[dropcap]Y[/dropcap]our domain name is what direct users to your websites. Hence, it is important for companies to take necessary precautions to protect your domain name so that it will not be hijacked or redirected to another website. If this is not noticed early enough, it causes significant damage to your cash flow and traffic.
Here are five tips on how to protect your business’s domain name.
Lock the transfer of your domain name
You should inform your domain name registrar to lock it in order to prevent it from being transferred, deleted or edited without your permission. This will ensure that the domain name is safe and secured.
Observe expiration dates
Set up a way you will be alerted when the expiration of your domain name is near or close. This will ensure that no one seizes your domain name when it expires especially if it is a domain name that attracts a lot of traffic. You can renew the domain name for more than a year instead of yearly.
Buy similar domain names
Serious organisations are aware of hackers and internet thieves who are always on the prowl searching for vulnerable sites. If you don’t want to fall into their hands you should buy all the names that can possibly be used to clone your website. For example, your domain name is azizauko.com, you can also buy azizauko.ng, and aziauko.com.ng etc.
Use a trustworthy registrar
There are many domain names registrar selling these domain names online. It is better to use reputable, and trustworthy registrar that are stable and doesn’t go offline at the flip of your fingers. Reputable ones are GoDaddy, Site5, and Namecheap. There are several others.
Permanent email
When you specify your contact email address, don’t use one from a free service that might expire especially if you don’t use it regularly. If this happens someone else may take over the email and use it to impersonate you when interacting with your domain name registrar. So, always use the email that is related to your website.
Adeniyi Ogunfowoke is a PR associate with Jumia Travels.
