Welcome to “The Engaging Marketeer,” where we delve into essential insights and often overlooked aspects of the digital marketing world.
I’m your host, Darren Jamieson, and today we’re going to discuss a critical mistake many businesses make when it comes to domain names—a mistake I’ve made myself, and one that can be incredibly costly. So, let’s dive right in.
Now, I want to talk about domain names. But don’t worry, this isn’t going to be one of those dull podcasts about domain types and top-level extensions. No, I’m here to discuss a potentially catastrophic mistake you can make with your domain names—one that, unfortunately, I’ve made myself. And trust me, it can be extremely costly. The mistake I’m referring to is the decision to let a domain name expire, thinking you’ll never need it again.
You’ve got to be 100% certain you’ll never use that domain name again because, once it’s gone, it’s gone. And the chances of getting it back are slim to none. Let me explain by throwing myself under the bus first and telling you what happened to me.
This mistake can cost you more than you think
We had a domain name related to Engage Web, as we had bought several domains to protect our brand. One of these was engagewebdesign.co. We didn’t end up using it, so we decided to let it expire. It was just costing us a bit each year, so why keep it? Well, about a year later, someone set up a business called Engage Web Design. They were operating in the UK under engagewebdesign.co—and what made it worse was that we knew them. They were well aware of us because we had taken a client off them a few years earlier.
Now, we were lucky enough to have trademarked Engage Web, so legally, no one else could use that name in relation to web design and digital marketing within the UK. But even so, it cost us well over £1,000 in legal fees to get that domain back. That’s right—because we let a domain worth £10 to £15 expire, it ended up costing us a grand. And let me tell you, most businesses wouldn’t be able to get that domain back. We only managed it because of our trademark.
I’ve seen this happen repeatedly over the years. A domain name, especially one that’s been live with a website for a few years, has real value—even if it doesn’t generate traffic or leads. Why? Because it has history. Google recognises that it’s been around, and it likely has other websites linking to it, which increases its value and ranking. Someone else can register that domain and use it to boost their own site’s SEO by linking to it. Worse, they might put up something completely unethical—like a site selling knock-off trainers, or even worse, pornography. Yes, I’ve seen that happen too.
Once you let a domain go, it’s gone. A famous example I often share in workshops involves Heinz. They ran a competition where customers could scan a QR code on their ketchup bottles to enter. But guess what? They didn’t renew the domain name linked to that QR code. Someone else registered it and put up a porn site. So now, those QR codes in shops across the country were directing customers to something utterly inappropriate. All because Heinz didn’t renew a domain name that would have cost them mere pennies.
But it doesn’t just stop there…
The consequences can be even worse if you use that domain for email. If someone else registers the domain after you’ve let it expire, they can set up a catch-all email address. Every email intended for you will go straight to them, giving them access to all your correspondence. And if you use that email address for logging into social media accounts, they can reset your passwords and take over your accounts. This happened to one of our clients just last week—they lost access to their social media because they didn’t renew an old domain that was linked to their email.
One of the most high-profile cases I can mention involves a company I used to work for—Game, the video game retailer. Back in the early 2000s, Game’s website wasn’t game.co.uk because they couldn’t get that domain; someone else owned it. Game had bought an online platform called Barry’s World, which hosted game servers. But someone forgot to renew one of the domain names linked to those servers. Luckily, they managed to renew it before anyone else registered it, but the servers were down for a few days, causing a lot of headaches.
The point is, whether it’s your website or email, if there’s even a tiny chance you’ll need that domain in the future, keep it. Don’t let it expire. Once it’s gone, it’s incredibly difficult, and sometimes impossible, to get it back.
So, what’s the key takeaway here? If there’s any chance you might want to use a domain name again—even a 0.1% chance—keep it. Don’t let it expire. Once it’s gone, someone else can take it, do whatever they want with it, and you’ll have little to no recourse.
I hope this episode has been an eye-opener. Don’t make the same mistake I did—renew your domains, even if you’re not sure you’ll need them. The cost of not doing so could be far greater than you think. I’m Darren Jamieson, and this has been “The Engaging Marketeer.”
If you found this useful, please leave a review and a rating. And if you’ve got any domain names you don’t want, feel free to send them my way—I’ll happily take them! Catch you on the next episode.
About your host:
Darren has worked within digital marketing since the last century, and was the first in-house web designer for video games retailer GAME in the UK, known as Electronics Boutique in the States. After co-founding his own agency, Engage Web, in 2009, Darren has worked with clients around the world, including Australia, Canada and the USA.
iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/engaging-marketeer/id1612454837
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrenjamieson/
Engaging Marketeer: https://engagingmarketeer.com
Engage Web: https://www.engageweb.co.uk
