How Not to Lose Your Website Domain Name
Your website Domain Name – www.YourAssociationName.org – is the most important part of your web presence; and if you lose it your website and email will be gone.
Domain Snatching. Over the past few months, we've had several associations contact us when they've noticed that, for some strange reason, their domain name isn't connected to their website anymore -- simply because they failed to renew their domain name on time.
There are definitely 'snatchers' out there that will jump at the first opportunity to buy your expired domain name and exploit your website traffic within a matter of days.
Following are some important tips to prevent this from happening to you:
1. Keep your Domain Name Registration Details Up-To-Date.
Your domain name and details are stored at an Internet registrar. It is critical that you keep your contact information up-to-date, because they send renewal notices via email (only) to the administrative contact on record.
If the administrative contact email listed is someone who is no longer with your organization, you will not receive the renewal reminders.
Along those lines, it's also a good idea to keep your domain name registry login and password handy, but in a safe place - so you can quickly access or modify the necessary information.
2. Renew promptly.
The domain name registrars send out renewal emails well in advance of the domain expiration. Take the time to renew promptly to avoid missing the payment deadline. Note that if you renew for more than one year, the price per year decreases (sometimes by 40-50%) and you won't have to remember to renew each year.
3. Know Your Domain Registrar and Renewal Cycle.
When you log in to view your domain information, you can see what month and year that it expires. You might want to put a note on your calendar to remind you when to renew it.
You will receive renewal notices via email from the registrar, typically 90-60-30 days in advance. But keep in mind that there are registrar resellers who might also contact you, trying to get you to switch to their company instead.
Be sure you know the true name of your domain name registrar and your renewal cycle. We typically use NetworkSolutions and GoDaddy.
Here are some of the top domain name hosting companies:
If you are not sure who your domain name registrar is, you can find it by using the WHOIS look-up (at any of the above registrars):
4. Your Domain Name is -Your- Property and Should Be Under -Your- Control.
It is rare when a new client comes to us to create a website and they actually have control of their existing domain name (a login and password or all of their contact information correct with their domain name registrar). For the most part, any credible web development company will give you control of your domain name if you plan to move your hosting services to another provider -- BUT they don’t have to play nice.
Even if you paid them to secure your domain name, and they registered the domain name under their company or personal information and have the login and password to it, you actually have no rights to the domain name whatsoever.
We have come across several instances where other web companies have registered the domain name under their company name, rather than the organization name. When the client decides to part ways they demand thousands of dollars (tens of thousands in one case) for you to get what you think is 'rightfully' yours.
At TCS Software, we will never put a domain name under our control - although we do appreciate being listed as the Technical Contact. And even though we may help you initially register your new domain name, we always make sure the REGISTRANT is in the name of the organization. Once your domain name comes up for renewal, we will give you all the information (account login/password) from there on out. YOU get to assume full responsibility for your domain name.
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Need Assistance? As always, we are here to help with the domain name renewal process. If there's something you're unfamiliar with, just give us a call.
Looking for a new domain name? If you plan to use some of the popular registrars, it's best to search, purchase and secure the domain name all at the same time. We have discovered that if you search and wait, you will find that the name you originally wanted is unavailable - or much higher in price (a 'premium domain name'). Otherwise, you might try this handy online search instead:
Hope you found these tips helpful to make sure you stay in control of your website and your domain name.
Tim Rorris
Senior Support Specialist
614.451.5010
Tim@TCSsoftware.com
