technical solution-Domain Name RECOVERY. Who Owns MY Domain Name? domains name tips from Tech mirrors
Your domain name is the MAIN asset of your website. So if you don’t own your domain name, you don’t really have control over your website. I talk with a lot of …
Source Tech mirrors
When web site responses stop coming in. Or a customer reports your site is broken. Or you need urgently to change an important detail on your site but can not get any response from your web company.
That is when it suddenly dawns on too many website owners that they have no idea who controls their site or domains. With the continuing tightness in the economy, increasing numbers of web companies are simply dropping out of sight, taking web site details with them and leaving customers high and dry.
The result is that site owners are finding out that they don’t have any paperwork on where their site is hosted or how to get access to the site files, or even that they are not the owners of their own domain names. Unfortunately, when a customer comes across a web site doesn’t work it inevitably puts a question mark in their mind about the business itself. Web site owners are aware of this and it adds to the air of panic and stress as they try to track down long lost access details and passwords, if indeed they ever had them.
The problem is exacerbated by the way that web sites are frequently built. The web design company buys hosting for all it’s clients with a specialist hosting company. So the web company is the “customer” as far as the hosting company is concerned. If the web company goes out of business then the link back to the original web site owner is broken.
Even more awkward is where a web company has registered a domain in its own name rather than that of its client. On paper, the web company owns the domain. Good industry practice is now that domains should be registered in the name of the client.
But some web companies still register domains in their own name as a way of exercising a hold over their clients. And domains registered a long time ago are even more likely to be registered in the name of a web company. In the light of these problems there are some simple actions that could help head off future problems with your web site:
- Check who owns your domain names
- Ask for access details for your domain accounts
- Ask your web company to confirm access details to site files
- Make a backup of your site
- Store all the information and files in a place where you can find them!
How do I get my expired domain name back?
If your domain name has expired, you should immediately contact the registrar (or reseller) that provided your domain name registration services for possible renewal options available to you. To determine your current registrar of record, you may conduct a WHOIS search by visiting whois.icann.org.
What happens when you lose your domain name?
When a domain is not renewed in time, it goes up for sale and anyone can purchase it. This means if you lose your domain, it could be held for ransom forcing you to pay the domain owner a lot of money to get it back. … Losing your domain could also leave it open to being registered and then used for malicious purposes.
How long does it take for a domain name to be available after it expires?
You cannot backorder your own domain or purchase it via an expired domain auction. That domain lifecycle suggests that a domain would come available again after 42 days.
What do you do if someone steals your domain name?
Contact the person via email and ask them if they are willing to sell the domain to you. If they are willing to sell it to you, make sure to negotiate a good deal. Some web companies offer a service to recover your domain. They will go through the necessary steps in order to regain control over your domain name.
What is my domain worth?
In general, what they do is compare your domain to similar domains and estimate the value based upon what other domains have sold for. The most widely used domain name estimator is EstiBot. Just enter your domain name into the tool and you’ll get an accurate report of how much your domain name is worth.
How do I permanently buy a domain name?
How can I buy a domain name permanently? You cannot buy a domain name permanently. Domain name registration is done on a yearly basis. However, you can pre-pay for up to 10 years which guarantees that you will have a domain name for 10 years.
How long should you buy a domain name for?
Do: Remember to renew your domain name registration.
Now working as chief operating officer for an aftermarket marketplace for domains, Hoffmann suggests buying a registration for five or 10 years upfront, or setting up an annual auto-renew payment.
Is buying a domain a one time purchase?
“Buying” a domain name doesn’t necessarily mean making a one–time purchase and owning the name forever. … To buy rights to a domain name, a user has to register it either directly with a domain registrar or through a hosting provider for terms ranging from a year to several years.
Can a domain name be hijacked?
Domain hijacking refers to the wrongful taking of control of a domain name from the rightful name holder. … As the report illustrates, domain hijacking can have a lasting and material impact on a registrant. The registrant may lose an established online identity and be exposed to extortion by name speculators.
Can someone steal my website?
There are various reasons for the website content theft but besides the obvious, thieves are interested in stealing: your marketing or advertising to “sell” their own content. your design. your website code to sell their own product – saves them the cost of building their own site.