Recently, I have assisted several clients who were having problems with their domain registration. In some situations, it did not appear that the domain was properly registered with the business or organization as the owner of the domain. This could end up being a big problem for a business or organization if they cannot get control of their domain name(s).

I was also surprised to find an Alaskan ISP registering their web hosting clients’ domains in the ISP’s name (so it looked like the ISP was the owner of the domain). Given that whois search tools may show this data a little differently, I could be mistaken about this, but it was a pretty eye-opening experience while I was trying to get a domain transferred properly for a client. The ISP was very helpful in getting the domain transferred, once I found the right person to speak to.

I’ve also seen domains expire, shutting down a business website and email; while the IT support staff and/or web site designer had no access to the registrar account. A primary domain should never be allowed to expire, especially given that several notices are sent via email prior to a domain’s expiration date, and the fact that most registrars allow you to auto-renew with a credit card on file.

For a business or an organization, make sure that all of your domains are properly registered in the business or organization name (and preferably have all domains registered through the same registrar of your choice). You should be able to set up to 4 contacts for a domain: Registrant, Administrative, Billing, and Technical. Make sure the contact information is up to date that everyone who may need to assist with domain registrations has access to the registrar account.

As a web designer/consultant, I’ve learned not to overlook the domain registration, and make sure that my clients have clear understanding who is responsible for the domain renewals for their organization, as well as making sure that the right people have access to the registrar account.

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