Don’t Let That Domain Name Expire!
SHORT ANSWER: An expired domain is a domain name that was once registered to an individual or a company whose registration has expired.
LONG ANSWER: All domains must be registered to either a person or to a company, it is up to you which one you’d rather use. Once it’s registered to you or your company, it stays registered for one year. After that, each year, you renew your ownership of that domain name. Domain name renewal costs anywhere from $5 to $15, depending on which domain name registrar you use.
Most domain name registrars give you the option of a multi-year renewal, which saves a few dollars and the headache of renewing every year. Multi-year renewals are a good idea if you have a domain name you are pretty certain you will want for the foreseeable future.
Even if you decide to let go of the website attached to the name, you can always use it for PPC and affiliate ads like the big guys do!
An expired domain name is just a domain name with an expired registration - nobody owns it anymore. If you don’t renew at the end of the year, that domain name becomes available for purchase by someone else.
Why would someone let go of a good domain name?
- Perhaps the domain name turned out to be not so good!
- Absentminded website owners who simply neglected to renew their domain names;
- Webmasters who got tied up in other ventures or interests;
- Webmasters who discontinued a site due to time constraints;
- Webmasters who ran out of money to continue to operate.
You should get several renewal notices from your domain name registrar for each domain name as it comes time to expire. Make sure your email address is correct and deliverable so you don’t miss a renewal!
These days, when a domain name expires, domain name registrars “take over” the name for a few months afterwards, before releasing it to be sold again. Why would they bother? Because just maybe there is still traffic finding its way to your old domain name. And traffic is money. The page will be filled with PPC ads, all profits going to the registrar. Smart!
Here’s the rub: if you decide you want the name back after it’s expired and the registrar has assumed control of it, the registrar will charge you anywhere from $50 to $150 (those are the prices I’ve seen) to pull that domain name out of limbo and reinstate it to you! (This is a good indication of how much even a domain that didn’t get much traffic is worth!)
The lesson here is, if there is any chance you can use that domain name, make sure your email address is good so you don’t miss your renewal!
