Websites & online business
How to keep control of your business domain name (and avoid renewal scams)
Your domain name runs your website and your email. If it expires, is registered to the wrong person or is taken over, both can stop working, sometimes for weeks. It’s a small annual bill that gets overlooked until something goes wrong. These checks take half an hour and remove most of the risk.
The short version
Check these today
- The domain is registered to your business, not a former staff member or web designer.
- You can log in to the registrar account, with MFA on.
- Auto-renew is on, with a current card and contact email.
- Ignore renewal letters from companies you don’t already use.
Why your domain matters so much
Your domain is the address for your website and the second half of every email address you use. Whoever controls the domain account controls where those go. If someone takes it over, they can redirect your website, receive your email and even reset passwords for other accounts linked to your email.
Check who owns it
Find your registrar
The registrar is the company you pay for the domain. If you’re not sure who it is, search your email for renewal receipts, or use a WHOIS lookup. For .au domains, the auDA WHOIS shows the registrar and registrant.
Check the registrant
For .au domains, the registrant should be your business, with your ABN or ACN, not a past web designer, an ex-employee or a family member. For other domains like .com, make sure the account and contact details belong to the business.
Make sure you can log in
You or a trusted person in the business should have the login to the registrar account. If an agency or IT provider manages it, ask them to confirm the domain is in your name and that you can get access if you need it.
Secure the registrar account
- Turn on two-step verification.
- Use a strong unique password stored in your password manager.
- Turn on registrar lock (sometimes called transfer lock), which stops the domain being transferred without extra steps.
- Make sure the account email is one you’ll still have in five years. Ideally don’t use an address on the same domain, because if the domain lapses you can’t receive the renewal reminders.
- Have at least two people who can access it.
Renewals
- Turn on auto-renew and keep a valid card on the account.
- Renew for several years if your registrar offers it.
- Put the expiry date in your calendar as a backup.
- When a card expires or is replaced, update it.
Fake renewal letters
Businesses regularly get official-looking letters or emails saying their domain is due for renewal. Some come from companies that try to transfer your domain to them or register a similar one at a high price. Others are simply scams. If the letter isn’t from the registrar you already use, ignore it. When in doubt, log in to your registrar account directly to check.
Watch your DNS settings
DNS records control where your website and email go. Unexpected changes can redirect them. Only give DNS access to people who need it, and check the records occasionally, especially MX records (email) and the records pointing to your website. While you’re there, check SPF, DKIM and DMARC are set up to protect your email.
Similar domains
Scammers sometimes register domains that look like yours, with a letter changed or a different ending, to send fake invoices to your customers. You can’t register every variation, but you can:
- Register the main alternatives that matter, such as both .com.au and .com.
- Tell customers how you’ll contact them about payments.
- Report look-alike domains being used for scams to the registrar and Scamwatch.
Common questions
Our web designer registered the domain years ago. What now?
Ask them to transfer it into your business’s name and account. For .au domains, the registrar can explain the process. Do it while the relationship is good.
What happens if the domain expires?
Your website and email stop working. There’s usually a short grace period to renew, but after that it can be released and registered by someone else.
Do I need to own every version of my business name?
No. Focus on the ones customers are likely to use, and on the extension that matches where you trade.
Sources
This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice. If you think you’ve lost money or personal information, contact your bank and the services named above straight away.
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These guides are free to use. If your business wants help putting the checks, accounts and devices in place, our team can do it with you.