Domain Names–Protect Your’s From Drop Catchers

Imagine you are the owner of a successful Web site, but when you logon one day all you get is an error message. Or worse yet, the domain name now points to a site filled with ads. That’s right. You went out of business.

This happens every day because of the very legitimate process known as “drop-catching,” where people quickly seize the domain name owner let expire and try to sell them or use the links related to names, which can be extensive, to make the Web sites are loaded with ads. You can easily avoid becoming a victim of the drop catcher by better understanding how the domain registration system works to protect your domain name.

Your Web site, with all the content you have painstakingly added, sits at a computer with a unique address called an IP address, which is simply a series of numbers. A domain name is an address forwarding service that directs visitors to the site using the IP address. Domain names are used instead of numbers because most people find it easier to remember names than a bunch of numbers. It’s like if you could dial your friend’s name into the phone instead of a phone number.

You can buy a domain name by signing up with a domain service providers such as GoDaddy.com, the largest on the Web, or a number of other registries. The name may be registered for one year, approximately, $ 10 or over ten years, to about $ 80. Many register for only one year because it is cheaper, or they just want the site for a limited time.

At the end of the year, the registrar usually sends an email renewal notice to the owner. If the owner does not respond to the notice of extension, domain names will eventually be made available for purchase by others. About 20,000 domain names are available every day because the owners allow them to expire, or the owner does not realize that their domain name is for renewal

According to the rules defined by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), domain registrar has 45 days after the expiration date to notify the owner that their domain name will be dropped from the registry. If the name is dropped, then the guidelines call for 30-day grace period in which the owner can still claim the name. After the grace period and then another five-day holding period, the name is dropped from the registry and anyone can claim it.

Since 2004, however, a number of service provider domains, starting with SnapName.com, has created an auction process for expired names which bypasses the original drop process and makes a name that is available only within thirty days. GoDaddy.com begins the auction process even before the names have officially ended, although it does not warn the auction participants that the owner can still claim their name.

These providers of domain services each have tools on their site to make it easier to retrieve the name expired. They provide a constantly updated list of expired names, various auction services, search engines, and other free tools for anyone to quickly and easily find available domain names. Some sites also offer software for sale that further simplifies the search name expire and will soon be over.

With the surge in online advertising, drop catchers will continue to search for domain names of sites with good traffic, want to exploit the link is established. Protect your site and your business by checking the expiration date of your domain name. Relying on the registrar to send a renewal notice which can be easily sent to your old email address or get lost in the spam catcher, could cost you years of hard work.

---

Did you enjoy this post? Why not leave a comment below and continue the conversation, or subscribe to my feed and get articles like this delivered automatically each day to your feed reader.

Ask Domain Name | Powered by WordPress Customized by Free Article Directory| ElegantBlue is a custom theme by Nathan Rice