name. After that there is a 30 day redemption Grace which allows you to require your expired domain name. It is important to keep in mind that during this time, a domain registrar may charge an additional redemption fee which may cost up to $100 or more depending upon who you do business with.

If you fail to purchase your domain name after that final 30 day redemption, your domain will be placed in a public auction. During this phase, you have absolutely no control over the domain and anyone can purchase it.

Now you have a good understanding of why you should never let your domain name expire, it is truly an act which should be avoided at all costs.

How To Know If Your Domain Name Has Expired?

One of the first signs that a domain has expired is that either you or your website visitors can no longer access the site. In addition, functions such as subdomains and emails will stop functioning. Simply entering your domain name into the search engine will verify its loss.

Reasons A Domain Name May Expire

The vast majority of site owners simply make the mistake of overlooking that a domain name registration is basically a temporary aspect. Once you have purchased a domain is yours to do with as you please. However, you never truly own a domain name on a permanent basis, you must continually pay for the privilege of using that domain name to the domain registrar.

Reasons Why A Domain Name Might Expire

Renewal Reminders Are Not Enabled

You may have switched off the domain renewal reminder notification from your registrar during the purchase of the domain. Having a business any busy schedule it can be quite easy to forget when you are due to renew your domain. Domain registrars understand this and will typically send several notices before a domain will expire. However, if you switched off the reminder notice through emails, it is quite possible you will forget about the renewal. In general, it is best to always leave these notifications set to send. In the long run, a simple notification can remove the risk of losing a domain when it expires.

Auto Renew Is Not Enabled

When you initially registered the domain, you will be given an option to order a new the domain before it expires. As long as there is, the domain will continually renew year after year.

What Do You Do If Your Domain Expires?

It is best to take quick action and try to renew the domain during the initial grace period. The vast majority of domain registrars will allow a grace period between 2545 days. This should be a long enough time period to renew the domain.

If you are not able to renew the domain during this initial renewal phase, the registrar will change the domain name to a Registrar Hold Status. During this time there will be a 30 day hold in which the registrar will charge you a redemption fee in order to reacquire the domain. While these fees can be rather high, they are well worth it if you have put a considerable amount of time into the site and have generated income.

It is absolutely essential that you re-obtain the domain name before this grace period and and you may lose the domain forever.

How To Prevent The Expiration Of A Domain Name?

There are several things you may do that can help prevent a domain name from being lost forever due to expirations.

– One of the very first things you can do is ensure that auto renew is that so that your payment will be automatically charged every single year that your domain is set for renewal. This will help ensure that the domain is not lost due to you forgetting about payments.

– Be sure that your payment information is always up-to-date. This simply means that the payment information the domain register has on file is active, not expired and always has sufficient funds available.

– Be sure that you read every single email that your domain registrar and hosting company send to you.

– Make sure that the contact information that the hosting company and domain registrar have current.

– Tried to buy your domain in times of more than one year.

– Set reminders on your phone that your domain is due to expire in advance.

Be On The Lookout For Scam Domain Registration Notification

One of the most common email scams is the domain renewal notification which you must always be on the lookout for.

These scams are typically sent through individuals who have somehow hacked the domain registrar and received your email and are notifying you of an expiration. The email will typically include a link in where you can pay for the domain renewal fee.

To ensure you never fall prey to these type of scams, you should always avoid these types of messages and never under any circumstances click on any link. These types of messages are usually found in your spam mail folder.

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The purpose of the email is to notify you that you need to take action before the domain expires. However, people tend to receive notifications from companies they are not familiar with and is such a common occurrence. Such emails are usually phishing scams sent by third parties hoping to access your website credentials and take over your domain.

Although phishing emails have been doing rounds for quite a while, a lot of people still fall prey to malicious schemes than you would think. Here are 4 red flags to assist you to identify a fake domain renewal notice from an authentic one.

Lack of Personalization
A lot of phishing emails do not the personalization you would otherwise expect from a credible company. When your domain registrar or web host sends you an email, the message should ideally start with a greeting including at least either of your names.

Scam emails tend to begin with “dear customer,” “hello”, or another generic phrase. Look for the logo or brand colors of your registrar as the scammers might have left them out. You might also find that the signature in the email is likely to contain unfamiliar contact details.

Urgent Language
Phishing emails are designed in a way that will motivate recipients to act without putting enough thought as to whether or not the message is authentic. Some of the tactics from the senders may include:
• Informing you the domain will expire soon.
• Urging fast payment of a charge higher than what renewal usually costs you. A domain does not cost $300.
• Threatening that you might lose your domain if renewal is not done immediately.
This strategy is meant to drive you into a panic before you realize the email is fake.

Minor Errors
Emails from a domain almost matching that of your registrar are frequently sent by phishing scammers. You’ll find that the domain is misspelled, or the name of a strange organization may be present in the signature.

Unrelated Services

Several fake domain renewal emails are usually solicitations from third parties hoping that you’ll buy their service. The lists of registered domain names and who own them can be accessed publicly from WHOIS. People and businesses usually extract that data before sending marketing messages hidden as renewal notices with the aim of fooling recipients into buying their services.
Although the email may reveal the sender does not “register or renew domain names,” it’s likely that you will find the same kind of urgent wording used in other phishing emails. The purpose of urgency is to make it appear as if you will lose your domain if you fail to register for the advertised service immediately.

Another frequent strategy used is telling people their domain SEO or ‘search registration’ is expired and that you ought to renew with that particular website or search engines will not rank you among search results.

Once you receive a fake domain renewal notice, do not click on any links or make payments. Instead, proceed to communicate to your registrar to notify them of the scam.

To avoid getting phishing emails, you can buy domain WHOIS privacy through your domain registrar. This service conceals your data from public viewing thus rendering it very hard for people to try these sorts of scams by accessing your information.

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Registration Period

You can register a new domain name for 1 to 10 years. You will have to pay an annual fee, which means that if you register the domain for 5 years, you will have to pay 5 times the current annual fee. It can be an excellent way to save money if you believe that domain registration prices are likely to rise in the future. The domain name will expire on the purchase date from 1 to 10 years in the future.

Renewal Period

A domain name can be renewed at any time, but this has to happen before expiry. The renewal can extend your domain registration up to 10 years in the future. For instance, if your domain name still has 5 years remaining before it requires renewal, you can renew it at any time for an extra 1 to 5 years for a maximum of 10 years.

Automatic Renewals

It can be easy to forget that the domain name you registered a decade ago requires renewal, which is why domain registrars usually notify you via email that your domain needs renewing and most even offer an automatic renewal option. The registrar will automatically renew your registration upon expiry as long as you have a current payment method on file.

If you use the domain automatic renewals option, however, you will have to pay full retail price for every renewal. It is also important to ensure that the automatic renewal does not automatically include extra features or you could find yourself paying extra for domain renewal each year.

Final Thoughts

If your site goes down it can cost you plenty. We’ve seen some domains cost as much as $800 to get back. After a domain expires, it enters a grace period. In this period, the domain is disabled but it’s still possible to renew it. After a domain has passed through any applicable expiration grace period, the domain may go into redemption status. When a domain is in the redemption status, the registrar will apply a mandatory fee on top of the standard renewal price. The final renewal price will be the standard renewal fee plus the redemption fee.

Pay attention to your Domain and Hosting invoices. Your site depends on them.

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