Every website needs a domain name. Think of it as your “street address” on the Internet. Some people own several domains for their website to help with search engine ranking. A good reason to own numerous domain names is simply to protect your own trade name (for example, CharlesWorks owns CharlesWorks.com, .net, .info, .biz, .tk, .cn, etc.). Your domain name is a crucial part of promoting your website and your business. Your domain name may be tied in with your email address. It’s all over your print advertising, business cards, directories, in search engines, and so on. So, you can only imagine the problems that arise when a domain is lost!

Are you shopping for a domain name?

At CharlesWorks, we usually recommend that people NOT search for available domain names on the Internet. The search process in many cases can alert some unscrupulous companies that there is a HOT domain name being searched for. Sometimes they will actually snag it before YOU get a chance to.

We can safely search for available domain names. We can register your domain for you, properly manage the settings for the domain, and ensure the domain name is renewed automatically.

How can you lose your Domain Name?

Domain names have to be renewed. During the renewal period, the registrar will notify the domain owner using the email address on record. What can go wrong?

1. You simply didn’t notice the renewal notification email and the domain expired. Fortunately, there is a short redemption period during which time you can still claim your domain, but you’ll most often have to pay a hefty redemption fee.
2. The email address you used when registering your domain doesn’t exist anymore. We see this happen quite often in organizations such as church boards, towns, committees, clubs, volunteer organizations or anywhere where there is a high members or staff turnover. If an individual had registered the domain and moves on, who now has the current registration information for the domain?
3. Domain scams. You’ll receive an official looking domain expiration notice in the mail (such as from Domain Registry of America). The very fine print on the back of this notice spells out that by signing and providing payment, you are actually authorizing a domain transfer to them. Very tricky. You end up paying even more for the domain name than before.

At CharlesWorks, we keep your domain safe. We automatically renew all domain names registered through us. This protects our clients from domain theft or domain name expiration. We also offer a level of privacy at no extra charge whatsoever

Why would anyone want your Domain Name?

1. If your domain name gets a lot of Internet traffic, advertisers (especially spammers) definitely will want to acquire your domain. They create a new webpage with it and often fill it with advertising – or worse yet – porn or gambling sites.
2. There are companies in the Internet that buy domain names that represent organizational or business entities or individuals just so they can sell them to the rightful entity at – you guessed it – a ridiculously high price. Or they auction them off to the highest bidder. This is commonly referred to as “domain squatting” or “cyber squatting”. Although it is against the law, it is very difficult to enforce

We keep your domain name safe at CharlesWorks, but there are steps you can take to protect it should you decide to manage it yourself:

1. Mark your calendar to remind yourself of your domain’s anniversary.
2. If you care to pay the money up front, register your domain for more than one year (up to ten years is permitted).
3. White list your registrar’s email so that you don’t risk your renewal notice going to your spam folder.
4. Whenever you change your email address, make sure you change it at your domain registrar as well.