Your Domain Name Record Responsibility

When you move or change your phone number, you notify all those you want to know about your new contact information. When your credit card is canceled or expires you update all your online accounts and providers with this new information.

If your credit card expires or you cancel it, you update all the companies that you use that card with so that your automatic charges can be made without issue or possible cancellation of services. Here again, your Domain Registrar needs to be updated or your domains cannot be renewed.  And now, that will cost you big money if your domain expires and goes past 12 days into the redemption period. Large fees are now being levied on domain owners who shirk their responsibility in keeping their domain records and accounts up to date.

When your contact or credit card information changes,
you need to ensure that you add your Domain Registrar (where
your domains are registered) to that list of those you update.

Several times each week I am called upon to work with online business owners who find that their domain names have expired.  “Why wasn’t I notified!?”  Many times these folks try and point at the Registrar or even to me being at fault as to why their domains were allowed to expire.  “How could this happen!?” Because you didn’t update your domain record to reflect your current info and new e-mail address! It is your sole responsibility — no one can do this for you. You have no one to blame but yourself.

If you read all that small print in Domain Name Agreements you will see it is your responsibility to keep those records up-to-date. Most reputable registrars even send out notices each year reminding domain name owners to make sure their records are updated.   If you don’t make these efforts, only you are to blame for domains that expire or are actually lost to someone else.

If you have an invalid e-mail address on your domain’s record, you won’t get these important reminders and notices. If you have an expired credit card, your domains cannot be auto renewed.

Domain name record accuracy should not be an afterthought. It should be right up there with notifying business associates, family, friends and utility companies when you change any of your contact or payment information.

Why not stop right now and go check your records and makes sure they are up-to-date and that your records reflect current information?

Domain Name$

Pizza.com just sold for 2.6 million. Wow….

The Ten Most Expensive Domain Names Ever Sold

1. Sex.com, $12.5 million
2. Porn.com, $9.5 million
3. Diamond.com, $7.5 million
4. Business.com, $7.5 million
5. Casino.com, $5.5 million
6. Asseenontv.com, $5 million
7. Korea.com, $5 million
8. Wine.com, $3.3 million
9. Creditcheck.com, $3 million
10. Vodka.com, $3 million

The domains above have the basic high dollar formula, one-word, descriptive and not typo prone. But as with anything; it comes down to what someone is willing to pay that determines value!

As good domains become harder to come by, be prepared to pay more than the annual renewal fee the current owner incurs to get a quality domain that can assist with your branding efforts.

Domain Name Prices are Crazy for Great Domains

Pizza.com sold for 2.6 million. Wow….

The Ten Most Expensive Domain Names Ever Sold

1. Sex.com, $12.5 million
2. Porn.com, $9.5 million
3. Diamond.com, $7.5 million
4. Business.com, $7.5 million
5. Casino.com, $5.5 million
6. Asseenontv.com, $5 million
7. Korea.com, $5 million
8. Wine.com, $3.3 million
9. Creditcheck.com, $3 million
10. Vodka.com, $3 million

The domains above have the basic high dollar formula, one-word, descriptive and not typo prone. But as with anything; it comes down to what someone is willing to pay that determines value!

As good domains become harder to come by, be prepared to pay more than the annual renewal fee the current owner incurs to get a quality domain that can assist with your branding efforts.

Your Domain Name Responsibilities

Each January, those I’ve had the pleasure of working with in the previous year receive my “Annual Update.” In that update, I mention and highly recommend that the reader stop right then and there and take inventory of their domain names.

Recently, the ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) sent out their annual notices to domain owners requesting, that they double-check the accuracy of their domain records and update them. This is actually a legal requirement of domain ownership.

E-mails came in to me from domain owners wondering why they have to renew early or if that notice was spam. Neither. If you read the e-mail it is clear what they are trying to accomplish. Accurate records reflecting domain owner’s correct and up-to-date information.

You and only you are responsible for your domain records. If you own a domain, your name and contact info should be reflected as the official Registrant. If you find you are not listed as the Registrant — address that right now — because if you are not noted as the Registrant you legally do not own that domain name.

Whomever has your domain name reflecting their contact info and not yours as it should, needs to change that domain’s record to reflect your contact information and provide you access to those records immediately. If they are unwilling to provide you access (usually due to registering your domains under their account instead of properly setting up a separate account for you) — transfer away to an account you have full access to pronto!

Only transfer away once you see that they have properly modified the records to show your contact info and e-mail address. And before you initiate the transfer process, ask the other person to ensure the domain is unlocked for transfer and for them to provide you with a transfer authorization code.

You can check domain records here: TheIStudio.net DIY Domain Services site. Page down and click on the WHOIS link at the bottom of the page.

The Admin contact can be your consultant or Web developer so they can assist you, and the Technical contact can be your hosting company. That said, nothing wrong with you being all three. The key is to have up-to-date and accurate information!

The problem is that many don’t even know where their domains are registered and/or the account login info! Some trust others with this important task when ultimately only you, the domain owner, is responsible for your domain records. When you change addressees, move, change phone numbers or e-mail addresses — your domain accounts should be at the top of the list with all those other accounts you update.

I’ve created a simple Domain Name Tracking Worksheet for you to use to getting going on this very important issue. Download it now so you can begin to manage, update and secure your domains!

BEWARE: Domain Slamming!

There is big business online taking advantage of what you don’t know. Better yet, taking advantage of what you won’t take the time to understand or read. We’re all rushed; not enough time in every day. Daily I hear folks who exclaim “Too much information!” when it comes to technology. That is the biggest challenge of all – for each of us – to determine what information you need to rely on, pay attention to or the majority of times simply ignore. Read more

Top 10 Domain Tips

I work with clients all the time who beat their heads against the wall trying to come up with that perfect domain name that will work for their project. Read more