What if we told you that you don’t have a permanent hold over one of the most important aspects of your online business? Domain names are your online identity. How do you know you’re on Facebook or Google? Are the URLs facebook.com or google.com, a giveaway? Now imagine, either one failed to complete the process of renewing a domain name. Neither one owns those domain names – they’re simply leased for a set duration.
Your business is no exception.
Want a more detailed breakdown of domain registration renewal is necessary? Read on to find out.
Why Renew a Website Domain
Continue Online Presence
Your domain name is your online identity. From vendors to consumers, you are recognised by this unique name. And if you fail to complete the domain registration renewal within the stipulated time, it’s up for grabs. That means anyone can claim it as their own – even your competitors.
Brand Consistency
A business’ domain name is usually closely related to an online brand presence.
But then, you choose to not renew website domain. Losing the domain name would mean the loss of followers or clients or both. That’s because whoever claims your domain name, has complete power over it. They could choose to misuse it, redirecting your customers with malicious intent. If that happens, it could cause serious damage to your hard-earned reputation. To maintain brand consistency, it is recommended to have the same social media handles and branding as your domain name.
Maintain the Ranking Position
SEO takes months to come to fruition. A simple mistake like not renewing a domain name could result in your website getting penalised due to poor SEO best practices. This would inevitably lead to a drop in rankings due to a decline in traffic. As time passes, your question of how to renew domain name registration returns with fewer and fewer helpful answers because recouping from such SEO damage could take a few months or even a year. That means a year of lost organic traffic and potential conversions.
What Is the Lifecycle of a Domain Name
Active Domain Status
When your domain is active, you have control. You have a live and functional website.
- If you’ve just bought a domain name but then changed your mind, you get 24 hours after domain registration for changes or cancellations.
- To avoid domain suspension, it needs to be verified within 14 days. This is done to verify the domain owner’s identity.
- 30 days before a domain is set to expire, the invoice for domain registration renewal is automatically generated. Pay it, and you go back to step one of the domain lifecycle. But if you fail to do so, your domain expires.
Expired Domain Status
On the day after its expiration date, your domain status goes from live to expired. This means your website stops working, displaying a “parked” page. Now, others can bid to purchase it. So, this is one of your last shots at renewing a domain name. How to renew domain at no extra charge? Renewing it within 30 days not only incurs no extra charges, but you also get priority over other bidders.
Redemption Recovery/Grace Period
This stage starts around 45 days after domain name expiration. Here’s where the extra charges and fees kick in. If you ask “how to renew my domain name” at this stage, you’re looking at the regular renewal rate, plus the redemption charges. But the important thing is, this is your very last chance at getting back your digital identity safe and sound.
Pending Delete
Once the redemption period ends, the domain enters the pending deletion stage, and retrieval is no longer an option. After about 5 days, it becomes available for public registration again, at no extra redemption fees.
How to Renew Domain Name
By Email
Make sure to keep an eye out for the date when your domain is due for renewal – this is super important. If it’s getting close to expiration, you’ll need to start your process to renew website domain as soon as possible. When you ask someone, “how to renew domain name”, they’ll explain a process that looks like this:
1.Head to your account; what you need to be looking for is the renewal option.
2.Choose the duration that you want to renew for, and if your payment info needs to be updated, take care of that.
3.Once you hit confirm, you’ll need to do a domain renewal check. For that, be on the lookout for an email confirming your domain registration renewal. This email is like your receipt, so keep it safe for later.
Account Manager
This a manual alternative to renewing a domain name by email.
When it’s time to renew website domain, log into your account. Find the renewal option; it should be easy to locate. Then, the steps that follow are quite similar to the ones previous process.You pick the duration of renewal and update your payment information if need be.
After you hit confirm, you get an email confirmation. Till you receive this email, you won’t know for sure whether or not your domain has been renewed – so flag it as a concern in case you don’t receive it.
Express
For a quick renewal, some registrars have an express option. This is like VIP option where you enjoy high priority. Just follow the steps in your account, pay up, and confirm. You’ll get a confirmation email saying your transaction was successful.
Conclusion
As we’ve seen by now, renewing you domain name is necessary to maintain an online presence, protect you brand, and safeguard your SEO rankings. Renewing a domain name isn’t very difficult either. By following a few quick steps, you get to keep your digital identity for the entire duration of the lease. To make it even easier, switch on auto-renewal or select long-term plans for domain registration.
Domain Renew FAQ’s
What is meant by domain name renewal?
Getting a domain name is essentially like leasing an online space to call your own. Paying for a domain name is quite similar to regular renting; you pay for the period you want the domain name. Once you don’t pay for the lease renewal, the space can be grabbed by someone else – and you will be immediately evicted. Exactly like that, if you fail to pay for the domain registration renewal, you get definite windows of grace and redemption periods. Once they lapse, chances are, you lose your domain name to someone else.
How much does it cost to renew a domain name?
The cost of renewing a domain name varies depending on the domain registrar you used to register the domain. The top-level domain (TLD) you chose (like .com, .net, .org) is also a deciding factor. Prices can fall anywhere between a few dollars to several dozen dollars for standard domains. These are charges levied per year.
Some registrars might even offer discounts for multi-year renewals or include additional services in the renewal package for long-time customers.
How often are domain names renewed?
Renewals usually happen every year. However, to aid ease of use and reduce worrying about deadlines, some registrars offer the option to renew long-term, even allowing domain owners to pay for multiple years in one go.
What happens if domain is not renewed?
- Failure to renew your domain will lead to the following:
Expired Status: The domain enters an expired status one day after its expiration date. - Redemption/Grace Period: After the expiration, there is typically a 30-45 day window where you can, at the start of it, take your domain back with no additional charges levied. Fail to get it done and you’ll be forced to pay the redemption fees alongside the regular renewal charges.
- Pending Delete: At this stage, the domain name cannot be retrieved.
- Available for Registration: Here, the domain becomes available to lease – only in this case, it becomes available to everyone, and you lose all claim on it.
If you have any queries or suggestions feel free to send an email on [email protected]