If your domain record is not current, you risk the possibility of the name expiring and someone else purchasing it for their own use. It is most unpleasant to type your web address into the computer one day only to find your competitor’s website (or worse) come up on the screen.

What is a Domain Record?
How Do I See My Domain Record?
How Do I Change My Domain Record or Renew My Domain Name?
How Do I Find My Domain Registrar?
What Happens If I Don’t Update My Domain Record?

What is a Domain Record?
When you first purchase a domain name, you are asked to provide your contact information, including an e-mail address. This information, along with your nameservers (which direct the domain name to point to your web hosting provider), makes up your domain record. This record also shows the date you initially purchased the domain, the date the record was last updated, and the date the domain is due to expire.
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How Do I See My Domain Record?
Use a WHOIS engine to lookup the domain record for your domain name, or any other domain name. Simply type in the domain name and it will return all public information available about that domain and its owner.

Keep careful track of your expiration date, and make sure to submit a renewal request with your domain registrar well before the renewal date to avoid the name expiring, and your website going down.
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How Do I Change My Domain Record or Renew My Domain Name?
Contact your current domain registrar to update your domain record and/or renew your domain name. In many cases, at the time you register your domain name, the registrar will give you access information for a password-protected web interface where you may manage the contact information yourself. For this reason, be sure to read correspondence from your registrar and enable your email filtering settings to receive email from your registrar.
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How Do I Find My Domain Registrar?
If you are unsure of who your domain registrar is, they are listed within your domain record. Look for the registrar in the top half of your domain record. The registrar is preceded by “Registration Service Provided By:’ and is listed before the registrant or administrative contact section. Often, their contact information can also be found in the WHOIS output as the Technical Contact. Write the registrar’s name down and perform a web search to locate their website if you cannot otherwise find their contact information.
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What Happens If I Don’t Update My Domain Record?
If the e-mail address listed in your domain record is out of date, you will not receive the automatic notices that are sent out reminding you that your domain is going to expire. This may result in your domain name expiring without you knowing it, and your website becoming inaccessible to your visitors and customers.

If you do not notice in time (usually a couple of weeks) that your domain has expired, you will be unable to renew your domain name without paying a Redemption Fee (usually in excess of $150-200). Wait even longer (two months—during which your website and e-mail will not function with that domain name), and the domain will be released for new registration, which means anyone can buy it and use it for whatever website they wish.

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