The site is working, customers are writing in, ads are running — and one morning the site won't open. The cause often isn't a technical fault but simply that the domain has expired. Because a domain is paid for once a year, the date is easy to forget. In this article we explain what happens when a domain expires and how to prevent it.
A domain and hosting are not the same thing
The most common misconception: "I've paid for hosting, so the site will work." In fact these are two separate services:
- The domain is your site's address (company.az). It's registered with a registrar for a set period, usually a year.
- Hosting is the server where the site's files and database are stored.
Paying for hosting doesn't extend the domain automatically. Each expiry date has to be tracked separately.
What happens on the day it expires?
- The site won't open. The domain stops working in DNS, and visitors see an error page or the registrar's ad page.
- Email stops. Messages to addresses like [email protected] don't arrive and bounce back to the sender. Customer orders and bank notices can be lost.
- The SSL certificate isn't renewed. When the domain isn't working, the certificate's automatic renewal fails too.
- Search rankings drop. If the site is down for a few days, Google starts pushing it down the results.
Can I get the domain back?
For a while — yes. A domain isn't released the moment it expires: depending on the registrar and domain zone, there's a grace period during which it can be renewed as normal. For international domains like .com, for example, there's an extra "redemption" stage after that, but redemption costs far more than a normal renewal.
When those stages have passed too, the domain is released and anyone can buy it. Some companies specifically watch well-known, long-running domains and snap them up immediately. This is the hardest loss to recover from — and sometimes it can't be recovered at all.
How do I prevent it?
- Keep the expiry date in one place. The Domains section of your account shows the status of the domain and its SSL certificate.
- Renew a month ahead. Don't leave it to the last day — leave time for any delays with the payment, the bank or the registrar.
- Register for several years. For your main domain, a 2–3 year registration is convenient and lowers the risk of forgetting.
- Keep your contact details up to date. If the domain is in your name, make sure the registrar's reminders don't go to an old or unused email address. Check your spam folder too.
- Top up your balance in advance. Our recurring services such as hosting renew automatically from your balance, and we send a reminder before they expire — if your balance is enough, you don't need to do anything.
If the domain has already expired
Don't waste time: the faster you act, the better your chance of getting the domain back at the normal price. Write to support from your account — we'll check which stage the domain is at and tell you what to do.
More: Keeping track of domain and SSL expiry and How does a subscription renew?
