Every website owner renting its domain from a domain registrar will need to renew the web address from time to time. However, because domain name registration can last for several years, it can be challenging to stay on top of the domain expiration date.
Forgetting to renew your domain could lead to it expiring and an additional renewal fee. It could also cause significant damage to your website and the entire business. This post will tell you the steps to take to check when your domain name registration will expire.
How Long Does A Domain Name Last?
How long your registered domain name lasts will depend on the registrar you use. Most registrars will require you to rent a domain for, at least, a year. This prevents people from buying and selling domains too quickly.
Other registrars also place a limit of 10 years on domain names’ rental terms to ensure that sites don’t remain inactive on the Internet for more than a decade.
Why You Need To Know The Expiration Date of Your Domain Name
Keep in mind all the work you have put into your website. If you don’t know when your domain name expires, you could be placing your work and entire business in jeopardy. If domain names surpass their expiration dates, sites could end up with another domain owner.
This is why you should always keep an eye on your domain’s current status to avoid forgetting to renew your contract. You can do this with the use of resources like this expired domain list that provides access to domain databases. Some of the other reasons you need to know when your domain name will expire include:
- If your domain expire date passes and someone else buys it, they could get access to some of the personal information that your domain could contain
- One of your competitors could buy your domain name, which would impact your market opportunities
- Your domain name’s new owner could use it in a way that would destroy your business or brand identity
Renewing your domain name is the only way to ensure you’ll stay the current owner of your domain name and prevent any of the above from happening. The first step in the process is knowing your domain’s expiration date.
How To Prevent Your Domain From Expiring
The following are a few tips to keep in mind to prevent your domain name from expiring.
Pay for the Longest Term
Because some hosts allow users to rent domains for up to 10 years, you can choose to pay for a 10-year term and remove the burden of renewing the contract off your shoulders for 10 years. This solution is especially suitable for those who plan on keeping their account for several years.
Set a Reminder at the Start of Your Term
Immediately after buying a web address, consider creating renewal notices on your email and phone for the day your contract will expire, even if the date is several years down the line. This personal reminder might come in handy, especially if you don’t see your registrar’s important reminders.
Capitalize on Your Registrar’s Auto-Renew
Depending on the registrar you use, you might be able to capitalize on their auto-renew feature. As long as the registrar has your payment information online, they can automatically renew your contract when the term is about to expire.
Renew Your Domain During the Grace Period
Again, depending on your registrar, you might have a 30-day redemption period in which you can still renew your domain name even after it has expired. You could take advantage of this grace period and renew your address before your registrar makes it available to the open market.
How To Check When a Domain Will Expire
The good news is that many domain-owning companies will send you renewal reminders when you get close to your domain name’s expiry date. However, you might overlook the reminders or the domain rental service might have outdated contact information on file. In such a case, you might end up losing access to your registered domain.
Fortunately, there are other ways to find out when your domain name expires. The following are two of the best ways to find out your domain expiration.
Contact Your Registrar
You could choose to contact your registrar and have them look at your account profile to determine when your term started and when you’ll need to renew the domain. They can also provide you with any additional information you might need.
Perform a WHOIS Lookup
Besides contacting your registrar, you could find out your domain’s expiration date by performing a WHOIS search to look for your domain details on the site’s database. The database will provide you with information about when the domain link was created and when it’s set to expire. To do this:
- Visit the WHOIS database tool
- Input your IP or web address in the input box provided
- Click on the “lookup” button
- Choose your web address’ record
- Scroll to the bottom of the records to view your timeline information
Summing Up
Considering how vital online presence is in today’s commercial world, having an expired domain name could be detrimental to your business’ success. This is why your domain’s expiration date is a detail you should never let slip your mind.
