The domain is one of the keys to any web page. Choosing the name well, registering it correctly and maintaining it is essential to avoid problems. In this article we are going to talk about in which situations we could be left without a domain , how long it lasts and some tips to protect it.
Could they take a domain from us?
When a user creates a web page , one of the first steps is to choose which domain name to use and which extension. The question may arise whether someone could take away that domain and use it for it. It should be mentioned that there are two main possibilities: that they take away a domain that we plan to use but have not yet registered and that they take away a domain that we have already registered. The latter is more complicated to happen, especially if we are vigilant. But they could also take away a domain for other reasons, as we will see.
Not registering a domain on time
The first option is that we decide to register a name and an extension but leave it parked until the page is completely done. Let’s say we’re designing our site and we don’t want to register the domain yet, but that’s something we’ll do later.
This means that that name is free and available to anyone. It could happen that someone decides to register it and, in this way, take that domain from us.
The domain is free
The other option is to have a domain removed once we have registered it. It must be said that this could happen if our domain has expired and we have not renewed it in time. Once the margin they give us passes, that domain is free.
Domain in someone else’s name
This especially happens to companies and organizations that may be clueless and not paying attention to this problem. They hire a person to register a domain and it is not in the name of the company. Once time passes, the creator of that website may not renew it and the company may not have it in its power either, since it is not in its name.
Legal issues
We can also run into legal problems . This occurs if we are using a domain for profit and we use a registered name or attempt to impersonate another legitimate page. Another possibility of having legal problems is that our domain contains illegal downloads, for example, and a judge decides to close the site.
All this that we mention will also depend on the country and the domain that we are using. Current regulations may change depending on the territory.
How long does a contracted domain last?
As we have seen, one of the causes that they can take away the web domain is that it simply expires. Let’s say we’ve registered our page, created content, and forgot about the maintenance issue. We simply publish the odd article and we are not waiting for anything else.
If necessary, that domain expires. This means that, in order to maintain it, we must renew it. It should be noted that it is not something that happens overnight, but that we have a margin precisely for these clueless users who are not aware of these issues.
A domain generally expires 12 months after registering it. Sometimes, depending on the extension, it can last two years. Even some more cases, although they are exceptions. When that time passes they give us a margin to renew it, which basically consists of paying the fee that corresponds to us and verifying that we really want to continue with the domain.
That time they give us is known as the grace or renewal period. Varies by length, but usually lasts a month. Sometimes something more or something less. The domain is inactive but belongs to its owner.
Once that term is met, we enter what is known as the punishment period . It is also usually one month, but this time if we want to renew it, it is very likely that we will have to pay more money.
Finally there would be the elimination period , which is usually a short period of time of about five days until it is eliminated and is fully available to anyone.
Tips to protect a domain
Register a domain as soon as possible
Can we do something to protect a domain and not have it taken from us? We can follow a series of basic tips for this. The first thing, as we have seen, is to register a domain as soon as possible. If we are creating a web page and we are clear about what we want the name to be, we must register it as soon as possible and make sure we do not have problems.
Be aware of when it expires
It is also essential to be aware of when a domain is going to expire. In this way we will renew it on time and thus avoid making it available to anyone else who decides to register it and also take advantage of our name.
Take care of legal issues
Logically something very important is to take care of the name that we are going to use for our domain in order to avoid legal problems. For example, not using a trademark or something that mentions another business or someone else’s name. This is one of the reasons why we could lose control of that site.
Register other extensions
Finally, one more option to protect a domain is to register other extensions . Let’s say we have a page called website.com. Any other user could register siteweb.es and would be using our name and possibly receiving visits that could go to our site. Therefore, to avoid this, something we can do is register other domains.