We see the following scenario often:

A client’s domain, registered with another registrar, expires. The client calls or emails asking why their website is down. We tell them their domain expired with registrar XYZ. They didn’t even know it was up for renewal.

Turns out the WHOIS data attached to the domain name had outdated address and contact information. They renew, but it’s still a number of hours before things are back to normal, as it takes time to propagate across the internet.

Keep your WHOIS info up to date

The WHOIS info attached to your domain name (the admin and billing contacts you set when you originally registered your domain) is very important. This is what registrars use to contact you about domain renewals. Make sure you keep it up to date.

You can easily check what contact info is attached to your domain by doing a WHOIS lookup. You can do this from our WHOIS lookup page.

Don’t rely on your registrar alone

Even if your contact info is up to date, don’t rely on your registrar to make you aware of expiring domains. Maybe their system had a glitch and didn’t send the reminder. Maybe their email got flagged as spam. Too many things can go wrong.

I recommend putting an entry in a calendar program (like Google Calendar) that sends you a reminder about one month before a domain is set to expire.

Remember, there is NO PENALTY for renewing a domain name early. It simply adds the renewal period onto the existing expiration date. So don’t wait until the last-minute to renew.

SSL Secure Certificates – same as domains

SSL certs are similar to domains. The company you buy one from has your initial contact information, and will use this to inform you of when your cert will expire. If the info is outdated, you’ll find out when orders dwindle and customers complain that your site is insecure.

Don’t let that happen. Make a note of when your cert expires, and put that date on your calendar with a reminder. Make sure you renew it at least a week or two before the actual expiration date.

SSL renewals with LexiConn – save up to 25%

If you get your GeoTrust or VeriSign SSL certificate through us, renewing early has its privileges. Renew up to 3 months early, and get 3 bonus months added to the new expiration date.

That’s a built-in 25% savings for being the early bird!

Many other vendors may also have similar offers. So take advantage of them.

The bottom line

Even if your domain or SSL cert provider is awesome, don’t rely solely on their ability to remind you of these important expiration dates.

Ultimately, it’s up to you to make sure your property is properly renewed. Missing these deadlines can result in lost sales, or losing your domain forever.

Adding a simple reminder on a calendar can spare your company from the pain of expired domains and certificates.

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