How to Keep Your Website or Blog From Exploding

©Stina Lindenblatt

One of the first pieces of advice I received when I started writing, with the goal of publication, was to buy my domain name. It doesn’t matter if you won’t be published for several more years. You don’t want someone in the meantime to swoop down and nab it.

So that’s what I did.

And every year, without fail, I would pay the fee when I received the renewal notice.

I was happy. And as time passed, my follower numbers grew and grew and grew. I’ll admit they weren’t all my target audience. They were mostly writers. And my target audience? Most wouldn’t care about my writing posts.  

And then the worst thing that could possibly happen did. Google sent me my annual renewal notice last month, but no matter what I tried, I couldn’t access my Google Admin Console. I eventually asked for help. All I got were a symphony of crickets. Jimmy Cricket and the Blue Fairy would have at least been nice, but even they didn’t come to my assistance.

I tried to transfer my domain to another provider, but I couldn’t access my domain EPP and password. My happy feelings were rapidly declining, to be replaced by frustration and a clawing fear.

Last week, I woke up one morning to find my blog had vanished. In its place was a bogus company page. At first I thought someone had swept in and was holding my domain for an exorbitant fee. Yes, apparently there are individuals who do that. Turns out Google had put a freeze on my domain name and if I wanted it back, I had to pay a hefty fee. I’ve heard the same story from several other writers, and not all were with Google.

In the end, I viewed the disastrous tale to be a sign from the Goggle gods. I now have a new blog (at a blogspot url address this time), which focuses on my target audience. My real target audience. I also have a new domain name from a different service provider (I haven’t done anything with it yet).

How to avoid this from happening to you

1. Before you buy a domain, get recommendations for a service provider (and be prepared for conflicting advice).

2. Make sure it will be easy to transfer your domain to another provider if you decide to go with someone else later on. For example, will you be able to transfer it to Wordpress if you decide to create a website through them?

3. Ensure the provider has a solid customer service. You don’t want to end up with nothing but crickets serenading you when you need help. Trust me on that one.

4. If you decide to transfer your domain to another provider, do this well in advance of your contract expiration date. It takes at least 14 days for the transfer to happen. It will be more expensive if you’ve fallen into your so-called grace period (and after that, it will be very expensive to get it back).

5. Diversify when it comes to your social media sites. Because I have Twitter and Facebook profiles, I was able to get the message out that I had lost my domain name and therefore my blog. My friends were able to find me again, and many posted on Facebook and Twitter what had happened. If I hadn’t been involved in these other forms of social media, I would have had a tougher time getting the message out.

Have you registered your domain name? Do you have any nightmarish tales to tell?

Click the link to Tweet it! Share what you read today:

Have You Registered Your Domain Name?

How To Protect Your Website Or Blog Domain.

Stina Lindenblatt @StinaLL writes Young Adult and New Adult novels. In her spare time, she’s a photographer and can be found at her blog/website.  She is represented by Marisa Corvisiero, and finds it weird talking about herself in third person. Her debut New Adult contemporary romance, WIDE AWAKE, will be released 2014 (Carina Press).