When you register a brand new domain name, there is usually no direct confirmation that the person behind the registration is actually the domain name’s rightful owner. Even after you prove that you are the domain owner, there are still chances that the person behind the registration isn’t authorized to use the name you registered. For example, you could prove that you are the domain name’s owner, but the person behind the registration could still be a scammer trying to trick you into giving them your personal information. To protect yourself from potential identity theft issues, it’s important to verify the ownership of a domain name before you provide any personal information to the person behind the registration.
Why Do You Need To Verify Domain Registration?
You might be wondering why you need to verify domain registration. It’s because, in some situations, the person behind the registration could use the domain name you registered without your permission. For example, if you registered a corporate name, you would not want someone else (also a company) to use your registered trademark for their own purposes without your knowledge. In this case, you want to verify that the person behind the registration is authorized to use your registered name. In most cases, you would not need to verify that the person behind the registration is the domain name’s owner, but it’s still a good practice.
Taking Control Of Your Domain Name
If you’re the owner of the domain name you registered, you can play an active role in preventing unauthorized use. First off, you can always edit the DNS records of your domain name to point to your own web server.Â
Aside from that, you can put a hold on the domain name, which prevents anyone from registering it while you’re still the owner. Moreover, you can take control of your registered name’s WHOIS information and update it to match your personal details if you ever get tricked or have your personal information stolen.Â
Lastly, you can create strict rules for your registered name’s usage. For example, if you own a clothing brand named after yourself, you might not want people to use the name for their own purposes or to sell T-shirts with your face on them.
Keep Your Domain Registration Confirmed
If you registered a domain name and provided the correct information, the person who registered it should have confirmed your ownership. Nevertheless, it never hurts to confirm that you are, in fact, the owner of a domain name. If you’re unsure of the status of your domain registration, you can reach out to the company that registered it. They should be able to provide you with information about the confirmation email you sent.
Protecting Yourself From Scammers
If you provide any personal information to the person who registered the domain name, then they can use that information to impersonate you and trick you into doing their bidding. To protect yourself from potential identity theft issues, it’s important to verify the ownership of a domain name before you provide any personal information to the person behind the registration.Â
Several ways to do this include checking the email addresses listed on the website against your email accounts and the phone number listed against your phone numbers. You can ask the person who registered the domain name for their social security number, tax identification number, or any other identification they might have.
You can also ask for their username and password, which they used to access the account. After you confirm that the person is who they claim to be, you can continue with the transaction. Nonetheless, you have to be extra careful when dealing with anonymous entities. Never provide your personal or financial information to unknown parties (i.e. those who don’t have an address or phone number listed on their website).
How To Verify The Ownership Of A Domain Name?
You have a brand-new, shiny, SEO-friendly domain name parked in your wallet, wondering, “What now?”
An incredible feeling! Just remember that, like anything else in life, there are drawbacks to this kind of branding. One of the biggest issues you might face is authentication. Who owns what you believe to be your website? What is the contact information for your webmaster or web administrator? For that matter, who is in charge of updating the website’s content?
To verify the ownership of a domain name, you’ll need to contact the domain’s registry. The good news is that they’ll usually provide straightforward answers to your questions (as long as you’re not trying to pull a fast one and pretend to be someone else).
If you’re still looking for answers to these questions after reading this article, don’t worry. You’re in the right place. We’ve got you covered.
The Basics
Let’s take a step back and review the basics. Knowing web addresses’ legal and technical structures will help you confidently navigate the domain name system (DNS). Also, understanding how a domain name works and how it relates to your website will help you determine if a certain domain is right for your business.
Domain Name Versus Website
A domain name is simply a shorthand way of referring to a website, and it’s been around since the early days of the World Wide Web. When you register a new domain name with a domain registry like GoDaddy, you’ll be allowed to associate the name with a previously created website or with a brand new, empty site. For the sake of this article, let’s say you picked the latter. This would mean your domain name would live in the cloud (i.e., it doesn’t yet have content available on the Internet).
A domain isn’t the same as a website, though. Domains can be shared among multiple people, while a single individual can only access websites at a time. Additionally, while you may change the content on your website frequently (e.g., you may add new articles to the blog or publish weekly reviews), you’ll need to update the domain name’s data whenever you make changes.
For these reasons, we recommend checking the status of your domain name frequently and acting quickly if there are any issues. You can also consider using a service like Google Domains to keep track of all your domain names (including websites and social media accounts) in one place.
How To Contact The Domain Registry
In most cases, you’ll be able to contact the domain name’s registry directly from within your control panel. Some registries, like GoDaddy, even provide instructions on how to do this. Go to the website’s settings section and click the “Contact Us” button. Most domain registries will respond within 24 hours (except on weekends and holidays, when they might take a little longer).
If you’re looking for a quick and easy way to verify the ownership of a domain name, you can use one of the many services like DomainTools, WHOIS, or Google Domains that are readily available at the click of a button. We’ll explore these and other options in a bit.
The Why And How Of Domain Name Ownership
If you’ve been following along so far, you’re probably wondering why you need to verify the ownership of a domain name. If you’re the type who constantly signs up for new accounts and starts seeing pop-ups on your phone, you might want to consider protecting your online identity. That’s why you need to ensure that you’re always aware of who’s controlling the domain name you paid for. Registering a name that you believe to be unique is almost always a good idea. It allows you to explore many avenues for developing your business.
