Your domain name is the foundation of your online presence. If it expires, your website emails and digital branding can be severely impacted. Whether it happened due to a missed renewal notification or an oversight, the good news is that you may still be able to recover it.
In this guide, we will talk you through the process of reactivating an expired domain and provide tips to prevent domain expiration in the future.
Understanding Domain Expiration Stages
When a domain expires, it doesn’t immediately become available to register. Instead of that, it goes through different phases:
- Grace Period (0 – 30 Days)
Most domain registrars offer a grace period where you can renew the domain at the standard renewal price. During this time, your website and email may be inactive, but you can recover everything by simply renewing the domain.
- Redemption Period (30 – 60 Days)
If you fail to renew during the grace period, the domain enters the redemption period. Reactivation during this phase is still possible, but it comes with a significantly higher redemption fee.
- Pending Deletion (5 Days)
If you don’t act during the redemption period, your domain enters a pending deletion phase. After this, it’s released back into the public pool and anyone can register it.
Why Reactivating Is Important:
- Brand Protection: Your domain is your online identity and losing it means losing brand recognition and potential customers.
- SEO Impact: If your website had established search engine rankings, losing your domain can severely impact your online visibility.
- Existing Traffic: Visitors who have bookmarked your site or remember your domain will encounter an error or a parked page, leading to frustration.
- Email Addresses: If you used your domain for email addresses, you will lose access to those accounts.
- Valuable Backlinks: All of the backlinks that you have earned over the years will be lost.
How to Reactivate Your Expired Domain?
Step 1 Check Your Domain Status
Log in to your domain registrar’s account (e.g., Hostripples, GoDaddy, Namecheap, Google Domains) and check if your domain is still within the grace period, redemption period, and pending deletion. You can also use a WHOIS lookup tool to check its current status.
Step 2 Renew the Domain (If in Grace Period)
If your domain is still in the grace period, you can renew it through your registrar’s dashboard at the normal renewal cost.
Step 3 Contact Your Domain Register (If in Redemption Period)
If your domain has entered the redemption phase, you will need to contact your domain provider’s customer support team directly to restore it.
Step 4 Backorder the Domain (If Pending Deletion)
If the domain is in the pending deletion phase, then you won’t be able to renew it. However, you can backorder it through services like Hostripples or NameJet to try and reclaim it as soon as it’s available.
Step 5 Re-register the Domain (If Fully Expired)
Once the domain is fully deleted and becomes available again, you can register it as a new domain. Be quick as valuable domains are often purchased by domain resellers.
Tips for Preventing Domain Expiration
- Enable Auto-Renewal: This is the Easiest way to avoid expiration. Set up auto renewal with your registrar and they will automatically renew your domain before it gets
- Keep Contact Information Updated: Ensure your Email and Phone Number are correct and updated in your registrar account to receive renewal reminders.
- Renew for Multiple Years: If you plan to keep the domain long-term, consider renewing it for 2-5 years in advance.
- Use a Long-Term Registration: Consider registering your domain for multiple years to avoid annual renewals.
- Set Manual Reminder: Manually set a reminder to renew your domain a few weeks before expiration.
- Consolidate Your Domains: If you have multiple domains, consolidate them with one registrar to simplify management.
Conclusion
Losing a domain due to expiration can be stressful, but if you act quickly, you can recover it before it’s too late. Always keep a track of your domain expiration date and enable auto-renewal to avoid disruption to your online presence.
Need help managing your domains? Contact your registrar today to check your renewal options!
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