04 Jan What happens if you fail to renew your website domain
A lot of people have a website and therefore a website domain, but… How many of us know what happens if you fail to renew your website domain
At MSR Marketing we are experts in Web Development and Design, so we are going to explain to you why you should renew your website domain on time and what happens if you fail to do so. But first..
What is the website domain name?
The domain name is what comes after the www in a website address. This is what you should say when someone asks how they can find you online. For example, our website domain name is msrmarketing (www.msrmarketing.es)
What happens when you buy a Domain name?
When you “buy” a domain name, all you are really doing is renting it for an agreed period, usually one year. You pay a small fee annually to use the domain name until it comes up for renewal again.
You will be notified ahead of time that the renewal date is coming up and encouraged to renew.
The company you “buy” the domain name from is an internet domain registrer. Registrars are legally obliged to contact domain owners 1 month before the expiry date, then 5 days before, and then 5 days afterwards. (If for whatever reason they do not, they’re breaking the law and you have the right to submit a complaint to ICANN – The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers).
Of course, you should ensure that your domain registrar is able to communicate with you. If they have an old email address, it’s not their fault that they cannot send you reminders…
So you should check that the email address where this notifications are sent is used frequently so you cand ensure you see it coming.
What happens if you fail to renew your website domain?
So, your domain name’s renewal date came and went, and it wasn’t set to auto renew. The first thing that happens is that your website disappears!
A domain name is an address: remove the address and browsers cannot find your site anymore. If you had a domain name email address, you would equally lose access to your inbox and all your emails.
What’s worse, unless you manage to get your domain name back, you’ve also lost all the traffic and reputation your website had built up over the years. For a business, it’s a total nightmare situation.
The next stage depends on your registrar, as each tend to have different rules. Typically, though, they will grant a “grace period” of around a month, during which time it should still be possible for you to renew the domain name at the standard fee.
The redemption period
Once the grace period passes, things can really get expensive. Your domain registrar will now file a cancellation request with ICANN – essentially telling them that the previous domain registration is now null and void. Your domain then enters the dreaded Redemption Period.
The good news is that it’s still possible for you to renew a domain in redemption. The bad news is that there are penalty fees to do so – normally in the region of 150-200€. This period lasts 30 days. After that time, your domain name will once again be released to the public and anyone can grab it.
Domain Squatters
You might be lucky at this point and be able to take it back before anyone else.
But this doesn’t always go as planned. There is a shady practice known as domain squatting. The idea is to reserve domain names associated with well-known brands or celebrities to then offer them for resale at exorbitant prices.
The easiest thing is to make sure you don’t forget about the renewal date. By doint this you can avoid thiss nightmare and keep your website intact!
At MSR Marketing we are experts in Web Development among other things so if you need any guidance don’t be shy and contact us!
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