There are many factors to consider during he registration process, leaving many people confused about the simplest options. Business and private domain registration are two prominent features offered by registrars during the checkout process. The following information can help you understand the difference between private domain registration and business domain registration.

What is Private Registration?

Private registration is a service offered by registrars, which keeps all of the information that you provide to the registrar private. If you do not purchase private registration, all of the information you give the registrar (except for payment details) will be available in a publicly viewable free database known as the WHOis database.  Private registration protects you from annoying and aggressive marketers that can find your phone number, address and email address within the WHOis database.

Private registration also protects you from lawyers, competitors and predators that could use your information for nefarious purposes. Considering the low cost of private registration,  (anywhere from $8-$10, depending on the registrar and whether or not an applicable coupon code can be found) it is easy to see why many people choose the option when registering their domain.

What is Business Registration?

In a sense, business registration is the complete opposite of private registration. Whereas private registration is meant to conceal your registration details, business registration is meant to to promote them. When you opt for business registration during checkout with your domain registrar, you’ll be placing your domain and the DNS records (registration information) into a business WHOis database that is picked up by various business directories online.

Business registration is another way to promote your business and build immediate exposure by putting yourself in an openly viewable database that can be viewed by your clients and competitors alike. Having your registration information available in the business database automatically instills trust in many people that want to know more about your company and your online business. Ideally, you should provide all business information when opting for business registration. For example, you would want your support line phone number to be the default phone number in the database, and you would want the address of your office to be the registration address.

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• September 9, 2009 – Shielding Your Online Identity from Domain Name Thieves
• March 13, 2009 – Backordering Domain Names
• February 26, 2009 – Understanding Domain Name Transfers
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Cost Savings

The most obvious advantage to buying domain names in bulk is the cost savings you will enjoy.  Okay, we all know that domain names are not very expensive these days, going for less than $10 at most registrars.  However, almost all services provide generous discounts to customers who make their purchases in bulk.  Even twenty or thirty cents can add up to a several dollars and result in a great value for your money.  Depending on your requirements, you may come out with a deal that is equivalent to a couple of free domain names.

Time Savings

What is the next best thing to saving money?  Saving time.  After all, registering each domain one by one can be very time consuming.  By choosing to purchase in bulk, you can simply register all of your domain names at one time and be done with it.  Not only will this help you save time on the registration process, but also on renewals.  Consumers are more pressed for time than ever these days.  If you run an online business or maintain a couple of websites, you probably know this all too well.

Reduced Maintenance

Far too many domains are lost because the owners simply do not know they are up for renewal.  Of course it is there responsibility, but a more efficient management system would make this far less likely to occur.  Domain registrars offer all sorts of features to make sure you can secure your web presence by renewing your registration on time.  No more creating a spreadsheet and performing tedious manual maintenance. You can now purchase bulk domains and rest easy by knowing that managing and renewing them is a piece of cake.

Important Factors to Consider

There are some things you need to know before purchasing domain names in bulk.  For example, how many domains do you have to purchase to qualify for a discount?  Is there a certain minimum or maximum required?  These factors and others must be considered before giving the registrar your hard earned money.  The overall value you obtain will largely depend on the company you sign up with.  Even bulk purchases can turn out to costly if the registrar can’t be relied on.

Conclusion

If you require multiple domains for any variety of reasons, you can save yourself a lot of money and grief by purchasing those names in bulk.  Take note that finding the best deals may require you to get a little investigative.  Sometimes these discounts are not advertised and therefore, you may not find out unless you inquire about them.  In the end, purchasing domain names in bulk could turn out to be something that not only helps you save time, but also helps boost your bottom line.

Related posts:

• March 13, 2009 – Backordering Domain Names
• October 28, 2010 – The Difference Between Private and Business Domain Registrations
• February 9, 2009 – Six Important Considerations for Domain Name Registration

Every domain name is registered for a given time period in which the owner has a certain amount of time to make a renewal.  If the domain owner fails to renew the name, the domain in question goes through a series of processes before being deleted from the registry.  Below we have outlined the stages of the domain expiration cycle.

Expiration

When a domain owner fails to renew their domain name, the registrar places it under a Register-Hold status in which it can only be renewed by the owner.  The grace period for renewal generally takes anywhere in between 30 and 45 days.  At this point, the domain is disabled, meaning the owner cannot utilize basic features such email and links.  In order to use these features, the owner must fully pay for the renewal along with penalty fees.

Deletion

The Deletion stage is very straightforward as the registrar simply deletes the non-renewed domain name from its database.

Redemption

The domain name can only be restored during this stage.  Any requests for changes will not be granted.  The domain remains in this stage for up to 30 days, during which the owner can only retrieve it by contacting the registrar.  At this point, the renewal fee must be paid in full along with a penalty fee that can range up to $200.  Once the fees are paid, the domain name enters a stage known as Pending Restore for a period of seven days.  From here, common features such as web pages and email access are restored to the owner.  Next, the registrar submits a restore certificate to the domain registry.  After the Restore command and reports have been approved, the domain goes back to an active status.

Pending Delete and Deletion

If a domain remains in the redemption period after five days, the name is moved to the Pending Delete stage which typically lasts for about five days.  At this stage, the domain is deleted permanently and the registrar nor the registry can change its status.  Once the five day period has expired, the registrar deletes the domain name from the registry.  When this happens, all major registrars release the expired domain name back onto the market, making it available to whoever wants it first.

The Early Jump

The final two stages are the most crucial time period for anyone looking to capitalize on expired domain names.  This is because the savvy registrants and traders are waiting and ready to snatch them up.  The domain name backordering process is extremely beneficial in this case as it puts you ahead of the scavengers and can help you grab the domain name you have been eyeing.

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