Picking a name for your website is something you should do carefully. After all, a memorable domain that reflects your business is important. But over time, you may cease trading under that name, or you may decide to rename it.
So what do you do with your old domain name? There’s a chance you’ll want to let it go. It no longer applies to the business you run now, so why keep paying for something you no longer use or need?
A domain is for life
The hard truth is that once a domain is up and running and drawing in customers, storing their data and offering a dedicated email service, you need to keep it going. This is definitely a case of paying a little now to avoid having to pay out a lot more in the future.
Cyber criminals are always on the lookout for domains that have just expired. They can then easily reset administrator passwords and gain access to customer details, your own personal data and as much other sensitive information as they need.
And if you think that will no longer affect you, you really couldn’t be more wrong. There’s a risk that criminals could destroy your carefully-built reputation – and once lost, it’s hard to regain the public’s trust. Worse still, both you and former customers are at risk of data breaches. They take time, money and effort to resolve, if they can be resolved at all.
Keep on top of your domains
It’s just one of the reasons it’s a good idea to purchase domains from sites that offer hosting, too, such as names.co.uk. You’ll benefit from top-quality security, guaranteed uptime and a dashboard that keeps all your domains in one place, so you never lose track of anything. There’s no risk of you forgetting to update your details and allowing domains to expire accidentally.
If you move your business to a new site, it’s worth permanently redirecting site visitors from your old domain. That way, you’ll be sure that criminals can’t access your old site. And if you no longer operate in that line of business, it’s still worth paying for the domain, even though it’s no longer functional. It may cost a little more than you’d planned for, but it could end up saving you a whole lot more in the long run!