written by
Joe Uddeme
How to Buy a Domain Name
Negotiating a Domain Price
How to Choose a Domain Name
How to Value a Domain Name
What is a Premium Domain Name & Why You Should Buy One
Domain Names for Startups
How to Buy a Domain Name Owned by Someone Else
How to Buy a .com Domain Name
Things to Watch Out for When Buying a Domain
Domain Name Investing
Buy & Selling Domains
Best Domains to Buy
It is surprisingly easy to take your eye off the ball when managing one or more domain names. In this blog post, domain name expert Joe Uddeme explains what to do if your domain name appears to be lost.
My domain is expired. My domain name is lost. I forgot to renew my domain name.
Now what? If you lost your expired domains, missed the grace period and now your website is deleted, it’s easy for panic to set in. Expired domains can wreak havoc for any brand.
A common issue is that an expired domain name has transferred to another registration – and now there is no access to search your registrar. The redemption period has lapsed and your domains cannot be renewed. Another burning question is: “Did my backlinks expire or transfer with the renewed domain name transfer?”
Let’s explore expired domains and detail the grace period for your expired domain.
Key takeaways
Follow the steps below to try and secure your expired or deleted domain.
Most expired domains have a grace period between 20 and 30 days before domains expire at registrars. During the expiry period, you can contact the registrar to see if you can reclaim your dropped domains.
If your domain has passed the redemption period, then you’ll have no choice but to check if it’s available for sale on the aftermarket. Some domains may now have services attached or even new website.
You may have to participate in an expiry auction and bid against other people to buy back your expired domain name. If it’s a popular domain name, expect to pay a significant sum because of the bidding competition and relevance to other brands. Working with a seasoned domain name broker who is skilled in negotiation can be a huge help here.
Imagine you lost your domain name, and another person succeeded in acquiring it before you could scoop it back up. Would you likely give up all hope at this point? No, all hope isn’t actually lost. Try and locate the new owner and explain your situation and work out an agreement on how to get your domain name back. This method isn’t always reliable but can work for certain domains and tlds. Plead your case, and hope to strike up some sympathy.
If you’ve tried all the aforementioned steps and still can’t get your domains, back-ordering is a possible solution after they expire. Registrars offer a back-order service for recently expired domains with a simple filter process for various tlds.
The back-order system can log and track your preferred domains.
Back-ordering is a filter service offered by some registrars, letting you reserve the chance to acquire a domain immediately after its expiration.
Most registrars charge a fee for back-ordering domain names, and you may still have to compete against other bidders to buy back the expired tlds.
You can hire an expert domain name broker to help you buy back your lost domain name. The broker can handle each of these steps we mentioned for you and is more likely to be successful because of past experience in purchasing domain names.
The broker can contact the registered domain owner in the whois system to see if they would be interested in selling the domain name and at what price point without emotional attachment. NameExperts.com often helps clients recover expired domain names. We’ve negotiated over $150 million in domain name sales and protect customers’ anonymity when doing so.
An experienced broker should also understand the grace period for your domains and know the latest best practices to try and recover your previously registered domain name page.
When all else fails, you may need to consult with a domain name attorney. A domain consultancy service can assist you with finding the right legal representation.
Expiration
Expired domains are the most common way to lose a domain. Many people forget to renew their domain names when renewal is due and only remember when they observe a problem with their website’s performance. At that point, it’s too late. The domain expires and is now pending being deleted. It is past the renewal date and will eventually be released.
Expired domain names are hard to get back, and are potentially very cost-prohibitive to secure the domain.
Hijacked Domain
Hackers and malicious actors are present in every part of the Internet, which includes domain names. You could fall victim to domain theft in various ways with phishing tactics for your domains.
Negligence
Negligence on your part may also cause you to lose your domains without knowledge of the expiration date or the last update to your domains.
Dispute
UDRP or reverse domain name hijacking techniques based on registration and function for the organization.
Website Goes Down
If you run an online business, a site shutdown can cause financial loss and make your customers lose complete trust in you and your domain. They search and no longer can find you in a browser. Your org or .com name is no longer visible on the web.
Costly To Get It Back
Domain name squatters are constantly on the search for domains and tlds, waiting to grab them immediately after the expiration date. Then, they’ll hike the price to register for intended buyers to renew their domains. Everyone in the industry is mindful of the incredibly high prices that domain names can attract.
Security Issues
Cybercriminals can exploit lost or expired domains for nefarious activities. For example, they can gain access to old email and get their hands on sensitive information about the previous registrant. They can register similar domains and steal your organic traffic.
In conclusion, when a domain expires, your account and backlinks stop functioning. Remedial steps can be costly; it’s always better to be proactive and make sure your domain portfolio is properly managed and kept up-to-date.
Joe Uddeme is Director and Principal of Name Experts, one of the world’s leading domain name brokerage services. He has overseen domain name sales and acquisitions totaling more than $150 million and is renowned worldwide as a go-to expert in buying and selling premium domains – and helping clients manage their portfolios. Contact us at: [email protected]
From Amazon to Coca-Cola, strong brand names have helped propel businesses to stratospheric heights for centuries. Here’s how to find one that will take yours to the next level and ensure you have a domain name that supports it.
Before getting excited about the domain name you want being available, ask yourself why it is up for grabs – especially if it appears to be a great name. Many domain names on the open market have a hidden past – as NameExperts.com Director Joe Uddeme explains… Let’s say you just found out you can secure a domain name that matches the name of your new business. Or maybe you’re doing it the other way around and want to start with an available domain name that you’ll build your business around. Now let’s suppose it’s one of those short, snappy modern domain names made up of five letters that don’t mean anything. Now press pause. Before you plan the entire history of your brand around these five letters, it’s advisable to perform some due diligence – just as it is when buying any domain name. When buying a car, it’s helpful to have a trusted mechanic perform an inspection and to review the vehicle’s service history before handing over your cash. A similar thing applies to purchasing domain names. It’s necessary to perform proper due diligence – or you risk wasting money. This article will give you a due diligence checklist to follow to ensure you make a worthy purchase and ensure you don’t buy a domain name with a damaging hidden past. Key Takeaways Spammy “past lives” of your domain name could damage your reputation Discover the tools that help you discover your name’s true past Make sure there are no trademark issues Why You Need To Conduct Due Diligence For Any Potential Acquisition Due diligence means investigating the details of a business or person that you want to enter a commercial transaction with. It’s necessary because it helps you understand the nature of what you want to buy, the risks involved, and anything else that could be a hindrance. Not conducting domain name due diligence before buying can cause trouble. For example, you may buy a domain that has been blacklisted for spam activities and wonder why your website isn’t getting traffic. Or why any email sent from your domain goes to the recipient’s spam folder. You could also buy a stolen domain and be subject to lawsuits accusing you of theft – or one that used to be an adult site. The list of potential risks is endless, so always carry out domain due diligence before any purchase. Domain Due Diligence Checklist WHOIS WHOIS is a public database containing information about domain name owners. You can run a WHOIS lookup to trace the ownership of a domain name, and it’s advisable to do this for any domain you want to buy a domain name. Check the WHOIS history for at least a year to see if there were any ownership changes. If you notice any, you can contact the prior owner to ensure that they actually transferred the ownership and the domain wasn’t stolen. Domain thieves try to sell domains in a hurry, and this process helps you avoid buying a stolen domain and exposing yourself to legal troubles. Because of Europe’s GDPR data protection laws, you may not be able to see details about a domain’s owner (it’ll appear as redacted). However, access is granted to certain licensed third parties that, in turn, offer that data to people for a fee. DomainIQ and DomainTools are two examples of such parties. Domain History The WHOIS lookup will help you verify that the domain is owned by a legitimate buyer and not a hacker. After that, the next step of the domain name due diligence is to check how the domain was utilized in the past. What type of website was it used for? Is it something that could have gotten it into a blacklist? A good website to check a domain’s history and utilization is the Wayback Machine. This is a digital archive that lets you see how the website for any domain looked in the past. The idea is to ensure that the domain was used for appropriate activities. If it was used for nefarious things like unregulated gambling, domain name scams, or data theft, it’s a signal to stay clear because the domain may have been blacklisted by search engines and email providers. Potential Trademark Issues Ensure that the domain name you want to use is not similar to an established trademark because this can lead to infringement lawsuits and a possible court order to hand over the domain. There was a popular case of an entrepreneur called Mike Rowe, who registered the “MikeRoweSoft.com” domain for his software company. Microsoft, the well-known software company, filed a lawsuit alleging trademark infringement, and Mike Rowe had to hand over ownership of the domain in exchange for an Xbox and some certification training. If the domain name you want to buy is similar to an established trademark, it’s best to avoid it and go for something else. Search Value Another important part of the due diligence checklist is to see how the domain name performs on search engines. If you can’t find valid results when you input the domain name of a search engine, it’s a signal that it may have been blacklisted due to past activity. Check if there are backlinks from nefarious sites pointing to the domain because that represents another red flag. It’s also important to see if a domain has been marked by email blacklists. If so, emails from that domain will likely end up in the recipient’s spam folder instead of the main inbox. Popular email blacklists include Spamhaus, Barracuda, and Proofpoint, and most of them let you run a simple scan to see if a domain is part of the list. During the Acquisition Process Once you have ticked all the boxes in your acquisition due diligence checklist and decided to proceed with the purchase, there are some essential tips to follow. Tracking Each Step You should create a spreadsheet to track each step of the domain name sale. The spreadsheet should contain sections like “current status”, “date transferred”, and “price”. This will help you stay on top of every detail of the imminent domain acquisition. Setting Up Escrow Escrow refers to a neutral third party that holds the money before it is transferred from the domain buyer to the seller. It’s necessary to use an escrow service to prevent yourself from falling victim to fraud. The escrow service will hold the money that you’ve agreed to pay for the domain and only disburse it if the seller fulfills all the terms of the deal. What To Keep In Mind For the Transfer Process When you acquire a domain, the buyer will have to transfer it to your registrar for it to officially become yours. A domain must be at least 60 days old to be transferable according to rules defined by ICANN, the governing body for domain registration. The owner will need an authorization code from their registrar to authorize the transfer to your own registrar. Once this is complete, the domain is officially yours. If you need help with domain name due diligence, you can hire a professional domain broker with experience in appraising and investigating domain names. The broker can help you decide if it’s a worthwhile purchase and also negotiate a good price with the owner. Check out our post on domain name negotiation tips for further insight into this exciting and complex world! About the author Joe Uddeme is Director and Principal of Name Experts, one of the world’s leading domain name brokerage services. He has overseen domain name sales and acquisitions totaling more than $150 million and is renowned worldwide as a go-to expert in buying and selling premium domains. Contact us at: [email protected]
With so much competition, it’s easy to wonder if the .com domain has lost its edge. Not so, says domain name expert Joe Uddeme. Here’s why. As a super-premium domain broker and domain name valuation expert, we are continually asked if the .com is still as relevant as it once was. The short answer is: “Absolutely!” Branding remains at the forefront of all carefully executed advertising and marketing campaigns. It’s imperative that your message is clean, concise and to the point. Some of the largest and most successful companies around the globe understand the importance of brand appeal. The domain name is the “foundation” for the brand. The .com domain name adds equity and credibility, and is easily memorable. We often refer to the .com as beach-front real estate. Additionally, domain names are valuable and continue to retain that value. Most startups and brand managers understand the importance of the .com, as consumers have been programmed for years to gravitate towards it. It is irrefutably still relevant today. Key Takeaways .com domains in everyday life The rise of mobile advertising Investing in .com domains makes sense
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