A domain represents both the web address of your website and the name your visitors will use to refer to your website, such as www.isoc.net. It is one of the most important assets for your website. It is where people find you online, often communicate with you through your email address, and how you are referred to and known on the World Wide Web. Losing this name or having to change this name, especially for those with an established online presence can be detrimental and cause a significant loss in traffic, prospects, and even customer communications. So what are you doing to protect your domain(s) or online name(s)?

The top 3 things you can do to keep your domain safe include:

Know who you should be paying. The worst thing you want to happen is to lose your domain! There are many unethical organizations that try to steal domains, or try to take your money to renew your domain when they do not even hold the name. Companies, such as Domain Registry of America have been known for sending out invoices to trick domain owners into paying them to ‘transfer’ the domain, and even though the transfer may not be processed, they still keep your money. If you fail to pay the correct Registrar, you may lose your domain. Even worse, a competitor may then gain control of your domain, and there is nothing you can do to get it back. Not sure who your Registrar is, or who you should be paying? Click here to find out.

Set your Domain to Auto Renew. The easiest thing you can do is to set your domain to auto renew so you don’t have to worry about who may contact you or if it will expire. If you have good credit card on file, they can just automatically process your card and renew the domain each year. You may also be able to pay your domain up for 10 years, but beware, because in 10 years a lot can change in who is responsible for your domain, and important information can be lost.

Keep your information safe and up to date.

• There is always one controller of the domain, which is the Administrative Contact on the account.  So be sure you have a valid email address and contact for the person who is responsible.
• Change y our password regularly and make sure you use a secure password.  A password guide found at http://support.isoc.net/Page.aspx/164/pwordguide.html can help you.
• Consider protecting your identity by purchasing a privacy service from your Registrar.  While your domain ownership is usually public information (often how spammers find your information) you can purchase an affordable privacy service to make your information private.  It is similar to having an unlisted telephone number and offers the same benefits.

Buyer Beware. There are a lot of scammers out there for domains. From people trying to sell domains for thousands of dollars, purchase your domain (without ever really paying you), to trying to get you to buy a domain. The most popular scam for domains today are foreign countries contacting you to buy their domain extensions, stating that someone in their country wants that domain and they are giving you the opportunity to purchase the domain. To stay up on the latest alerts, check out our blog.

Not just for your domain, but for all of your accounts, if you are aware of when they are due, who you are paying, and who is responsible for them (maintaining your account information), it will be easier to identify solicitations and scams from legitimate account requests. If you are looking for more assistance about gaining information for your account, please feel free to contact a Customer Service Specialist at 859-525-8730 or sales@isoc.net.