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Renew Domain Name

It is important to realize the need for domain name renewal before expiry, to renew the domain names on time and to keep their domain name renewal records up to date thereby avoiding the harrowing experience of losing the carefully chosen domain names.

Domain names are registered for a specific period ranging from one-year up to 10 years. The period depends on the fees one has paid and has to be renewed on the expiry date. Normally the registrars send a renewal notice to the client. Therefore, it is important that domain name renewals are done well in advance because the period is limited. Un-renewed domain names lapse into the expired category and can be taken by some other clients. Therefore the need for domain name renewal before its expiry becomes imperative. Sometimes site owners complain that their website and e-mail has suddenly stopped working. Upon investigation, it is often devastating news for them that owing to the failure in domain name renewal the domain name used to access their site has been deleted. More often than not, this happens because of failure to pay the renewal fees for their domain name after the initial registration period ran out.

The following are the most common reasons for this unfortunate situation.

• The domain registration company (domain registrar) failed to send out a renewal notice.
• The company may have had technical problems the day the renewal notice was being sent out, had an administrative error or may have even gone bankrupt.
• The domain renewal notice was sent out but not received.

This normally occurs when the customer's e-mail address on record is no longer valid or when the customer fails to check his account, despite having a valid email address. The client might have received the renewal notice, but it was not acted upon in time. This happens sometimes when the administrative contact is not the same person as the registrant.

If a web hosting company or an ex-employee registers a domain they may receive the reminder instead of the customer. Customers can also miss the renewal notice, if they accidentally dismiss the renewal e-mail as Spam or forget to act upon it in a timely fashion. Whatever be the cause, the domain name is available for anyone to register and claim, once the name is deleted. Very often, the deletion of their domain name is detected only when another party has re-registered the name. It is unfortunate that many customers believe that they have a "right" to "their" domain names, even after they have let them expire and they have been re-registered by another party. Morally, this may be the case, but the fact is that rights to a domain name lasts only for the duration of the registration period. It is therefore very important that the domain name renewal is done promptly without procrastination at any cost.

Renew domain names before expiry

Here's a checklist of things to do.

Renew domain name because the period is limited. It is not wise to rely on domain name registration companies to send out notices when the domain name renewal is due. Margins are so low for domain registrars that for many, they would rather lose the business than take the trouble to follow-up carefully with the customers whose domains are about to expire. It is important that one realizes the need for domain name renewal before expiry.

The domain name and domain name renewal records must be up to date. It is also important to keep the e-mail address valid and check it often. Nearly all registrars will only contact you via e-mail. Keep a master list of your domain names. The registration date, the expiry date and the domain name registrar must be recorded. A WHOIS tool can be used to look up the expiry dates. It is not recommended to wait till the last minute for domain name renewals. Doing so puts one at extreme unwanted risk. A person having a multiple number of domain name registrations to his name could check for upcoming renewal expiry dates at least once a month, and renew well ahead of the expiry date.

During renewal, it is good to know that, the time is added to the end of the expiry date, not to the date of renewal. So there is really nothing to lose by renewing early. If the domain names are important, it is good to renew them for two years or more. One also needs to ensure that the renewal has been processed.

Once the domain renewal has been performed, it is good to check with the WHOIS tool the following day and ensure that the expiry date has been updated. It is possible that there are mistakes in renewal scripts. So, all the pros and cons have to listed with careful thought before delegating this responsibility to another party, particularly an outside organization such as a web hosting company, knowing fully well that some are very professional in their dealings and work, whereas others are not.

Need for Keeping Domain Name Records up to Date.

To summarize, be pro-active. Good care has to be taken of the domain names. Losing domain names has forced many small companies off-line and some out of business. It is not desirable that it happens to anybody. It is our advice that having invested in a domain name and having taken the trouble to register it, one should not let it expire. Irrespective of whether the registrars send renewal notices or not, make it a point to renew it well before the due date by paying the renewal fee. This will save a whole lot of trouble. It will ensure continuity of availability of the website. It is the duty of every domain registrant to see that his domains are kept current and renewed.

Moreover, once a domain name reaches the threshold of expiry it is interesting to know that there is several others who are vying to grab at the opportunity and get hold of the domain name. They use a technique known as Slamming. First they send a renewal notice on behalf of the original registrars, without their express authority. They call for the Domain account details and email details. Once these details are available to them, they illegally transfer the domain to other parties, making a tidy packet in the process.

So it is better to be careful and renew on time. The three key factors that need to be remembered are renew domain name because the period is limited, realize the need for domain name renewal before expiry, and the responsibility to keep your domain name renewal records up to date.