Expired domains, or mis-configured domains/emails can cause severe disruption to your business and result in losses in some cases.
Here are some of the most common mistakes Realtors® and business owners make when it comes to domains:
Not directly owning and registering a domain under your name
- You must be the owner of your domain - never let a 3rd party register it for you.
- It's best to use reputable public registrars such as Namecheap (our top pick), or Godaddy (also a popular choice).
Check out a good video where we explain the pitfalls if you don't follow this advice:
URL to Instagram reel: https://www.instagram.com/p/C1XljDSPPZV/
Changing the domain registrant email to the new email under the domain itself
This creates a loop that can lock you out!!!
- Owning the domain through the domain email itself (i.e. owning brixwork.com with ownership through [email protected] - if the domain is expired or broken, there's no way to troubleshoot or receive emails since the entire email will most likely also crash)
- If your domain expires, and you have lost access to your registrar's platform, you cannot even reset your password via email!
- You should always register your domain through your old @gmail.com, @yahoo.ca, or similar personal email you'll always have access to.
Other Best Practices for Domains
- Always keep all domains under one registrar (such as Namecheap.com or Godaddy.com - the more providers, the more confusing it can get).
- Keep your login information safe, and always use the same email as mentioned above. If you misplace your password, at least you can reset it by email verification.
- Check your domain records regularly, and even after getting your new email set up under your domain (such as [email protected]) check your registration email frequently enough (we have a separate @gmail under which all domains are owned).
We have an in-depth article on this issue on this blog article on jeffkee.com