Imaging you spend a couple of years cultivating your online business. You create a keyword-rich website and use Search Engine Marketing to drive a significant amount of traffic to the site. Then, one day your domain name expires (you even forgot it was up for renewal!) and someone swoops in and takes it. Perhaps they turn it into a link farm, or maybe they just use it to promote their own business. It can happen to you.
When you register your domain name, keep a close eye on when it's due to renew. Even better, choose a service that offers "Safe" renewal (automatic). If you choose to close your business, consider selling your domain name. Even if you only get $100 for it, you'll be able to choose the reputation of the person who is using it. Or consider signing up for an affiliate service and earning straight commissions for referrals from your old domain.
I got the idea for this post from Anne Follis. I was updating my database and came across Anne's old site, which is now owned by Tracy Parish. Anne has a new site, CareerHappy.com. She had let her old domain name expire, and Tracy wisely snatched it up. It's all perfectly legal ...but if your online brand is important to you, make sure you secure it by monitoring your domain renewal. And register the names of sites that are similar to yours and redirect them to your main site.
