Domain Name Ownership Risk Avoidance
Registering domain names should be easy, right?
Sadly this is not the case. Domain Name Ownership problems are a regular headache for website owners.
The problems start when other people have been involved in the process to “Try to help”. Some have incorrectly told a website owner that “I can sort those domain names out for you” by an overly helpful “website person” who then registers your domain names in their own private account with the registrar.
This leaves you with no access to your domain names, no control over them and all to often, no ownership as the helpful person uses their account defaults to register the names in their own name.
Thanks to GDPR, public ownership records are no longer visible by default. However, a genuine registrar CAN make those records publicly visible. This is not something any reseller or website person can do.
The incorrect Registration Path
Sadly, the real reason is they want to retain control over your online presence. Hiding the real costs and making things seem overly complicated creates fear and puts people off moving. So they pay up!
We encounter this on a weekly basis, and it is repeatedly done by rogue “website people” calling themselves “Web Designers” or, even worse, “Web Developers” or an “Agency”.
These people process your domain registrations through their own accounts and prevent you from accessing them directly. Convincing you that they manage it for you, on your behalf.
The Registrant (You)
This is you, the owner of the domain name. You pay for it, directly to the registrar (Us).
Web Designer or Agency (Them)
This is the web designer who is “helping you out” under the claims that everything is complicated and you risk breaking everything if you have access to it.
The Registrar (Us)
This is us, the accredited registrar, we administer the domain name registrations, process payments and ensure the domains are setup correctly and manage their DNS records.
The Registry (Nominet)
This is Nominet, for UK domains, the governing body overseeing the registrars and keeping secure records of every single domain name registered, and who it’s registered to.
The Correct Registration Path
The three parties involved are as follows, in this order.
The Registrant (You)
This is you, the owner of the domain name. You pay for it, directly to the registrar (Us).
The Registrar (Us)
This is us, the accredited registrar, we administer the domain name registrations, process payments and ensure the domains are setup correctly and manage their DNS records.
The Registry (Nominet)
This is Nominet, for UK domains, the governing body overseeing the registrars and keeping secure records of every single domain name registered, and who it’s registered to.
But what if you really do need help?
Any good domain registrar and service provider can help guide you through registering a domain name. It’s a quick and straightforward process.
You do not need a third party to intervene in your registration. However, if you do let somebody help you, they should guide you through registering your domain names directly with the registrar, within an account of your own, ensuring everything is in your name.
