A domain name is a distinctive identifier for users to locate your website.
This is why you should have one.
Prelude
A domain is crucial to defining your internet persona. It impacts the credibility, usability, and branding of your website.
Owning a domain isn't enough to ensure a successful online identity. You can encounter various issues as a website owner, which calls for effective management of this domain. Read on as I explore ten issues and how to mitigate them.
What is domain management?
Domain management is registering, configuring, and maintaining the use of a domain name. It may involve renewal, updates to pertinent contact details, and configuring DNS settings.
This undertaking is essential because if your domain expires, it can lose internet traffic and revenue. Managing your domain is vital in keeping out hackers and preventing unauthorized access to confidential data. It is useful in ensuring compliance with domain name management best practices and industry standards, like ICANN regulations.
Common issues in domain management
Lack of knowledge
Website owners may not fully understand all that goes into domain management. They may miss vital technical details in registering, renewing, or configuring their domains. This could negatively impact their website's performance and security. It can introduce a bevy of subdomain name registration issues.
Solution:
Site owners should invest in learning about the nitty-gritty of domain name management. There are several online resources and industry publications that they can utilize. Consult with experts in the field and keep tabs on updates in ICANN policies around the same.
Missed renewals
If a company switches domain administrators without the proper handover, the new entrant could miss registration renewal notices for one or more domains. The credit card linked to the domain account may expire before the renewal date. A missed renewal could result in the domain name becoming unavailable through its acquisition by someone else. This could lead to lost traffic, brand damage, and a host of legal issues.
Solution:
Organizations should automatically renew all their domains to mitigate this. Credit on account rather than credit card payments would be prudent.
Domain disputes
It is typical to find multiple parties claiming ownership of the same domain name. This could arise from the accidental registration of similar domain names or trademark disputes between organizations. Someone can buy a domain name in advance and hold the proper rights owner to ransom for the domain. This is called cybersquatting.
Solution:
Conduct proper research before registering your domain name to avoid trademark disputes. Register several names similar to your domain, such as common typos. This prevents competitors and cybercriminals from using similar. Seek legal counsel in case of dispute.
Complexity and risk of domain name management
Managing several domain names hosted by different providers could introduce risk and complexity. More than one administrator overseeing the collection of domains complicates this management. Each administrator may employ diverse management practices. All admins have access to the company's sensitive data. This leaves the company's data vulnerable to a breach if they have weak security measures.
Solution:
Delegate domain management to a single enterprise-class administrator who puts security first. This can streamline the entire management process and offer consistent and reliable support. Invest in domain name management tools that can automate various aspects of managing domains and provide live alerts for any potential issues.
Difficulties in domain name transfer and inadequate service support
Companies often need to transfer domain names after mergers and acquisitions. These transfers are often technical. Complex manual processes and insufficient support make them even more challenging. This could cause delays in the transfer process or even loss of the domain to a competitor.
Solution:
Employ a reputable and qualified administrator to tackle the domain transfers on your behalf. This admin should provide round-the-clock multi-channel support in case of any issues. Proactively plan for any potential domain transfers. This includes ensuring the domains are not locked for transfer or close to their expiry dates.
Insufficient domain name security
Cybersecurity threats are ever-evolving, and protection measures should be regularly updated to combat domain name security issues. Insufficient security may lead to website downtime or data breaches.
Solution:
Employ corporate-focused registrars to keep out any security threats. Implement best practices for domain security, such as strong passwords and 2FA authentication. Use SSL certificates to encrypt your website traffic and prevent man-in-the-middle attacks.
No domain name monitoring
Website owners or managers may fail to monitor their domains for potential threats or issues. This could expose their websites to security risks and damage their brand's image.
Solution:
Stay vigilant in domain security management. Regularly check for any changes to the domain name, expiry dates, or SSL certificate statuses. Look out for any online trademark infringements and cybersquatting. Utilize domain name monitoring tools that provide alerts of potential threats in real time.
Spread across multiple registrars.
It is commonplace for large organizations to find their domain names spread across multiple administrators. This could result from mergers and acquisitions, some business units acting independently, or other reasons. Using multiple admins can introduce ambiguity around the business's total number of domains, the information linked to each, and the individuals authorized to access them. This exposes the corporation to a high-security risk.
Solution:
Have all your domains under a registrar's management that can support several registries and domains. This facilitates implementing domain management best practices, such as naming conventions and maintaining a central domain inventory.
Accounting discrepancies and payment mishaps
The accounting side of domain management can prove quite challenging when a company owns several domains with different billing cycles and payment methods. This could result in some missed payments, leading to service disruptions from expired domains.
Solution:
Implement accounting practices for domain management. Select an enterprise-level registrar who offers reliable, transparent billing and alerts of upcoming payments. Regularly review and reconcile all domain-related accounting records to ensure accuracy and address any mishaps accordingly.
Difficulty handling registry requirements from multiple regions
Different regions usually have varying regulations for registering domains bearing their country's extension. Each registrar may differ in the domain extensions they offer. Your regular registrar may not support the extension of the country you're interested in doing business. This introduces the issue of having your domains scattered across different administrators.
Solution:
Engage a corporate domain admin who is well-versed in regulatory requirements worldwide. They should also support the registration of domains from all over the globe and offer you expert advice on how to proceed.
Benefits of effective domain management
- Ensures all relevant domain names remain under the control of your company or organization
- Prevents unauthorized access, hacking, or domain hijacking
- Simplifies the process of registering and managing domains in different countries
- Facilitates simpler domain name transfer
- Saves money by preventing losses emanating from missed renewals
- Enables companies to spot and take advantage of new domain name opportunities
Summary
A domain name is a vital part of your business's online identity. It is unique to your company. Owning a domain name does not create a successful online presence. Actively manage and monitor your domain to ensure it doesn't fall into unauthorized hands. We've discussed the top 10 issues that website owners face regarding domain management, as well as their solutions.
Domain management requires careful organization and maintenance for smooth operations and optimal performance. This is the same for Software Development.
Read: 9 Reasons Why Software Developer Is a Great Career Choice.
For these and more thoughts, guides, and insights visit my blog at martinbaun.com.
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Top comments (2)
This article is very insightful! Avoiding common issues in domain management solutions is key to keeping a registered domain active, stable, and secure against impeding threats.
Thank you Odhiambo!