What do You Need to do When Your Domain Name Expires?

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When your domain expires, act quickly to avoid losing it permanently. First, check the expiration date and see if the domain falls within the grace period. If the grace period has passed, the domain renewal fees may increase.

A domain name is an essential aspect of your website. It makes it easier for people to find your site online. When a domain name expires, reclaiming it can be complicated and confusing. You must take action at the right time to avoid losing your domain. To avoid such situations, we recommend enabling auto-renewal, where your domain is automatically renewed before the expiration date.

In this blog, we will discuss what you need to do when your domain name expires so that you don’t lose it!

READ: 11 Best Practices for Buying A Good Domain Name

Why Should You Renew Your Expired Domain?

As mentioned before, your domain is a crucial part of your online identity and losing it could force you to rebuild your brand from scratch. To avoid this, renew domain name promptly, ensuring your customers can always find you online and trust your business. Want to know how to renew your domain? Follow our guide to domain renewal.

What Happens When Your Domain Name Expires?

When a particular domain name expires, it will enter the renewal period. All expired domain names are put on temporary commercial parking pages until renewed. During this period, any website or email associated with the expired domain name would stop working. You can retain ownership if you renew your domain before the grace period expires.

Once a domain name expires, it enters these phases:

Expired: The domain, your website, and your email services become inactive. Most registrars offer a grace period (30 to 90 days) during which you can renew the domain without extra charges. However, it’s crucial to act fast to maintain ownership.
Redemption Grace Period: After the grace period, the domain enters redemption, where a higher fee may be required to renew it.
Pending Delete: If you fail to renew your domain during the redemption phase, the domain enters the pending delete stage, lasting around five days. Afterwards, it is deleted from the registry and becomes available for public registration. At this point, competitors or speculators may seize it.

To retain control, act promptly within the grace or redemption periods. Additionally, you must know that all domains are always available for backorder. That means any time someone decides to buy your domain name, they can backorder it. And, as soon as it becomes available, they can purchase it immediately or wait and be notified by email the moment your domain comes up for sale again.

READ: A Beginner’s Guide to Domain Registration

Domain Expiration vs. Domain Deletion: Key Difference

Understanding the difference between domain expiration and deletion is essential for website owners. When a domain expires, it becomes temporarily inactive, but it can be recovered within specific periods. However, once a domain is deleted, it is permanently lost and available for others to register. Let’s understand the difference between these two phases in detail.

Aspect	Domain Expiration	Domain Deletion
Status	Inactive but still linked to the original owner.	Fully removed from the owner’s account.
Grace Period	30 to 90 days grace period to renew the domain.	There is no grace period; the domain is permanently deleted
Website Behavior	Displays a “domain expired” or parked page when a customer visits the site.	The website is inaccessible; the domain is available for re-registration.
Control	Owner can retain rights after renewal.	The original owner loses all rights.
Redemption Phase	Available if not renewed, with extra fees.	There is no recovery option after the redemption phase.
Availability to Public	Not accessible until grace and redemption periods are over.	It is fully available to others once deleted.

These phases show how timely action can impact your ability to retain your domain ownership.

Consequences of an expired domain name

When your domain expires, your website also becomes unavailable. This may lead to loss of reputation and customers; your users may lose trust in your website or blog. Moreover, users are redirected to another domain, usually that of a competitor. This can result in an increase in traffic for that domain.

How can you avoid domain name expiration?

Renew your domain name before the expiration date by using a credit card or PayPal

Buy back an expired domain name from a third-party reseller to avoid losing it forever!

Tips to Ensure Smooth Domain Renewal

Set up auto-renewal to automatically renew your domain to prevent expiration.
Stay informed about domain expiry by activating email reminders before your domain expires.
Get domains from one registrar to simplify tracking renewal dates.

These steps help keep your domain active and reduce the risk of accidental expiration.

How can you avail auto-renewal with your service provider?

Make sure the domain name being renewed is in your account. If you previously had a service provider set up your URL, they may still have access to renewing it. Transferring ownership of the domain into your own account is recommended.

To renew a domain with BigRock, customers should log into their account and go through the following steps:

Click the account settings icon

Select “Renewals & Billing”

Then, select your domain name from the list by clicking on it

Click the button “Auto Renew” to set up auto-renewal

How to get your Expired Domain Back Before Someone Else Claims it?

If you did not opt for the domain name ‘auto-renewal,’ you will have to renew an expired domain. Here’s how you can get your expired domain back:

Click “My Products”

Click “Manage All”

Under the “Domains” menu, click “Expired Domains.”

Then, select your expired business domain name.

Next, select the desired length of registration for your domain.

Finally, click “Finish” to complete this renewal process.

READ: Your Preferred Domain Name is Taken? Try These 5 Pro Tips

Best Practices to Avoid Domain Expiry

Your domain and website are of high value, like any other asset. It is your responsibility to set up a process for the renewal of your domain name and hosting to avoid any loss in the future. We recommend the following best practices to keep everything in check for your smooth online operations and business growth:

Your domain name is crucial to your business, so make sure you keep it under the direct supervision of a dedicated employee, and optional access to a higher management authority.
Keep records of the contacts responsible for your domain name to protect it from being lost. If the contact responsible for managing your domain ever leaves and needs to provide instructions or a successor, you need to know how to find the information.
Keep your email up-to-date and activate renewal reminders to stay informed before expiration.
Set your domain to auto-renew to prevent service disruption, but remember to update billing information if needed.
If you own multiple domains, manage them under one registrar for easier tracking and payment.
If your domain expires, use grace periods to renew it without rebranding.

Summing Up

Keeping your domain name updated is an important task. Severe consequences can harm your business’s online reputation if you neglect to renew. Be proactive and take the necessary steps to protect your domain name before it expires. Contact BigRock’s expert team if you need help with domain renewal process or face any other issue with your website or domain name.

Still confused? Refer to our FAQs for clarity.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How long before my domain name becomes active?

It takes about 24 hours for your domain to become active after expiry.

Is it good to buy expired domains?

Yes. An expired domain is a great choice for many reasons, but its most significant use is enhanced SEO rankings. For instance, an expired domain with great backlinks can increase your domain authority and traffic.