"What is a domain name?"

The unique name that identifies an Internet site. Domain Names always have 2 or more parts, separated by dots (e.g. "YourDomain.com"). The part on the left ("YourDomain") is referred to as the 2nd level domain and is the most specific/unique and personalized to you, and the part on the right (".com") is called the top-level domain and is the most general/common, in that there's typically thousands to millions of domains that share the same top-level domain.  This is the address which clients will type into the Address Bar of their web browser in order to access your website.

Domain names are registered through Registry companies in increments of 1 year.  Every domain name has an expiration date that will indicate when the registration runs out.   It is your responsibility to ensure that your domain name is renewed by the date of expiration.  If you do not renew your domain name, your website will be inaccessible to everyone, and high risk will exist of your domain name being re-registered by someone else.

"When does my domain name expire?"

Your domain name will expire on the same date that it was registered, corresponding with how many years you registered it.

Example:  If you registered the name on November 14th 2003 for 1 year, your domain name will expire on November 14th, 2004.

If you do not know what date your domain was registered or when it expires, you can do a WHOIS lookup for your domain name, which will provide you with all of the information for your domain name, including Contact Information such as your email address, Date of Expiration and Registry, and DNS servers.

You can do a WHOIS search by clicking here.  See the image below for a diagram of how to enter your domain name into the search parameter box.

"How can I renew my domain name?"

Your domain name needs to be renewed through the domain registry that it is registered through.  The procedure for renewing your domain name can differ depending on the registry company.  Often times you will be emailed a link for renewal to the email address on file with your domain name, allowing you access to renewal.  If you are unsure of your registry or how to renew your domain name, please give our Customer Support Team a call at (866) 518-1571.

 

"What if my domain name expires and I do not renew it in time?"

When a domain name expires and is not renewed immediately, it falls into a status knows as Redemption.  Once your domain name reaches this status, you will still need to renew the domain name, however, you will ALSO incur an additional fee to take the domain name out of redemption.  No matter who your domain name is registered with, you will encounter this fee and the fee can not be waived by neither the company that hosts your domain name nor Advanced Access.  This fee was instituted to protect your domain from being re-registered by a cyber-squatter and used for malicious purposes.

The Redemption fee allows your Registrar to hold onto your domain name for at least 30 days past its expiration date.  Depending on who your domain name is registered with, the Redemption fee can run anywhere from $100-300.  The best way to avoid encountering this fee is to stay on top of your domain name's renewal.  Feel free to contact our Customer Support Team if you need information regarding your domain name.

 

"Why was I not notified when my domain name expired?"

Domain registration renewal emails are sent to the email address that was used at the time the domain name was registered.  If your domain name was actually registered with Advanced Access, you will be sent an email prior to its expiration.  The email will be titled “Your Advanced Access Services Are About To Expire”.  These emails are always sent out, without exception.  Nearly all domain registration companies send emails when a domain name needs to be renewed.

The only time you would not receive one of these renewal notices would be if you changed email addresses since the time your domain name was registered, and you never contacted Advanced Access or your domain registration company to request that your domain name account (not the same as your website account) information be updated.

It is also very common that people are under the assumption that they were never sent any type of notice, when actually they HAD received the email(s) and had thrown it out thinking it was Spam.

Be wary of this and contact Customer Support at 866-518-1571 or via email at Support@AdvancedAccess.com to find out exactly when your domain name expires and who hosts that domain name so that you can avoid any frustrations caused as a result of missing your domain name's expiration.