How Long Does my Domain Name Registration Last?

Find Out Everything You Need to Know About Domain Registration Renewal!

Setting up, managing, and maintaining your domain all by yourself can be a very tough business. You have to be on top of a lot of things at just the right time or your website or blog suffers. Naturally, considering the substantial time, effort and resources you’ve invested in this resource, that’s the last thing you want to happen.

As with everything else, how you start your domain name registration matters a lot. Working with a licensed and reputable domain registrar can go a long way in helping you better navigate the challenging and ever-changing waters of domain registration and maintenance.

Don’t know how to find a domain registrar you can trust?

Simply follow this comprehensive guide to know what core competencies to look for in any domain registrar you plan to trust with your domain name registration needs.

As you likely already know, after you purchase and duly register a domain name, you acquire the rights and ownership of that name for only a specific duration of time. As a result of the fact that your ownership of the domain name isn’t everlasting, existing regulations stipulate that you renew your lease on that domain name before your existing domain name registration expires.

Domain Renewal – What You Need to Know

Domain renewal is simply the process by which you prolong or extend the duration of your ownership of a current domain name. In essence, a domain name is only yours for as long as you’re willing to pay for it before your existing ownership status over it lapse.
How long does my domain name registration last? How do I renew my domain?
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Remember
Knowing as much as you can about your domain puts you ahead and helps you manage your site better.
The Domain Name Server (DNS) is the Achilles hell of the Web. The important thing is that it’smanaged responsibly

– Tim Berners Lee

How Long Does My Domain Registration Last?

During the initial process of your domain name registration, one of the key things you’ll be asked is how long you want your ownership of that domain name to last. Many domain registrars offer a wide array of options to registrants in this area. With certain providers, you can choose for the registration to last as long as three to ten years. On the whole, the longer you want your registration to last, the more money you have to pay. Also, a lot of people and businesses tend to avoid such long-term commitments, especially when they’re just freshly testing the waters of domain names.

So, the most common duration you’ll find out there is just one year. After that time has elapsed, you have to renew your ownership.

What Happens When You Don’t Renew Your Ownership?

Typically, the moment your ownership status over a domain name exceeds its due date, that domain name immediately becomes available to members of the general public for re-purchase. This isn’t ideal for you if you want to continue using that particular domain name. Consequently, we always encourage our domain registrants to do what they can to avoid letting their domain registration expire before renewing.

Note: Some domain registrars like Red Craft Media put into consideration the fact that circumstances beyond the immediate control of the registrants can lead to them not being able to renew their domain registration as when due. With this in mind, they provide a substantial grace period after your domain registration has expired which you can leverage to reclaim your domain name before it goes public once again.

What Renewal Options are Available and how do I go About Accessing Them?

For the most part, this is entirely dependent on the domain registrar you used to procure your domain name. Registrars have been known to levy different fees for various phases of the renewal process, especially when the domain name/domain extension is one that is in high demand.

This is one reason why you should choose your domain registrar carefully from the get-go. Registrars like Red Craft Media are always upfront and clear about all you’ll need for the renewal process. With us, you never have to bother about hidden charges.

What Can I do if I Discover my Registration has Already Expired?

This isn’t an ideal scenario and should be avoided if at all possible.

However, in the event that the worst does happen, a lot would depend on when you found out about the expiration. When you work with a registrar that offers a considerable grace period, and you discover your domain name has expired during that time, renewing your policy will be a relatively simple and uncomplicated affair.

However, if your Redemption Grace Period has long lapsed, it’s best to contact your domain registrar immediately to confirm whether your domain name is still available for you to renew. Keep in mind that with many registrars, you’ll have to pay more for your renewal at this stage.

How to Prevent Your Domain from Expiring

As they say, “Prevention is the best cure.” Doing what you can to ensure that your domain registration doesn’t expire can save you a lot of headaches down the road.

We’ve compiled a few things you can do to help you with this.

1. Familiarize Yourself with Your Domain Name Registration Policy

When you are familiar with aspects of your domain name registration like the terms and conditions of the policy, you are informed on crucial details like when you can expect the domain expiration to occur.

This gives you the time you need to put your affairs in place if you’re deciding to keep that domain name.

2. Note the Date of Registration

We understand that many registrants have enough on their plates as it is without also having to worry about going through the policy of their domain registration, top to bottom. So alternatively, you can simply choose to note the date you completed your registration and set a reminder so you know to reactivate your domain registration before that time comes around again.

3. Enable the Auto-Renewal Feature

At any point in time, you can opt to simply set your domain name registration to auto-renew. With this mechanism in place, you won’t have to bother about keeping track of your domain expiration date as your domain registrar will see to the renewal process in a timely fashion.

4. Keep an Eye Out for Notifications from Your Domain Registrar

This is perhaps the biggest hint you can follow to know just when to see to the renewal of your domain registration. Regulations in place require registrars to notify domain owners multiple things ahead of the expiration date. Once you spot that email from your registrar, you know to do the needful immediately.

And that’s all!

Be sure to catch our next post to find out even more exciting things about your domain! Get access here.

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SEE ALSO

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Top 10 Things You Should Do Immediately After Registering a Domain Name (And Why They’re Important)
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The Benefits of Private Domain Registration
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How To Choose A Domain Name
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