The risks of expired Domains

A domain name is more than just an address on the Internet - it is often the digital calling card of your business, blog or hobby project. Yet it is common for domain names to expire unintentionally. In this blog, we discuss what happens when your domain name expires, what the risks are and how you can easily prevent it.

What happens when your domain expires?

When your domain name expires, it means you lose the right to use that domain name. Usually this happens because the annual registration fee was not paid on time or because you intentionally let the domain expire. It also often happens that the mails about this are missed as a reminder, and therefore not only can result in higher costs. But also the expiration of the domain name.

Depending on the domain extension (.nl, .com, .eu, etc.) the domain name will enter a so-called quarantine period after expiration. During this period, you can still recover the domain name for an additional fee, but if you don't, the name will eventually become free for registration by third parties.

The risks of an expired domain

1. Loss of reputation and traffic

If your website is suddenly offline, visitors and customers lose confidence. You can no longer be emailed through your domain, and loyal visitors get an error message. This is damaging to your reputation and can cost business opportunities.

2. Domain hijackers can strike

There are parties that actively buy up expired domains, especially domains that once had high traffic or have valuable backlinks. They may then use the domain for advertising, phishing, or try to sell it back to you for a fee (also known as "domain squatting"). In almost all cases, these are not reasonable prices asked for the domain name after this. But of course they are trying to make the most of it.

3. SEO loss and broken links

When your domain is deleted or taken over, you lose your accumulated SEO value. Backlinks to your domain then no longer work, leading to broken links and a drop in your search engine rankings. A domain name that you let expire can still have value in this for a long time, and there is even an entire market set up to re-register expired domain names. In fact, it is easier to get an existing domain name with a previously higher reputation to rank again for important search terms. Than it is to start with an entirely new domain name.

4. Email problems

Are you using email addresses such as info@jouwdomein.nl? Once the domain expires, your e-mail no longer works. You miss important messages or - worse - someone else can register your domain and pretend to be you. Often they do this by creating a catch all on the domain name, so all mail sent to the @youwdomeinnaam.nl is caught right away. So they do not necessarily need to know your exact email address to receive this mail. So even the email address invouren@ or financieel@ can be captured with 1 catch all like this.

5. Competitive advantage for others

A competitor could register your expired domain to poach visitors or undermine your brand name. This can often cause considerable reputational damage, which of course is not desirable. Even for a temporary action domain name, this can be detrimental.

How do you prevent your domain from expiring?

Fortunately, this risk is easy to prevent:

✅ Use auto-renewal: At MijnHostingPartner.nl we have auto-renewal on by default on our services and domain names, so your domain never just expires.

✅ Check your contact information: Make sure your email address in your account is always up to date so you don't miss important reminders. After all, this is where we send all communication, and

✅ Get email reminders: We send timely (multiple) notifications when a domain is about to expire. So make sure you read this email in time and take the necessary action. If you have activated direct debit under your account, the invoices will also be debited for you. No manual payment needs to be made.

✅ Keep your login details safe: This way you keep control over your hosting package and domain registrations. Also, activate two factor authentication within the customer panel to ensure that only you can access the system.

An expired domain is more than just a technical problem - it can have a major impact on your online presence and reputation. Be proactive and pay attention to the messages we send out to always be aware of any developments in this regard.

Do you have questions about renewing your domain? Feel free to contact our support team, we are happy to help you via the online chat or via the ticket system.

MijnHostingPartner.nl - your reliable partner in domain registration and web hosting.