Tips for Protecting Your Domain Name

If you don't stay on top of your domain registration, you can accidently and permanently lose it. Many domain names are lost every day so you should be aware of the conditions that can lead to a loss of your domain name.

Your Domain Name Expires

If you don't keep your contact information current then your registrar will not be able to notify you that your expiration date is near. Most domain registrars no longer send registration information to your home address, so making sure that your registrar has an updated email address is very important.

If your domain name reaches its expiration date, and shortly thereafter, domain speculators will use automated tools that can grab the domain name within minutes and seconds of its expiration. Some speculators will try to sell the domain name back to you or redirect the domain name to an Adsense or other pay-per-click site to profit on the existing traffic. If this happens to you or your business, the registrar will not be able to help you.

Register your domain name for multiple years to reduce the possibility of accidently losing your domain name. In some SEO circles it is also believed that a domain name that has been registered for multiple years is beneficial to your site rankings, although I've not seen actual proof that this is the case.

Your Domain Name is Hijacked

Domain names can be hijacked by submitting false domain transfer requests, which can look authentic, and can trick domain owners and registrars into turning over control of the domain name. Hijackers are sometimes interested in the ransom value of a hijacked domain name or redirecting it to a site for the traffic value.

Once a hijacker has control of the domain name, they can easily update the contact and owner information. When the original registrar loses control of the domain name, they can not assist you with reclaiming it and attorney fees for assistance can be prohibitive.

Your Contact Information is Inaccurate

Domain registrars are required to contact domain name owners at least once per year to verify their contact information. If a domain name owner fails to respond within 15 days, the registrar can legally cancel the domain account.