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Tuesday 16 August 2016

How Come You Didn't Tell Me My Domain Expired?


You have no idea how many times in the run of a day I get asked that question. People seem to think that, along with the purchase price for leasing the domain, comes a built in babysitter that will watch your domain and let you know that it is about to hit the market again.

There is, in fact,a service you can purchase with most Registrars that will do just that; let you know when the name will expire well ahead of time. But no babysitter service is going to be able to keep track of your new email address, the "guy" that built your website or any of the other information that is necessary to keep track of your dot coms.

This is why it is so important that you don't ignore those ICANN (The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) emails when they come to your email address. You should pay strict attention to these messages because they are sent out to help you keep your information with your registrar up to date. This is important because, should you need to have access to your account (maybe to move a domain name to a different registrar) you will be able to do so without wasting time trying to figure out access codes and "whois" information about your account.

Should the worst case scenario happen and you do let your domain name expire, there is still hope that you can recover it within a certain time frame. Beyond the first 30 days of expiration, your domain name will sit in what could be considered domain name "purgatory". While there it simply sits parked, waiting for you to recover it. And of course, as with any type of recovery, there is a cost associated with it.

If you're lucky enough to get in under the thirty day wire you will have to pay for the domain name registry again (usually cheaper for a multiple year renewal) and you will have to pay the parking fee, which can be anywhere from $30 to $60. After the 30 days, your domain name will re-enter the pool at your registrar for regular sale or as a premium name,depending on the name itself.

What are the repercussions of letting your domain name go? Well, first and foremost, if you have a website or email addy attached to your domain name you can kiss them goodbye. Re-establishing your domain name can cost you real money beyond the reinstatement fee. If you don't have the expertise to deal with the back end of your site, then you're going to have to get your developer involved in real time repairs. And just think of the damage losing a branded website and email accounts - you could be cut off from your customer base.

Remember, when you are handing out responsibilities in your workplace and you make someone in charge of your registrar accounts, be sure to keep yourself up to date with passwords and challenge questions to gain access to your profile. Time and time again I hear "oh that person with the passwords is no longer with us" or "my web designer has all that information". Moral of the story is to keep abreast of your registrar account and hosting information; it'll save you a ton of frustration, money and time better spent working on your business.

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