Let’s presume that you’ve got a good registrar that you’re happy with and that you’ve brought your first domain name kicking and screaming into the world, or maybe you’re starting to build up a small collection… There’s some things we need to look at.

Your domain name check list file…

I like to have a word document called domain-names.doc, and in there I have a simple table with three columns, which are as follows:

‘domain name’ - written as domain.com - no need for the http://www
‘renewal date’ - the date when I’ve got to renew it again (more on that in a moment).
’site?’ - I put a simple YES in here when I’ve got a site in there.

Maybe you’ve got another software package that you’d prefer to use this? I’m guessing that Excel an do something similar but I’m not too well versed in that. But as long as you’ve got this list, how ya make it ain’t too important.

Expiring domains - don’t get caught out…

Although it’s probably gonna seem distant now, that domain you just bought starts ticking down to it’s expiry date the second you’ve bought it. (Ahhh!) The last thing you want is to build up a bank of traffic to it, make it an important part of your business, and then let it expire at the end of your period. Obviously, most registrars give you GOOD notice well in advance that this is going to happen, but what if something goes wrong?

For peace of mind, I regularly check my list of domain names, as mentioned above, to see which names are lumbering closer and closer to the time they need renewing. Call me a control freak but I really don’t want to lose an important name simply because of a burp in my registrar’s system. Check your domain expiry dates on a regular basis.

Check that your names are actually working…

This sounds really obvious and you might think, “Tim - I think I’ll know if one of my names stops working…” And while that’s probably very true now, if you’ve only got one name - or a few names, that will change when you get up to 10… 20… 100???

I don’t have occasion to visit MOST of my domain names under normal circumstances during a normal working week as lot of them have sites on there that just keep ticking along without me altering them. The problem with this is that on rare occasions, there’s been a problem in the WHOIS information and the name has reverted to an old host or something else has happened that’s stopped it working. Again, manually checking your domains by going down your list on a regular basis and pasting them into a browser is good practice.

You don’t need to do it every day or even every week - but do make time for this important check…

If you moved host recently moved hosts then check your domain names daily at first to make sure that the changes you’ve made to them have gone through, and that they have been set up correctly on your host. There’s usually some small problems that need ironing out so be persistent and thorough in your checks at this stage.

Watch out for emails about your domain…

If you receive any suspicious looking emails about your domain asking for permission to modify or alter it during the time you own it, treat them very carefully. It could be that someone is trying to make changes to your domain or to steal it from you. (This has happened to me before and they got the name, although I did eventually get it back…) Needless to say, don’t answer YES to any emails that you are sent and don’t assume it’s your host or someone working with you making the changes.

Contact your registrar straight away and follow it up carefully. Domain theft is RARE, but it does happen…