When you buy a domain name it belongs to you forever, right? Wrong. You license the right to use it for a fixed period.

Domain names and their ownership. It’s a tricky maze to find your way around. When you buy a name, you’re entering into a registration agreement with a fixed term. A website tan be your livelihood, so here are some tips to make sure you enjoy continuous ownership without hitches or glitches.

The biggest mistake a thriving site can make is failing to renew its domain, all services will be suspended and users won’t be able to access your site. It’s actually not quite the disaster you might think though. When a domain name lapses, it goes into a 40-day “grace” period, where the original owner can still renew the domain for the original fee. Still, it’s a pretty powerful wake-up call and every day with a site down can be one where you’re losing money.

That’s where auto-renewal services with domain registrars come in. Many services place you on a rolling renewal contract when you register a new name, Handy when you know that you’re going to continue using that name for a long time, but less helpful when you rather it had lapsed or would like to move to another service. You can transfer domain names out to any other provider any time you like, by the way.

We’d also advise that it’s seldom a good idea to have your domain name and hosting with the same service. Sure, it makes it logistically easier to manage your sites, but separating domain and hosting gives you a greater degree of choice. You’re better able to pick and choose hosting offers when they arise – and it’s hosting that costs the big bucks. Having control over where your domain points to also enables you to bring your site in house it you have the necessary resources in future.

A final issue to be aware: some registrars retain ownership and the domain is registered in their name. Watch out for this and make sure that any domains you register are in your name, or you may have trouble moving on.

Domain name information

whois.net

One of those old, old protocols with origins stretching back to the early internet. Now we use it to look up domain name ownership details.

Nominet.org.uk

The service that administrates the .co.uk country level domain. Its dispute resolution service can be helpful when you have a disagreement with another domain name owner.

knowem.com

When you start a business online these days it’s not enough to own the domain name. You need the social media user names and pages associated with the brand too. Knowem helps you track these down quickly.

Author Bio: Guest Post by Kashif Raza. Subtle Network Design offer your business Clearwater Web Design, Clearwater Logo Design or Clearwater Brochure Design.