You might be surprised to learn how many website owners sign in to find their domain name expired.
How to get it back depends on many links, including the parameters set by the domain registrar that rents out the active domains.
For example, domains typically require an auto-renew selection to keep them online after a predetermined expiry date.
Site owners do not often track these expiration dates, forgetting to renew their domains until they sign in to find it inactive.
There is a large community of people finding expired domains with backlinks for their own needs, so if you let your domain expire, someone else could quickly snap it up.
An expired domain can cost your business much in the way of website traffic or online sales, depending on the type of site.
Not knowing when to renew the domain term before its expiration date would eventually mean you find the domain name expired; how to get it back online is a simpler task than you might imagine.
When to Expect Expired Domains
Any web address rental service sets terms around an expired domain name. Most services provide an option to choose how long it stays active before expiry, with a minimum of one year.
It is part of ensuring that owners do not trade their web addresses for a profit too quickly, though there are rental terms available of up to ten years.
You still own the web address if it expires—the mechanism is just a reminder to pay for your domain name's renewal for another term.
How to Check the Expiration Date of Your Web Address
Knowing when your web address expires is key to timely recovery at the standard renewal price.
Expiry attracts penalty fees for most web address rental services, especially if you miss the email expiration notices.
If you do not want to forget to renew your web address and lose access to it, be sure to check that these notifications are coming through to you in time.
Has Your Domain Expired? How to Get it Back With Two Simple Options
Have you just found your domain name expired? How to get it back during the redemption period includes contacting your registrar and performing a Whois search. Make sure to use the Way Back Machine to make sure the website has similar content.
Option 1: Contact Your Domain Name Registry
Contact your web address registry to check your domain name's expiration date. The registry will access your profile to give you the details of your expiring or deleted domain, including:
- The starting date of your domain name registration
- The Top-level Doman (TLD) or web address
- The number of years you prepaid for your term during registration
- When to renew your web address
- The registration grace period
Option 2: A Whois Search
My domain name expired! How do I get it back? Don’t panic; the second option is a Whois lookup for your web address.
The Whois database searches domains and their expiration dates. Here’s how to do it:
1. Navigate to the Whois database.
2. Input your IP or web address into the text box.
3. Click on the “Lookup” button.
4. Select your domain name record.
5. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to see when your domain expires.
At the bottom of the page, you’ll see your domain name’s expiry details, including when you created it and assigned names.
The Whois database stores the hosting history of expired domain names.
You can also use the Google Domains redemption procedures to apply a redemption fee.
How to Prevent An Expired Domain
If your domain name account for your website is active:
- Set a calendar reminder to notify you before the renewal grace period expires.
- Renew your web address within the grace period (usually 30 - 40 days).
- Choose a longer rental term.
- Take advantage of the auto-renew feature for next time and pay automatically.
Do not panic if you notice your domain name expired; how to get it back depends on many factors.
If recovery efforts fail to activate or re-register your existing domain, having to purchase a new domain account could even improve your site’s visibility.