Choosing a domain name gets all the attention. But the advice that actually saves businesses trouble is about what happens after you register it — the ownership and housekeeping details that are easy to get wrong and painful to fix.
Make sure you own it
This is the big one. Your domain should be registered in your business’s name, in an account you control. Too often it ends up under a web designer’s account, a marketing agency, or a former employee’s personal email — and the day you need to move it or make a change, you cannot. Recovering a domain you do not control is slow, sometimes impossible. Own it from day one.
Never let it lapse
An expired domain can take your website and your email down with it — and once it drops, someone else can register it. Keep auto-renew on, and keep a payment method and contact address on the account that are current. A lapsed domain is an entirely avoidable disaster.
Consider registering variations
It is common to register both the .com and the .ca of your name, and sometimes an obvious misspelling or two, pointing them all to your main site. It is inexpensive insurance against a competitor — or a typo-squatter — grabbing a version customers might type.
Keep your contact details private and current
The contact information on a domain is used for important notices, so it needs to be an address you actually monitor. Many registrars also offer privacy protection to keep your personal details out of public records — worth having.
Let someone manage the housekeeping
Registration, renewals, DNS, and keeping ownership tidy are simple in theory and easy to neglect in practice. We register and manage domains for our customers — in your name, with renewals handled and DNS looked after — so your domain quietly does its job and never becomes the thing that takes your business offline. Tell us the name you want and we will take care of the rest.
We handle this for you
Would rather not think about updates, backups, and security? Voihost looks after all of it.
