3 Most Common Domain Registration Mistakes

Your domain name is your business branding. It’s your main marketing collateral that allows you to be found, remembered and many times stand out from the rest. Unfortunately, all too often these three same mistakes are made in the registration and maintenance of business owners domain’s and their associated records.

Use this list to ensure your domains are protected and properly setup:

1. Your domain record should be in a Registrar account that only you have access to. Do not allow an an inexperienced or sneaky consultant/developer to register your domain(s) for you under or in their account. They aren’t doing you any favors.You won’t have access to that account to make any changes you desire and you won’t have control over renewals or the ability to take advantage of discounts or other offered services you may need. Registering your domains under their account indicates they don’t know any better or may intend to use your domains as leverage down the road if you want to move on. You need to have your own account, that only you have access to, that if you do allow access to a developer or consultant, you then change your password when their work is complete.

   I’ve lost count of the number times clients have lost domains or were unable to legally acquire them when a developer disappears, refuses to transfer to the rightful owners account or neglects to renew on the legitimate domain owner’s behalf. There is no up side here!

2. Your domain name should have your contact information down as the “Registrant”. If your name and contact information is not noted as the Registrant — you are not the legal owner of your domain!The person (consultant, hosting company, developer) listed as the Registrant owns the domain. No reason for your contact information to not be noted as the registered owner. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise!
3. When your credit card expires you need to remember to update your domain account with your new credit card information. Same goes if you cancel a credit card account and begin using another. Or, if you move and your physical address, phone number or even e-mail address changes. Add your domain account to the list of your utility companies and friends that you notify of any contact information changes. By all Registrar’s Terms of Service, you are legally bound to keep that info updated.If you don’t keep that CC info updated, your domain cannot auto-renew and you risk your domain becoming available for purchase to outside parties or worse — your competitors. I see this happen several times every year! If you don’t keep your e-mail address updated, you won’t get the warning e-mails that your domain is going to expire or released to the public.

   Download my Domain Tracking Worksheet [PDF] and check all your domain records today!

As a courtesy service to my legacy clients, I have an e-mail address specifically used for client domain monitoring. While I instruct them to setup their own accounts through my DIY Center, and have their contact information down as the Registrant as it should be, it has become invaluable to them that I am the one that receives renewal, expiration and credit card problem notices so that I can get involved on their behalf.

Unless you are working with a consultant that you can trust with your first born; you simply should not trust them with the registration and maintenance of your domains. It is really that important.

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!

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