Domain names are a subscription service, which should be renewed annually. After expiry of a it gets expired and gets suspended. During this time, you cannot access any service related to your domain name, I.e Website, Emails, Apps etc. but you still have an opportunity to Renew the domain name. For .KE domain names, you have up to 90 days, within which you can renew your it after its expiry.
After the 90 days, failure to renew the domain name results to its deletion, making it available for Registration on a first come first serve basis. Many people and brands lose their names here, which could lead to an economic loss especially for businesses. Common reasons why people fail or forget to renew their domain names are:
• Wrong WHOIS details – This refers to the contact information provided during domain Registration, which includes Phone number, Email address and Name. If these details are incorrect, it makes it difficult for the Registrar or the Registry (KeNIC), to get in touch with you for Renewal reminders, thus you could end up missing on the renewal dates. It is therefore recommendable that you always ensure you provide the correct contact details on domain Registration. Also do a follow up after registration to ensure all details were captured correctly.
• Missing on the Renewal date – Since the domain name is renewed a year after Registration, it is most likely that you will forget on the date, which poses a threat to your brand. It is therefore imperative that you consider renewing it for a longer duration, i.e 2 – 5 years or set up renewal reminders.
• Dormant domain names – There are domain names that are Registered and people don’t use them or set up any service to them. This means that they are dormant and chances are high that they might forget of their existence and even renewal, thus end up being deleted. Whenever you Register a domain name that you don’t intend to use immediately, it is ideal to renew it for a duration of more than one year, to avoid losing it with the minimum 1-year duration.
Once a domain name expires and gets deleted, most probably it will be taken up by someone else, which means it’s gone for good. You should therefore not wait for a domain name to expire or be deleted, as that would mean the end of you owning it.
Always get in touch with your respective service provider, to know when the domain name is due for renewal. You can also request for Renewal reminders from them, in case they currently don’t send.