5 Tips to Keep a Domain Name from Lapsing

For most people in the domain name business, this article should be filed under “common sense.” For many who aren’t as familiar with how domain names work, it is a good reminder to avoid losing domain names accidentally.

This is  evidenced by a recent article about the accidental expiration of the Stowe, Vermont school district, which led to someone else buying and owning the domain name. There are countless articles like this one, and while some organizations and people have legal recourse to attempt to reclaim trademark-related domain names, it does not appear that the school district has this option.

I thought I would share  5 tips that should ensure domain names get renewed and avoid a lapsing domain registration.

• Keep contact email address updated. Domain registrars send many emails to remind registrants that their domain names are coming up for renewal, and if the contact email doesn’t work, the notices won’t be seen.
• Enable auto-renew on domain names at registrar. This will allow the registrar to add a years’ registration just prior to the domain name expiring.
• Update credit card on file to enable automatic renewal. If auto renew is on but the credit card has expired or isn’t working, the domain name won’t be renewed.
• The domain registrant should control the contact email and not the developer, marketing agency, or some other entity. Sometimes when changes are made, the domain registration update is forgotten about, and the domain registrant should always have control of the domain name.
• Don’t use @domainname for the email address because if the registration lapses, further renewal notices will be missed.

If you have any other tips to share, I invite you to post them in the comment section.