What is The Status Of Your Domain?

Failing to renew your domain name can have costly consequences. Read below about two cases of failed domain name renewals and what you can do to prevent the same from happening to you.

In most instances purchasing a domain name is not as literal as you may think. In fact, it would be more accurate to say that you’re leasing a domain name.

Generally when you buy a domain name you have the option of how long you’d like to keep it. Most domain registrars will give you the option between one and ten years. This gives you the flexibility to decide how long you’ll need the domain name. When the time is up you are given the option to renew your domain name in order to keep your business online.

However, there is the all too common case of forgetting to renew a domain name. This can be detrimental to a business, sometimes leading to a dreaded rebranding. In extreme cases, a business may entirely crumble due to the loss of its domain name.

Recently, an Idaho state representative experienced the hassle of losing his domain name. Paul Shepherd, the Idaho Republican, forgot to renew his domain www.paulshepherdusa.com. 21-year old college junior Dylan Hailey noticed that the domain name was expiring soon and jumped on buying it as soon as he could. Hailey turned his newly acquired domain into a website to expose Shepherd’s anti-gay policies.

Hailey did make it known that he would give Shepherd his site back, but under the condition that he makes a donation to the LGBT rights group.

Shepherd isn’t the first to fail to renew a domain name. Last year, Sony Online Entertainment fell victim to the same process, this time letting their sonyonline.net domain expire. This led to putting thousands of gamers out of commission, causing angry protests.

Sony apologized, stating, “DNS issues may take up to 48 hours to resolve. We are really really sorry on this one folks. Embarrassing and preventable. We screwed up”.

So how do you prevent this from happening to you? Here are some easy tips to follow:

1. Set up automatic renewal. This will renew your domain, leaving you to focus on more important matters. However, make sure your credit card details are up to date, otherwise your domain registrar will have no way of billing you automatically.
2. Update your contact information. Your registrar will most likely contact you when your domain is about to expire (Resell.biz will do this 30 days prior to the expiration date). Having a current email on record means you will always be kept informed.
3. Pay attention if your domain does expire. If you do by chance let your domain expire, you should be given a grace period of 30 days, during which you can still renew your domain. Once the grace period is over, you’ll have a short redemption phase (typically around 30 days, but this can vary depending on the top level registrar). You can still renew your domain during this time, but it will cost a hefty fee. After the redemption phase, your domain will be back on the market, available to anyone.
4. Renew your domain name for the appropriate amount of time. Most registrars allow you to register a domain from anywhere between one and ten years. If you are purchasing a domain that will be vital to your business’s success, we suggest registering it for the maximum amount of time. If you do take this route, make sure you don’t forget to register your domain name seven years down the road!

Don’t fall victim to an expired domain name. Check the status of your domain name by contacting your registrar today. So, What is The Status Of Your Domain ?

* *Contact Intispace.com support if you have any questions regarding domain name renewal.

 Note: Intispace.com clients can check and renew their domain by accessing control panel.

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