How to Protect Your Domain
To protect your domain name, you’ll want to set up auto-renewal to make sure that your ownership of your domain name never lapses, even for a day. Take a look at the fundamentals of domain name protection below to better understand which steps to take when forming your business and launching your new online venture.
How Does Domain Registration Protect My Brand?
When you register a domain name, you’re taking one of the first steps to start a business and protect your brand online. To better understand the role of your domain in the business formation process, it’s important to know what a registered domain name provides, and what it doesn’t.
What registering a domain does:
• Establishes intention to sell goods or services online under your domain name.
• Sets a start date for operating online under your domain name.
• Creates a cohesive online brand for your business.
• Cuts down on confusion and legitimizes your site.
What registering a domain doesn’t do:
• Provide any automatic registered trademark protection for your domain name.
• Protect you from claims of copyright or trademark infringement.
• Keep others from registering a similar domain or business name.
• Completely eliminate the risks of phishing or spoofing.
In other words, while registering a particular domain name doesn’t guarantee that your name is safeguarded from use, it’s a great place to start your journey if you plan to operate a business online.
What is the easiest way to keep my domain safe?
One foolproof way to protect your domain is by signing up for automatic registration renewal. By automatically processing your domain renewal, you can avoid these issues:
The expiration of your domain. Failure to renew your domain by the set date can result in the expiration of your domain, meaning your website won’t be visible to the public. Letting a domain expire may also allow others to register it, and you may not be able to get it back once this happens.
Costly extra steps to renew. Between paying additional fees to register an expired domain or potentially buying back your domain from a new registrant, letting your domain lapse can cost you more money. Automatic renewal ensures that your domain costs what you’d expect to maintain it.
Loss of sales and reputation. When your domain expires and becomes available for someone else to register, this hands control of your online home to a third party. They have the opportunity to forward your website traffic elsewhere which creates confusion about your brand and messaging.
Why Is Domain Protection Important?
Your domain name is a key part of your brand identity. Customers learn to trust businesses with consistent, recognizable brands. Maintaining a domain name over time shows customers that they can trust your business.
Cybersquatting and domain hijacking
Real life squatters take up space in a physical home, and cybersquatters encroach on your online home. Instead of camping out in your house, they buy up your domain and use it for themselves. By targeting recognizable company names and registering the domains while they’re available, they aim to make themselves comfy while reaping the benefits of your brand’s reputation and hard work.
Domain hijacking is even more targeted by comparison, involving social engineering and phishing schemes to gain access to your domain controls. Hackers can then siphon traffic from your website or mislead visitors into clicking suspicious links and downloading malicious viruses. By taking steps to keep your domain secure, you can keep your business and your online visitors safe.
How Do I Legally Protect a Domain Name?
Now that you know how important it is to protect your domain name, here are a few ways that you can actively keep it secure when launching your new business or establishing your existing brand online.
Keep your passwords secure.
Create a strong password for your domain. Enable two-factor domain login authentication. Use password manager software to track password changes.
Adopt good record keeping habits.
Safely store account information for easy access. Document your authorized users and their credentials. Take note of settings and specifications as you get set up.
Find a reputable domain registrar.
Hire an ICANN accredited registrar for instant credibility. Enjoy a professional and user-friendly domain management system. Utilize your registrar’s contact details to keep yours private.
Do your research on the domain.
Check your domain’s availability and history for past use. Perform conflict checks to prevent trademark infringement. Avoid legal issues from previously established domains.
Prevent unauthorized domain changes.
Set up automatic renewal to avoid losing your domain. Team up with a registrar dedicated to keeping your information secure. Monitor domain changes and lock it from forwarding to unfamiliar websites.
Can I Trademark My Domain Name?
If your domain name meets the usual trademark requirements, yes. And if you’re able to secure a domain name that’s similar to your business name, you should strongly consider trademark registration. This helps ensure that your entire brand is protected.
Trademark registration is a complicated process. You’ll have to make sure first that no one else has rights to your mark or that your mark won’t cause a likelihood of confusion. This is called a clearance check, and it comes standard with our Trademark Registration service.
How Do I Keep My Domain Information Private?
The easiest way to keep your domain information private is by working with a respected domain registrar who prioritizes data privacy. When registering your domain, look for a registrar who will allow you to use their contact details to keep your private contact information secure.
We believe in keeping your personal info secure by providing our contact details to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) when registering your domain. Your personal contact details won’t appear in publicly available databases, and we forward all domains-related inquiries directly to you without ever providing your information to agencies or marketers.
Protect Your Domain Today
Give your brand extra protection by securing your domain name today to build your business credibility and boost visibility. Bolster your business formation with domain registration and add website hosting, business email addresses, VOIP phone service, and more for a great monthly price.