If you own more than one domain, you know it can be pretty hard to keep track of everything. But it does not have to be. In this article, we will cover the basics of domain name management so that you can get started with your portfolio.
Why It Matters
Your organization’s domain name portfolio is an asset that you should manage like any other asset: with care and foresight. Suppose your organization has one or more active domains with multiple registrars or registries. In that case, it may also represent a greater risk – and more opportunities for cybercriminals to exploit weaknesses in your security policies or procedures.
A way security exploits can be witnessed is through the additions of subdomains you or any legitimate members of your team didn’t request. If you notice unwelcome subdomain additions, it means that your domain might be compromised.
If you are in doubt or just wish to do consistent regular inventories of all the web properties tied to your organization, a subdomain lookup Tool like this subdomains.whoisxmlapi.com will help you get a list of all subdomains related to a given domain name to discover any company’s web infrastructure, including yours so you can reduce your potential attack surface
Protect your business from these risks by understanding the concept of domain name management and how it works.
What Is Domain Management?
Domain name management ensures that your portfolio of domain names remains secure and makes sure that all domains are up to date with their renewal dates. As such, domain name management covers a whole range of different tasks. Some of these include:
- Purchasing new domains;
- Registering new domain names;
- Transferring domains between registrars;
- Configuring and managing DNS records.
Furthermore, if you manage multiple domains, you must point each domain in the right direction. Also, you will have to figure out when it is time for a renewal and how much it will set you back.
You have probably heard people say that the domain name is the same as a website, but they mean different things.
Let’s clarify this a bit.
Domain Name vs. Website
Domain Name
A domain name is a website’s unique identity on the internet. It consists of mainly two parts: the Top-Level Domain (TLD) and the Second-Level Domain (SLD). For example, http://www.google.com has “google” as a TLD, and “.com” is its SLD.
What about Subdomains?
Subdomains are domains that fall under the umbrella of a parent domain, like the child of a parent. If you look at the Domain Name System hierarchy, the subdomain comes after the TLD. For example, when you type in www.google.com, you access “www” as the subdomain of “google.com .”There are several reasons for using subdomains, and it is crucial to understand why these are so popular today. The main benefit of using subdomains is that they help you organize your website’s content into categories, improving its usability and rank in search results. Another advantage is that it allows website owners to provide different types of content relevant to their audience based on language or geographical location without affecting how people access them.
Enough about the detour. Let’s get back to…
Website
A website consists of web pages, and other content (text, images, videos, etc.) organized together and identified by a domain name hosted on one or more web servers. Typically anyone who knows its domain name can view a website in a web browser.
By inference:
- You can own a domain name without hosting a website;
- A website must be associated with at least one domain name.
Why Domain Management Is Important
The value of a great domain name(s) can be worth millions of dollars, so protecting them is crucial.
There are many reasons why you should manage your domain name, but here are the top two:
Brand Protection
Cyber security is a significant issue in today’s world, and it is only getting worse. The number of phishing and fraudulent sites is growing every day, and you must take measures to protect your brand and customers from these attacks.
If someone registers a domain name similar to yours and uses it for malicious purposes, you could lose customers and damage your brand reputation.
For instance:
Cybersquatters have been a problem for decades in the internet world. They register domains that sound very similar to popular brands and then try to sell these domains for large amounts of money.
Another issue is counterfeiters who register domains almost identical to brands and use them to sell fake products online to unsuspecting victims, which can cause brands to lose credibility, ultimately impacting your bottom line.
To avoid these ugly situations, buy multiple versions of your domain name to be safe. In a bid to prevent these nasty situations, brands purchase numerous versions of their domain name to be safe. For example, if you are a company called “Foo Bar,” you might have foo-bar.com, foobarinc.com, foobar.com, foobar.net, foobar.org, or several other variations in case someone else tries to take advantage of your brand name online.
Another step towards brand protection is monitoring the internet for suspicious activity around your brand. If someone tries to register similar domains, squat on one of your current ones, or spoof it, you can take action quickly before they cause any damage. For example, if someone tries to register “yourbrandname123.com,” you should be able to catch this.
Cost Savings
Proactively renewing your domains keeps you from losing them and having to pay more for new domains. The cost of a domain name can vary widely, but it is generally cheaper to renew than to buy. That does not include the risk of losing customers or revenue from losing a domain that has value to your business.
Domain Management Strategies
There are two strategies for managing your domains: a DIY approach or outsourcing it to a third party. Both have their pros and cons.
DIY Domain Management
Pros: You can control every aspect of your domain portfolio yourself. You do not have to rely on someone else’s expertise or experience to change the DNS records associated with your domains. It is also much more cost-effective than outsourcing the task entirely.
Cons: If you are not well-versed in DNS management, you risk doing something wrong that could lead to downtime or even security vulnerabilities on your site(s). In addition, if you are not careful about choosing the registrar where you buy your domains, you could end up paying higher fees than necessary for the service provided by that registrar, which defeats the purpose of saving money!
Outsourced Domain Management
Pros: Outsourcing the task means that someone else is responsible for ensuring your DNS records are correctly set and kept up-to-date, which frees up time to focus on other aspects of your business.
Cons: The cost of outsourcing can add up quickly, especially if you have many domains or sites to manage.
Tips To Help You Get Started With Domain Management
Understand DNS Settings And How They Work
If you do not understand how DNS works, it will be hard for you to manage your domain correctly.
Involve More People In Domain Management Decisions
Rather than leave the management of domain names to the IT guys alone, bigger organizations should include the team from the legal, sales, and departments. There are several benefits to this:
- It allows everyone to contribute their expertise in different business areas;
- It helps ensure more people feel invested in the decision-making process;
- And it makes it very unlikely that it will ever expire or be compromised by those with ill intent.
Leverage The Best Domain Management Tools
Domain name management can be a complex and frustrating process. But it doesn’t have to be that way. You can make domain management easier by using the right tools, which provide a variety of features to help you manage your domains.
Select A Registrar Wisely
You will need a registrar to manage all aspects of your domains – registering new ones and renewing old ones. And if you want to take advantage of the best features available, you will need to choose carefully. Most registrars offer similar services, but some are better than others at providing those services or helping users find what they are looking for on their site. Shop around before deciding which one is right for you, and make sure it offers all the features you need. Consider its prices, policies, and customer service when choosing a registrar.
Conclusion
The key takeaway from this blog post should be that you might as well get into the habit of domain name management if you have not already. Frequently checking your domain name and other essential details will save you time and trouble in the long run.