Chances are, like most business owners, your domain name is a key part of your overall marketing strategy. It is in your best interest to know when it expires. Don’t rely on anyone else to keep track of this information for you.
So, how do you find out who your domain name is registered with, and when it expires? Go to www.betterwhois.com and enter your domain name in the look-up box. You’ll have to enter a 4-digit code to verify that you are a real person requesting this information, not a machine.
In the results look for the following information:
Registrar
This is the company you registered your domain with. This is the ONLY company you should respond to regarding domain name notices. You will most likely receive a notice from Domain Registry of America (droa.com) that your domain is about to expire, and chances are they are NOT your registrar. They are simply trying to trick you into transferring your domain to their company. Go to the search for “droa scam” in Google to see what I mean. While we’re talking about scams, look at “ilscorp scam“, and “dnrcenter.hk scam“. If you get an email about your domain name that you don’t trust, do a google search to find out if it’s legitimate or not.
Expiration Date
This is the date your domain name will expire. You can renew your domain name for more than one year at a time, and search experts often say that Google gives extra weight to domain names that longer expiration dates (it shows you have staying power). Simplify your life and renew your domain name for 10 years at a time.
Administrative Contact
This should be you, or someone you trust. This is the person who will receive the email notifications that your domain name is about to expire. If you change your email address, make sure you update the email address at the domain registrar so you receive any notifications from them.
Make it your business to know what is going on with your domain name!