A question for you: which is more important, your domain name, or your Web site?

No, they’re not the same thing. Domain names are valuable, and they are registered and managed completely separately from your Web hosting. If you lose your domain name, you have nothing - zero, zilch.

Unfortunately, it’s all too easy for the unscrupulous to steal your domain, or to lose it if you’re not paying attention.

It’s vital to differentiate between the two things, your domain name, and your hosting. Your domain name must be registered in your name, and the registrar must be able to contact you.

If you’re not sure where your domain name is registered, or under which name, find out immediately. You could be courting disaster.

As Smart Company - Top 10 website disasters reports:

“I want to change providers but my previous designer won’t release my domain name

All industries have their sharks and the web industry is no exception. I am no lawyer but your commercial arrangements should prove that the provider has registered the domain on your behalf so under no circumstances should they own it or claim to own it. Even if they did officially register it, they could be simply ‘cybersquatting’, knowing that you need the domain and there is enough legal precedent to suggest they will be forced to surrender it anyway.”

If someone else registered a domain for you, find out immediately where it’s registered, and if it’s not in your name, transfer it to your name at once. Then ensure that you’re easy to contact, and pay for a couple of years of registration - at least - in advance.

Technorati Tags: , , ,

Related Posts