Expired domain name: how to get your website back and never lose it again

It's one of the most common and most avoidable incidents: the domain name expires. The site shows a registrar or parking page, or doesn't load at all, and business emails on that domain stop working. Often the renewal card had expired, or reminders went to a former employee's or contractor's address. Here is what to do, and how to prevent it.

What to do right now

1. Identify the registrar managing the domain: invoice, old emails or a WHOIS lookup.
2. Log in and renew immediately. If you've lost access, contact the registrar's support with company documents.
3. Check DNS after renewal: site and email should return, sometimes after a few hours of propagation.
4. Check the HTTPS certificate and that forms work.

Recovery timelines

For generic extensions such as .com, there is usually a period after expiry during which the owner can still renew, then a more expensive redemption period, before the domain is deleted and released. For .ma and other country extensions, the rules depend on the registry and your registrar: ask them immediately, because every day counts.

If the domain was taken

Things get harder: negotiate a purchase, or take action if the name matches your trademark. Meanwhile you may need to give clients a new address, update your Google profile and social media, and plan a redesign without losing SEO on a new domain.

Never lose it again

• Domain in the company's name, never an employee's or contractor's. See choosing a .ma domain.
• Auto-renewal on, with an up-to-date payment method.
• Multi-year renewal for important domains.
• A shared contact address (e.g. admin@) that several people receive.
• An inventory of domains, expiry dates and access, reviewed quarterly.
• Secondary domains (variants, old brands) tracked the same way.

Let us track your domains

Tracking domains, certificates and renewals is part of our website maintenance, along with security, backups and updates. See also the website maintenance checklist. Is your site showing an expiry page today? Contact us and we will help you get it back.