Domain name mistakes are cheap to avoid and expensive to fix. The ten below cost people money every year: wrong prices, lost names, bad history and weak settings. Each one has a quick check. Read the list once, and you will avoid most of them.
Why domain name mistakes are so costly
A name is a long-term asset. You build a brand on it, and every error becomes harder to fix over time. A small problem on day one can turn into a lost name, a legal letter or an email problem a year later.
The good news is that nearly all of these mistakes are known. They repeat across buyers. So a short list is enough.
Four domain name mistakes before you buy
- Trusting the first-year price. A low price in year one can hide a high renewal price. Compare the price for years two to five. The Domain Cost Calculator does the sums.
- Skipping the trademark check. A free name can still belong to someone else's brand. Check it before you pay, because a dispute costs far more than a search.
- Choosing a name nobody can spell. If people cannot write it after hearing it, you lose visitors every day. Test it aloud on a friend.
- Buying without the history. A used name can carry spam or a penalty. Our guide to checking domain history shows how to look.
Three domain name mistakes when you register
- Forgetting the contact email. Renewal reminders go to the address on the account, as ICANN's Expired Registration Recovery Policy requires. If that address is old, you will miss them, and a name can expire. Use an address you read every day.
- Leaving the transfer lock off. The transfer lock blocks unauthorised moves of your name. Keep it on unless you are moving the name yourself.
- Leaving auto-renew off. Auto-renew keeps the name alive even if you forget. Turn it on, and keep a valid card on file. See what happens when it fails in what happens when a domain expires.
Three domain name mistakes after you buy
- Ignoring look-alike names. Others can register versions of your name with a typo. They may use them to catch your visitors. The Lookalike Finder shows which look-alikes exist, and our post on typosquatting protection explains what to do.
- Using one weak login for everything. If someone steals the password of your registrar account, they can take the name. Use a long, unique password and turn on two-step login.
- Skipping the email records. Without SPF, DKIM and DMARC, your mail may land in spam, and others can fake your address. Read our guide to SPF vs DKIM vs DMARC and set them up.
Which mistake costs the most?
The costliest one is losing the name. It happens when the contact email is wrong and auto-renew is off. The owner never sees the reminders, and the name drops. Rebuying a lost name from a new owner can cost far more than a lifetime of renewals.
The second costliest is a name with a bad history, because it harms your mail and your search results for months. Both are easy to prevent with five minutes of care.
How to avoid all ten
You do not need to remember everything. Use two lists. The first is a buying list: price, trademark, spelling, history. The second is a setup list: contact email, lock, auto-renew, strong login, email records.
Our post on seven things to check before you buy covers the first list. For the second, a ten-minute session after you register is enough. Then set a reminder once a year to check the settings again.
What to remember
Most domain name mistakes come from hurry. A name looks perfect, and the buyer skips the boring checks. Slow down for ten minutes. The Domain Health Check reads the expiry date, the lock and the email records of any name, so it is a good place to start. If you hold several names at one registrar, review all of them at once.
Sources
- ICANN: Expired Registration Recovery Policy: the expiry reminders registrars must send.
- ICANN: .com Registry Agreement: the registry's capped price and the registration terms.
- USPTO: trademark search: searching US trademarks.
Originally published at namedaemon.com/10-domain-name-mistakes-that-cost-money/. NameDaemon has 18 free tools for .com names, built on the daily zone file, and the numbers are on the State of .com page.
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