Do I Need Domain Management Services?

Do you want to know if you need domain management services and whether they are worth it?

If you have multiple domains, you’ll know that it becomes harder to keep track of renewal dates, SSL certificates, subdomains, and so on.

In this guide, we’ll take a look at what domain management services have to offer and whether you actually need them.

What is Domain Management?

Domain Name Management helps domain owners maintain their domain portfolio to ensure that their websites stay up and running.

A single domain name might be enough if you’re just starting out or running a very small blog or business.

If you want to establish a large and popular brand, a single domain name is just not possible. You’ll need to buy up domain names that are similar as well as popular domain extensions (TLDs) of the same name.

So for instance, if your domain name is apple.com, you may also want to register apple.net, apple.org, and apple.co to prevent anyone else from getting these domains.

Some domain registrars like Google Domains even suggest the domain extensions you should get when you’re registering the main domain.

This will prevent competitors from disrupting your business. It will also stop anyone from misusing your brand name for their own gain.

You can set up redirects on these domains so that anyone who visits them is automatically sent to your main website. Now, most of these domains lie dormant for years, you still need to keep track of them and make sure all domain-related tasks are taken care of.

You may also choose to invest in or acquire other websites to run multiple businesses together.

As you grow your domain portfolio, it becomes harder to keep track of renewal dates. Even if you set up auto-renewals, your payment and contact information can be outdated.

If you accidentally miss a renewal, you risk losing the domain name.

Added to that, if you forget to renew your SSL certificate, your website visitors will be met with an error page that notifies them that your website is not secure:

Ongoing domain management can help keep every domain updated and running as it should. With that, let’s take a look at what domain management has to offer you.

What Does Domain Management Offer?

There are a number of free and paid domain management services online.

There are even DIY tools that domain registrars provide. You can use these tools to get a bird’s eye view of your portfolio. It makes it much easier to manage all the domains you have under your wing. However, we recommend these tools only for smaller portfolios.

For larger corporations and bigger networks, it’s better to outsource the management of your domains to a third-party service. They’ll take care of everything for you and keep you updated from time to time.

If outsourcing is not an option, then you might consider hiring a domain management expert to handle it for you in house.

With domain management services, depending on your plan, the features and benefits could vary. We’ll discuss the essential tasks that most domain management services take care of:

• Registering new domain names
• Renewing domain names
• Terminating domain names
• Configuring nameservers
• Validating IP addresses
• Managing multi-domain portfolios
• Tracking domain performance

Some domain management services also include managing domains registered with multi-domain registrars. So for instance, you could have domains registered at Bluehost, Domain.com, and GoDaddy. They will manage all the domains spread across multiple companies. They also take care of pointing domains to the right nameservers.

Another important point to note is that they make sure your domains are secure with the best possible security measures. Hackers are constantly on the prowl trying to hijack domains by illegally transferring them. They also use tactics like cyber-squatting and phishing to misuse your domain name and data.

Domain managers will make sure the best security protocol is applied to every domain such as domain locks, 2-factor authentication, IP whitelists, and so on.

Learn more about domain security here: 13 Ways We Use to Secure a Domain Name

Lastly, another important aspect that domain managers handle is brand strategy protection. They look out for opportunities for you to penetrate the market by buying valuable and brandable domain names that will work for your business. They also help you acquire them easily at the best price possible.

Aside from maximizing domain portfolio value, they’ll also strategize how to best handle copyright infringements and trademark violations.

There’s so much that domain management services can help you with. It makes their services worth the investment.

Best Domain Management Tools and Services

1. Network Solutions

Network Solutions is one of the best domain registrars in the world. They have a huge portfolio of domain, web hosting, and other online services like email and online marketing.

You can sign up for a free domain portfolio consultation and they give you a downloadable guide to domain management for free.

They will discuss your needs and goals to understand the kind of domain management you need. They’ll help you maximize value, and review vulnerabilities so that you can minimize security gaps.

Added to that, if you’re a Platinum member, you’ll get a dedicated domain manager to identify domain opportunities. They’ll also come up with tactics to protect your domain brands and trademarks.

Every quarter, you’ll receive a business review related to your domains. And you can get customized account statements when you need them.

In a nutshell, here’s what Network Solutions offers:

• Priority issue resolution with your dedicated account manager
• Brand protection recommendations
• Security strategies to mitigate risk
• Domain portfolio management
• Customized account statements
• Quarterly business reviews

Included in domain management are routine reviews to verify contact and billing information are correct and up to date. Advanced setting configurations are also managed for you.

See our full review: Network Solutions Review: Features, Plans & Pricing

2. Bluehost

Bluehost is the most reliable domain registrar and web hosting company. They are even recommended by WordPress.org.

Bluehost is popular for its affordable yet reliable hosting plans that let you get started with a website even on a small budget. At just $2.75 per month, you get a web hosting plan along with a free domain name, free SSL, free CDN, and free email!

For smaller domain portfolios, Bluehost is a great option. They offer a domain manager inside your dashboard. You can access the domain manager even if you don’t have a web hosting plan with them.

Inside the manager, you can change settings for your domains such as name servers, locking, contact information, privacy, renewal options, and so on.

See our full review: Bluehost Review: Domain, Hosting, & Pricing.

That’s all we have for you. We hope you found this guide helpful in knowing whether you need domain management.

Up next, you’ll want to read these guides:

• Can You Buy a Domain Name Forever?
• What is a Parked Domain & How to Make Money From It?
• Should You Trademark Your Domain Name? (Beginner’s Guide)

These posts will help you on your domain journey to build a solid brand and business.