How To Avoid Losing Your Domain Name Forever
Quite possibly one of the most frustrating of and a website owner can experience is gaining the knowledge that their domain name is expired. Considering for a moment that the vast majority of domain names are used for a business, losing a domain name can result in a large financial loss as well as as years of hard work down the drain.
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.