Don’t let your domain name registration expire

The domain name secondary market has always fascinated me. This is where punters who have bought recognisable domain names (think “brand.com.au” or “product.com.au”) sell these domains on auction sites, hoping that they might strike it rich.

That latest big result at auction saw the domain name “investmentproperty.com.au” sell for a staggering $125,000 to a property company called Vision Homes.

It’s a huge price, although property investment is clearly a very lucrative little game.

But what I found most interesting about the story is that the sale only happened after the previous owner of the domain name let it expire. As one commentator said, it was a “schoolboy error”.

Exactly how the registration was allowed to expire isn’t clear – typically net registrars will send renewal notices out well before the end date.

But as the above example highlights, these messages can get lost and small businesses need their own warning systems.

There would be nothing – I repeat nothing – worse than waking up one day and finding that one of your rivals now owns your web address.

Get it done – today!