Section 06 · Domain Registration

Registering a domain so it stays yours

Registering a domain takes two minutes. Keeping it takes more thought. This section treats registration as the security decision it is: which registrar holds your account, how that account is recovered, whether two-factor authentication is on and what kind, who else has access, and whether the domain is locked against transfer.

We cover renewal settings that quietly lapse when a card expires, transfer rules and the 60-day lock that can follow a change of registrant, registry locks for high-value names, and the risks of registering a client's domain in an agency's account. Domain hijacking usually starts with a weak account, not a clever exploit, so much of this coverage is about unglamorous settings.

It also covers buying domains on the aftermarket, checking a name's history before you pay, and registering defensively against lookalikes. Whether you manage one site or two hundred, the goal is the same: make sure the person who owns the domain is the person who controls it.