Preventing Domain Name Expiration

What SiteWatch checks

SiteWatch performs a WHOIS lookup on your domain to find:

• Expiration date: When does your domain registration expire?
• Registrar: Who is managing your domain (GoDaddy, OVH, Gandi, etc.)?
• Creation date: When was the domain first registered?

The check frequency adapts: weekly when expiration is far away (>90 days), daily within 90 days, and twice daily within 30 days.

How to read your results

• OK (green): Domain expires in more than 60 days.
• Warning (amber): Domain expires within 60 days.
• Critical (red): Domain expires within 7 days.

Why this matters

When a domain expires, your entire web presence goes down — website, email, everything. Worse, expired domains can be snatched by domain squatters who resell them at inflated prices. Some registrars offer a grace period (30-90 days), but during that time your site is already unreachable.

Common issues and fixes

Domain expires soon

1. Log in to your registrar (shown in the check details)
2. Find your domain in the management panel
3. Renew it — most registrars let you renew for 1-10 years
4. Enable auto-renewal if available

Can't determine expiration date

Some registrars (especially for .eu, .uk, or privacy-protected domains) redact WHOIS data. SiteWatch will show a warning in this case. You should check the expiration directly with your registrar.

Domain registered through a third party

If your web agency or a freelancer registered the domain on your behalf, make sure:

• You know which registrar holds the domain
• You have access to the registrar account (or the agency does)
• Auto-renewal is enabled with a valid payment method

Tip: If a client's domain is managed by someone else and you can't verify auto-renewal, set a calendar reminder 90 days before expiration as a backup.

Enable auto-renewal

Every major registrar supports auto-renewal:

• OVH: Manager → Domain → Auto-renewal → Enable
• Gandi: Domain → Renewal → Automatic
• GoDaddy: My Products → Domain → Auto Renew → On
• Namecheap: Domain List → Auto-Renew → Toggle On

Make sure the payment method on file is current. Auto-renewal fails silently if the card has expired.

Transfer a domain to a better registrar

If your current registrar is unreliable or expensive, transfer the domain. The process:

1. Unlock the domain at your current registrar
2. Get the authorization/EPP code
3. Initiate transfer at the new registrar
4. Confirm via email
5. Wait 5-7 days for completion

Warning: You cannot transfer a domain within 60 days of registration or a previous transfer. Plan transfers well before expiration.