Who Owns Your Website Domain
Because its so valuable, we cannot stress enough the need to OWN YOUR OWN DOMAIN. This is a mistake we see hoteliers make all too often they entrust someone else to purchase their domain name for them, and wind up in a pickle.
For example, they may inherit a website domain through the acquisition of a hotel. Or ask their agency or web developer to purchase a domain name for them while building a new website.
This raises a number of issues around domain ownership. If a third-party purchases your domain name, then you technically dont own it. So if you were ever to leave your agency, switch website providers, or lose touch with the previous hotel owner, you might lose access to your website domain as well.
This has actually happened to one of our customers, a Comfort Suites property in Utah. The owner purchased the property, but the domain name still technically belongs to the previous owner. She now finds herself in a holding pen, unable to launch her new Vizlly website until the previous owner contacts the domain registrar and transfers ownership, which is proving to be a very slow process.
You can see how this scenario could be even worse if your website provider or web designer owned your domain name. If the relationship soured, they could essentially hold you captive for fear of losing access to your website.
Do I Own The Domain I Have Registered
Domain names are technically digital addresses that you lease under a domain registry.
Domain registries get these domains from the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers , who have control over domain names.
Hence, when you get a domain name, you are leasing it from ICANN, through a domain registry, that acts as a broker.
What happens when you register a domain name is that a domain registry checks with ICANN the domain name you plan to use and its availability.
If available, ICANN lets the domain registry award the name to you, under a lease agreement.
How Do I Buy Domain Names
The concept of being able to buy domain names isn’t technically correct – nobody can buya .com.au domain name permanently or even a purchase a .com , whether you get a new name or acquire an existing website URL.
A domainpurchaser inreality is a registrant renting the license from the Australian registry to use the website name for a setperiod, with an option to renew the lease.
In the case of getting a new website address, while you cannot buy domain names outright or permanently, what you can do is to registera name. This is like purchasing a lease from the organisation that runswhatever registry the extension is associated with and shouldn’t be confused with third party name leasing.
For example, any website name with.au as an extension is regulated by auDA, the Australian Domain NameAdministrator. Our company is an auDA accredited domain registrar which is very different to a website address reseller.
Registration lease times can vary depending on the extension – some domain names you can register for upto 10 years at a time. The standard period you can register .com.au, net.au, .org.au, .asn.au or .id.au names is 2 years. That is another myth we can bust – you cannotbuy a domain name forever however, you can continually renew registration tomaintain control over it.
Also Check: Cost To Buy A Domain Name
What Do Icann Rules State
- You can register a domain through your preferred registrar after agreeing to their terms and conditions.
- Different registrars have different terms regarding how long your domain registration lasts. Most of these companies are flexible and can thus allow initial and renewal of domain registrations in one-year increments. However, the maximum allowed period of the remaining unexpired term is ten years.
- Registrars should alert all its registrants regarding approaching domain expiry date three months before it occurs.
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Renewing A Domain Lease
While you cannot buy a domain name, you can maintain your lease as long as your registrar exists. The first step is, of course, making the initial payment to lease your chosen domain name. Registration typically lasts for a year, so you’ll need to keep the date of your initial registration in mind. Before the year ends, find the option on your registrar’s website to renew the lease and pay a new charge.
You can preempt the expiration of your domain lease in this manner. There are other options to make it easier, however. For instance, most registrars offer an auto-renewal option, but vigilance is still necessary even when you rely on auto-renewal. Many registrants change their credit cards and forget to update the payment information associated with their lease, at which point they lose the domain.
Long-Term Leases
Another option is taking out the maximum lease that ICANN allows. ICANN is the international body that governs domains and related considerations, and they typically allow registration from one to 10 years. A term of 10 years may be more cost-effective and reduce any worries of losing the lease. While it’s not a lifetime lease, it is more enduring than a standard one-year lease. However, that raises questions about the registrars that offer leases beyond 10 years.
Lifetime Leases
What’s The Best Option?
Read Also: Can I Transfer My Domain Name To Another Host
All That Seo Goodness Gone
Yes, with a new website, youd be starting from scratch on everything web content, design, link building, not to mention clawing your way back up in search rankings.
You should expect a significant drop in organic traffic as you do this, leading once again to an over-reliance on OTAs to fill the gap.
A Few Words Before You Go
While you cant really permanently own a domain name, you can take solace in the fact that no one really owns a domain name, anyway. But theres something wonderful about the vibrancy and flexibility of the internet, the way it shapeshifts and evolves to suit the needs of the users.
In other words, this design actually makes sense when you think about the fact that the growing demands of the internet require a system thats also manageably scalable. So, taxes are paid to the ICANN, domain extension fees are paid to registry operators, and domain lease is paid to domain companies just so that everything can keep functioning properly.
As weve covered, though, this doesnt mean that you cant enjoy the security of being in charge of your domain for as long as you wish. All you have to do is register and pay for your domain for the next 10 years, and then turn on auto-renew. Your domain company will charge your pre-funded account and make sure the domain remains under your name before it expires and someone else gets a hold of it.
Recommended Reading: Shopify Transfer Domain Name
Can You Buy A Domain Name Without Hosting
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means, if you click on the link and purchase the product, I will receive a commission at no additional cost to you. Dont worry, I only recommend products or services that I have personally used and believe will add value to my readers.
Every website owner must understand two important concepts Domain Name and Web Hosting. In simple terms, Domain Name is your website name on the internet, and Web Hosting is a service through which you find an actual space on the internet to publish your website. Now, the question that many people have is
Can I buy a domain name without hosting? Yes, you can buy a domain name without hosting. You dont need a hosting provider to register your domain name. If your preferred domain name is available, you can buy it by paying a fee and registering it with a domain registrar. It doesnt matter whether you have a hosting account or not. You will be the owner of the domain name for as long as you keep renewing your registration, irrespective of whether you use hosting to create a website or not.
To understand how this concept works, let us take a closer look at what a domain name is and how it relates to web hosting.
What Are Domain Name Extensions
Domain name extensions help categorize different domain names. Its a special hierarchy, invented for the Internet.
You can choose among popular top-level domain extensions such as:
- .com
- .org
- .net
Or go with a local domain extension such as if you want to focus on building a presence in a specific country:
- .co.uk
- .fr
- .au
Also, theres a bunch of creative domain extensions, launched recently. You can try playing around with them to create a shorter, brandable name. For example:
- Alchemi.st
- Handma.de
Also Check: Connect Wix To Shopify
How Long Can You Buy A Domain Name For
How long do you have to buy a domain name before it expires? If you need the answer to that question, then this article is for you! We will cover why you need a domain name and discuss the length of time they are available for purchase.
A domain name is the “address” of your website or blog. It’s kind of like the phone number for a home. A domain name tells people where they can find that particular site on the internet. And they help make brands look more professional online than just a social media page.
Domain names are great for businesses because they help them attract more visitors and contribute to the website’s SEO rankings. They are also helpful for bloggers since it’s difficult to remember a long URL or email address when you want to share something with your social followers.
To buy a domain name, you need an account with one of the many domain registrars. These companies make it easy for anyone who wants to purchase or sell domains and register them to be found online. You might have heard of some popular ones like GoDaddy, Network Solutions, Register.com, Host Gator or Namecheap.
A registrar will manage the admin of your domain for you and even take care of DNS settings which is the technology that translates domain names into IP addresses so that you can browse the internet.
DNS stands for Domain Name Server, and it’s essentially a network of servers that keep track of all your requests when you’re on the web.
The Problem With Registration Terms:
The problem with these terms is that they tend to be riddled with many legal technicalities, which can be disadvantageous to businesses.
Having a long-term lease isnt helpful in the long run.
For example, if you still have 12 years in your contract, and youre only halfway into the contract, you wont be able to change the registry and hosting without violating the contract.
Again, if the domain name shuts down in the middle of a long lease, you still lose the money you paid for in advance.
However, if you have only two years for your registry, this would mean easier losses if you decide to change services.
Also Check: Transfer Godaddy Domain To Squarespace
Inmotion Hosting Best Vps Web Hosting
InMotion Hosting offers both shared hosting and VPS web hosting. Both types of hosting come with a free domain as long as you sign up for a minimum of 6 months.
VPS hosting is an excellent choice if youve outgrown shared hosting and are seeing considerable site performance issues.
Going with VPS ensures your site loads faster and efficiently handles dynamic resource demand. Plus, you get a lot more control over your hosting environment.
With that said, VPS hosting is a bit more expensive since youre getting more features and improved site performance.
InMotion Hostings three-year VPS plans include:
- 2 GB RAM $31.99 per month
- 4 GB RAM $41.99 per month
- 6 GB RAM $61.99 per month
- 8 GB RAM $77.99 per month
If youre switching from shared hosting, the introductory plan is more than enough and you can upgrade as you need more server resources.
You can choose from monthly, six-month, one-year, two-year, and three-year agreements. However, you have to opt for at least a six-month contract to get a free domain name. But signing up for three years in advance gives you the best deal.
InMotion Hosting also offers unmanaged VPS hosting options for developers and advanced website designers looking for even more flexibility with advanced command-line control.
Some Companies Offer Lifetime Domain Registration
We will discuss 2 registrars which offer this kind of service. The first one is Epik.com and they offer a service with the name Forever Registration. You can use that link if you are interested to use their service .
The process works like that: Epik renews the domain name for the maximum period and then at the end of the year they renew for an additional 1 year.
That way the domain name is always registered for the maximum years allowed. You pay the initial fee and then you dont need to bother for any future renewal. The advantage of this method is that you pay once and you dont need to worry if your card or PayPal has enough money at any future day for your renewal.
You can check a screenshot of the proof here:
There is also another service available on Epik where you pay $888 dollars and they call it resilient. This service helps you to build a more secure site by avoiding the usual methods that hackers use and of course, you get the domain forever registration too.
Here is what they offer exactly with resilient:
Content Delivery NetworkWebsite OptimizerUnlimited VPNs for users
These prices look expensive to the average user but it seems there is interest for them. I believe enterprise clients have funds to invest in these services so they dont bother with renewal and website security issues.
Another registrar that offers a domain name forever is Network Solutions. *Disclaimer there are many bad reviews for this company online
Read Also: Shopify Transferring Domain
Do You Own Your Domain Name Forever
The short answer is no. For brands having a website is a lot like having an online version of a physical business. But unlike a brick and mortar building, you can not opt to own your domain name outright. You have to keep registering it with your registrar.
Typically, it is possible to register your domain for a set period, such as one or two years. Frequently, it is possible to get deals with your registrar to get your first year free or even at a lower cost when you agree to register your domain for two years or more.
If you’re planning to register your domain name for more than one year, it pays to research which registrar will be the best fit for you. Some providers have better prices or offer special deals that can save money over time.