Don’t Give Up Your Domain Name
Are you in control of your web domain name? If you own a business, don't make the mistake of allowing a web designer, agency, employee, or friend to register your business web domain name on your behalf. While this process may appear too complicated, not doing it yourself can lead to severe consequences such as losing control of the domain name if the person who registered it wins the lottery and abruptly moves to their own private island, or worse yet, you have a falling out.
It's not impossible to regain control of a web domain but doing this step yourself can help you avoid unnecessary stress and an interruption to your business operation.
Here is an example of what can happen if you are not in control of your business' web domain registration from ricksdailytips.com:
Former Presidential candidate Jeb Bush was apparently asleep at the wheel when planning his 2016 Presidential run.
Inexplicably, he allowed the domain JebBush.com to be registered by someone else who redirected JebBush.com to Donald Trump's official campaign website. (Yikes!)
He ended up registering Jeb2016.com for use with his official campaign website. Of course, the election is long over, but JebBush.com is little more than a blank page today, and that third party still owns the domain.
If Jeb ever decides to run for office again, he'll have to find another suitable domain name for his campaign website.
Well, that's a cautionary tale that caught your attention!
How do you avoid this happening to you? Read on to learn five reasons why it's essential to keep control of your domain name and how to do it:
Always control access. Your domain name is one of your most valuable business assets. You must control access and ensure that your business wholly owns the domain name. Keep this information under virtual lock and key.
Don't rely on somebody else to register or manage your domain name on your behalf. There are options with some providers to add a user, where that user can manage the domain name - but you should always be listed as the "owner." Do not give your web developer full access to your domain name and registrar account. Make sure their access limits what they can do within the account.
The consequences of allowing someone else register on your behalf. If someone registers a domain name on your behalf, they may list the owner as themselves (individual) or their business. If you're trying to regain control of a domain name that you've lost access to, it can be challenging to achieve success.
Keep your login details secure. Keep the login details safe for your domain registration. Use a password manager and ensure that you don't hand these details over to anyone you don't explicitly trust. There have been occasions where people have transferred domains out of accounts, and it has been complicated for people to get them back.
Don't ignore reminders in your inbox! Make sure all renewal reminders come through to your email address. Don't ignore these reminders because your website and emails will stop working if you don't renew your domain name. As you will be in sole control of your domain name, pay attention to any communication from your domain registrar.
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Jason Bass is a marketing strategist, community builder, and founder who turns bold ideas into real momentum. At the helm of Jason Hunter Design, Pixel Partner Digital, and The Citizen, he brings clarity to chaos, structure to startups, and firepower to brands ready to scale. Known for his visionary thinking and down-to-earth leadership, Jason helps businesses grow — not just in revenue, but in purpose and impact.