EVERYTHING YOU
NEED TO KNOW ABOUT
RENEWING YOUR DOMAIN NAME

With all the horror stories around expired domain names - ranging from social media inconveniences to huge financial losses - it is important for businesses to take heed, and ensure they do not forget to renew their domain name.

The good news is that once you’ve acquired the perfect .com domain, it can be yours forever. Protecting and renewing this virtual real estate need not be complicated. This article outlines everything you need to know about the process of domain renewal.

Why do I need to renew my domain name?

The first thing to remember is that when you purchase a domain name, you don’t ‘own’ it. It is yours on lease and if you wish to keep the domain name, you have to renew that lease every time the lapse period comes around. Failure to do so will see your name suspended and eventually cancelled. This means you will lose your website and no longer be able to use your email address.

Obviously, this will have severe ramifications for your business. Firstly, your online presence will suffer as users struggle to find or access your site. This means a loss in traffic, loss in revenue, and, if you do regain your domain name at a later date, a loss in search engine visibility.

Secondly, it looks incredibly unprofessional. Would you want to work with a business that lets their domain name expire?

Finding a domain registrar

Renewing your domain name can be done through a domain registrar - an organisation that manages the reservation of domain names. New registrations can even be set to auto-renew, preventing the risk of having your domain name expire due to forgetfulness.

If you find a brand name on Novanym that fits your venture, you’ll need to transfer that address from our domain name registrar to your domain name registrar. This is a crucial part of the process, so if you don’t have a registrar you must find one before you can transfer a new domain name.

Some domain name registrars charge a modest annual fee to manage your registration and enable you to retain ownership of the domain. Although Novanym is not affiliated to any domain name registrars, it might be helpful for you to check out our list of leading registrars.

When to renew a domain name

When you first purchase a domain, the lease lasts for a fixed period of time between one and ten years. Some recommended choosing to renew your domain lease for extended periods as this means you’ll have to worry about it less. There’s every chance you’ll be contacted by your registrar before your domain name is up for renewal. They, the registrar, should be able to help you update your personal information, transfer your domain name, and even move your domain to a new registrar if you so wish.

If you miss the renewal date, your domain address will expire and your site will be taken down. Your domain name can then be bought by another business or third party meaning not only can you no longer renew your domain, but you might not even be able to buy it back at an inflated price.