Managing a domain portfolio

Auto-renew, and why to leave it switched on

“Should I leave auto-renew on for my domains? Explain what happens when a domain lapses, how quickly someone else can take it, what it costs to recover one, and how to make sure the card and the reminder address on file are both current.”

9 min read

The expiry, grace and redemption timeline

“My domain expired. What happens now and how long do I have? Walk through the timeline from expiry through the grace period, redemption and deletion, what it costs at each stage, when the website and email actually stop working, and at which point it is gone for good.”

10 min read

Domain forwarding

“How do I make one domain point at another? Cover setting up forwarding, the difference between a redirect and a DNS record, why forwarding a domain does not forward its email, and when a proper redirect on the web server is the better answer for SEO.”

9 min read

Which domain variants are worth registering

“How many versions of my domain should I actually buy? Give an honest view on which variants are worth the money for a small business and which are a waste, cover the common misspelling and the matching .co.uk or .com, and what to do with them once registered.”

9 min read

Registrant details, and who can see them

“What contact details does a domain need and who can see them? Explain the registrant record and why it is the thing that proves ownership, what WHOIS privacy does and does not hide, the rules for .uk domains, and why wrong details can cost you the domain.”

8 min read

Locking a domain against transfer

“How do I stop someone moving my domain away from me? Cover the transfer lock and how to check it is on, how auth codes and IPS tags work as the second factor, why the email on the account is the real weak point, and what domain hijacking actually looks like.”

8 min read