How to Ensure You Don’t Lose Your Domain Name (and Avoid Email Pitfalls)

Losing a domain name can be a nightmare, whether you're running a business, managing a personal brand, or simply hosting a personal website. Over the years, I've seen cases where people lost their domains due to expiration, administrative mishaps, or provider issues—leading to severe disruptions. Worse still, if your primary email accounts are tied to that domain, it can make recovery even harder.

To help you avoid this scenario, here are some best practices to ensure you never lose your domain name and protect your email accounts from unnecessary risks.

1. Enable Auto-Renewal

One of the most common reasons for losing a domain is forgetting to renew it. Most domain registrars offer an auto-renewal feature, which ensures your domain remains active as long as there is a valid payment method on file. Double-check that auto-renew is enabled for all your critical domains.

2. Use a Reliable Registrar

Not all domain registrars are created equal. Choose a reputable company with a track record of good service and security. Some top choices include:

• Namecheap
• Google Domains (transitioning to Squarespace Domains)
• Cloudflare Domains
• GoDaddy (with caution due to aggressive upselling)

Avoid lesser-known registrars that may have unreliable support or questionable business practices.

3. Keep Your Contact Information Updated

Ensure your domain registrar has your correct email address and phone number on file. If your email changes and you don’t update it, you may miss important renewal notices or domain verification alerts, leading to domain suspension or loss.

4. Use a Backup Email That Isn't Tied to Your Domain

A common mistake is using an email address from the same domain you are trying to protect. For example, if your domain is yourbusiness.com, using admin@yourbusiness.com for domain registration means that if your domain expires, you may lose access to email notifications. Instead:

• Use a Gmail, Outlook, or another third-party email service for domain-related logins and notifications.
• Add a secondary email contact in your registrar account as a backup.

5. Understand That Hosting and Domain Registration Are Separate

Many people assume that canceling their web hosting also cancels their domain registration, but they are separate services. Your domain can still be active even if your hosting expires, and vice versa. Make sure you are aware of which services you are managing separately to avoid accidental domain loss.

6. Set Calendar Reminders for Expiry Dates

Even with auto-renewal enabled, it’s good practice to manually track your domain expiration date. Set a yearly reminder a month before renewal to verify that auto-renewal is working, your payment method is valid, and there are no unexpected issues.

7. Use Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for Your Registrar Account

Your domain registrar account is critical, and if compromised, someone could transfer your domain away or change ownership details. Always enable multi-factor authentication (MFA), preferably using an app like Google Authenticator, Authy, or a security key, rather than SMS (which is more vulnerable to attacks).

8. Consider Domain Locking for Extra Security

Many registrars offer domain locking, which prevents unauthorized transfers. This ensures that even if someone gains access to your registrar account, they can’t easily transfer your domain away without additional authentication steps.

9. Keep a Backup Plan for Email Services

If your domain is tied to email services (e.g., Google Workspace, Microsoft 365), make sure you have a backup plan:

• Consider a secondary domain (e.g., yourbusinessbackup.com) and set up forwarding for important contacts.
• Maintain a secondary non-domain email (like Gmail or Outlook) for critical accounts.
• Regularly back up important emails.

10. Monitor Your Domain for Unexpected Changes

Use domain monitoring services to receive alerts if your domain settings change unexpectedly. Some registrars offer this feature, or you can use services like WhoisXML API, DNSstuff, or Cloudflare’s monitoring tools.

11. Renew Domains for Multiple Years

Instead of renewing your domain yearly, consider extending your registration for multiple years (e.g., 5 or 10 years). This reduces the risk of accidental expiration and often comes with a small discount.

Conclusion

Your domain name is a critical asset, and losing it can result in business disruptions, email outages, and even brand identity theft. By following these best practices—enabling auto-renewal, using a separate email for registration, securing your registrar account, and monitoring for changes—you can significantly reduce the risk of domain loss.

Have you ever encountered a situation where someone lost their domain name? Share your experiences in the comments below!