What do we need to know about Internet domain expiry? What happens if we do not renew in time, and how can we avoid losing it if we miss the expiry date?
Unless one wants to get rid of one’s website for a specific reason, a mistake in strategy or a change of course that makes a clean break with the past… nobody would ever want to lose the domain of their website.
This would result in the loss of traffic and the ranking achieved in SERPs (Search Engine Result Pages), if any. But it also represents a bad calling card, damage to online reputation, because anyone searching for and finding the site ends up on a page warning of its unavailability.
In addition, if it is not renewed within a certain period of time, the expired domain may become available again on the market.
Why it happens to let the domain name expire
Dimenticare di rinnovare il dominio alla scadenza, è possibile? Bè, stando alle diverse casistiche, decisamente sì. Ma questo può succedere per tanti motivi, tra questi perché magari non si ricevono gli alert, ovvero le notifiche da parte del registrar o del provider dei servizi, presso il quale si è registrato il dominio del sito web.
In this regard, you might want to reconsider your choice for a moment, relying on a hosting partner that is more precise in its service management. Then, before letting it expire, you might want to transfer the domain.
Another reason is because we forget, despite notifications, it often happens when we are overwhelmed by so many emails, or because we have several active domains with different companies.
The fact is that if something like this happens, i.e. if for any reason you miss the renewal on the expiry date, going beyond a certain time, you may have to pay a certain extra cost to reinstate it after a certain (variable) period has passed.
But before arriving at this outcome, there are several stages through which the domain passes. Let us see them all.
How website domain renewal works
Generally, at the time of registration, domain renewal is set to take place annually, but it is also possible to choose a longer period, 2-3 years, up to a maximum of 5 or 10.
As stated above, before expiry, notices should arrive by email from the registrar or provider, usually from 30 days before the expiry date until the expiry of the domain, whether automatic renewal is chosen or manual renewal.
In the case of automatic renewal, an email notification usually advises that the transaction will take place.
An alternative is the advance payment. A solution that may be convenient for those who have several domains under their belt and do not want to risk confusion.
With automatic renewal and prepayment solutions, the risk of ‘missing the train’ does not exist.
What happens if the domain renewal date is not met?
After the expiry date, the registrar generally puts the domain on stand-by, which loses its OK/ACTIVE status.
By typing it in, it will no longer be reachable, but still manageable within the provider’s control panel.
From this point on, one enters a path that involves phases during which changes of status occur related to the renewal or non-renewal of the Internet domain.
The procedures and timeframes for managing a domain – registration, renewal, transfer, deletion – may vary and depend on the specific TLD, and are defined by the registrar managing that TLD and setting its rules.
TLD (Top Level Domain) refers to the Top Level Domain,> i.e. the final part of web addresses, such as .com, .it, .fr, .uk, .eu, etc.
In particular, procedures may change when it comes to ccTLDs, or Country Code Top-Level Domains. That is, TLDs that are specific to a certain country or territory, formed by the two letters representing the country code according to the ISO 3166-1 standard (.it, .fr, .uk).
Each ccTLD is managed by a country-specific domain registry, which may establish its own rules and policies on who and how can register a domain under that ccTLD.
Different is the case with gTLDs (Generic Top-Level Domains), such as .com, .net, .org, etc., which generally do not have specific requirements because they are managed internationally.
Renewal Grace Period
It is purposely called a ‘grace period’ precisely to indicate the phase in which the domain is still recoverable, and the time frame during which it can be renewed without incurring increased payments, but only paying the standard price.
As mentioned above, the duration of this period may vary depending on the domain extension, and range from 10 to 45 days, as in the case of .COM.
Redemption Period
Once the grace period has also expired, one enters the ‘Redemption Period‘, in which one can still renew the domain at an additional cost, but only within another period of time that can range from 10 to 180 days.
Pending Delete
If we also let the recovery period pass unnoticed, after five more days, the domain enters this last phase, the one in which it is no longer renewable.
What happens now? The domain returns to the status of Available, and therefore free and purchasable on the market.
If you are looking for a team that can help you at any time with a managed hosting package contact us and we will be able to assist you with all your needs.
