How to Keep a Great Name.

Last month I received a panicky call from a concerned Search Engine Optimization expert named Chris that regarded one of my client’s domains that somehow got placed on the auction block. Chris has no connection to me or my client – he’s just a Christian who didn’t want to see a great church unknowingly loose their domain name. His concern revealed that my client had let the domain expire on accident and here it was getting bids for over $500 by hungry SEO wizards!

Why would so many people be bidding up this church domain you ask?

Domain authority, age, and Google page ranking. This site was a few years old with a lot of incoming links and was well ranked with Google. Any person who purchased it would have the immediate benefit of a well ranked domain (for a little while) by using a common strategy that involves putting up some quick content pointing to the SEO wizard’s target site; the site they want to be higher ranked.

Long story short, we were able to rescue the domain from the auction block just in the nick of time before it would have been gone, and I’m sure, at the mercy of some hefty ransom to get it back.

Domains are an extremely vital piece of your church website, yet for some reason they go un-managed or ignored until there is a problem. I’d like to share a few tips for making sure your domains are safe and secure -hopefully eliminating the potential risk of your domain being stolen, expiring, or being lost.

1. Consolidate

If you are like me or many other churches you probably have a handful of domains such as the main domain, the alternative spellings, the youth domains, and the events of the past. Get all of your domains transferred to one single account. There is nothing worse than hunting around for five logins and passwords just to renew one domain

2. Access control

Who has access to your domains? Who is responsible for making sure they get renewed? It may be you or someone else, or even someone you may not even know! Whatever the answer, get your domain management on someone’s job description and under the control of a key executive leader. This person needs to be around for the long haul, dependable, and trustworthy. I would also suggest having access to this data be shared with an emergency back up person.

3. Track your expiration dates

Knowing when a domain expires is your job – not the web company! Don’t rely on when your registrar tells you either. Sure it’s in their best interest to remind you for a renewal but technology glitches happen. Add your domain renewals to your calendar. Even if you registered it for 5 years, check on it every year to be safe. Review your contact info and ensure that the person responsible for managing the domain name is keeping up with it.

These simple steps and a 15 minute check each year can save a lot of heartache and money! Build your name, protect it, and keep it!

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Matt Adams runs factor 1 studios, a web design firm dedicated to building awesome websites for churches, non-profits and small businesses across the country.

June 4, 2008 · Filed Under Church Media, Church Websites, Internet Ministry, Web 2.0

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One Response to “How to Keep a Great Name.”

  1. Thursday Links | Subverting Mediocrity on June 5th, 2008 6:10 am

    […] How keep a great name.  Check it. […]

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