Why protecting your domain name is so important

Why protecting your domain name is so important

Domain names are the most critical element to any online business, but yet many companies don’t know where they’re registered, who controls or manages them. It’s a scary thought, and I’ve seen this countless times when coming towards the end of a project.

Businesses spend years building a company name and brand, not to mention the money spent on digital marketing such as SEO, printed media, signage and other collateral.

The actual impact on losing a domain name will have a devastating effect on any business and even the potential to close a business down. People don’t seem to realise that when you lose a domain name, you’ll also lose your emails, so you won’t be able to let customers know what has happened.

What happens if I lose my domain?

If you fail to renew a domain, the domain will eventually get released to the open market allowing anybody to register it. What you probably won’t realise; if your domain has any value whether it’s short, memorable or exact keyword domain, companies and individuals are ready to register these as soon as they become available. In essence, this is what’s known as drop catching. When they do become the new owner, they will often sell them for substantially more.

If the domain has a high-quality backlink profile, then often they will be redirected to another domain to pass the link equity.

There are many reasons why people and companies register domain names one they become available – it might just so happen they get lucky when searching for a domain for their business which was originally yours.

How do I lose my domain?

Outlined below are just a few scenarios. 

An employee of your company registered your company domain for 10 years, the employee left the company 4 years ago, and you closed down their email account.

Your previous web designer or web design company registered your domain. Unfortunately, they no longer trading and you have no way of getting in touch with them.

What steps can I take to protect my domain?

  • Be responsible for your own domain once the initial setup completed very rarely will you ever need to update any settings.
  • Make sure that automatic domain renewals are set to enabled.
  • Make sure that the debit or credit card on file is correct and isn’t due to expire.
  • Add a backup credit or debit card, so if the first one fails for whatever reason, the second backup card will process the renewal.
  • Add your bank details for direct debit again it’s another safety net.
  • Make sure that the email address registered with the domain registrar is correct and accessible. In some registrars, you’ll have the option to add multiple email addresses.

I’ve lost my domain name how can I get it back?

Without knowing the full extent of the situation, it’s quite difficult to advise on the matter. If you need any assistance with getting your domain back, help or advice then feel free to get in touch.