Getting an "Already Taken" Domain Name for your Own

If you like the name well enough, chances are you will follow it for months, watching as the renewal date gets closer and closer. The renewal date has arrived, and the owner still has not renewed! With your credit card in hand, you wait check the following day, only to see that the same owner still owns it, even though it wasn't renewed and the renewal date has passed. A few weeks go by, then months. Then suddenly, someone ELSE has the coveted domain name registered! So what gives? Welcome to the world of deleted domains!

When domain names expire, they go through a process before it becomes available to others. Normally, when a website is registered, it is "ACTIVE".

Within a few days of the renewal date passing, the domain name is then placed on "REGISTRAR-HOLD". When it is in hold status, the owner can still renew the domain name, but usually must pay an additional fee to do so. The average domain name will remain in the hold status for about 30 days, although some may be there for much less or much longer durations.

Then the domain will go into "REDEMPTION PERIOD". This means that the domain is expired, and gives the owner one last chance to be able to renew it before it is deleted from ownership. This period will usually last about 30 days, but again, it can last longer or shorter.

Next up is "PENDING-DELETE", which means that the domain name is just about to be released into the public domain. The owner usually is unable to renew the domain name at this time. This status will usually last for 5 days, and is the last stop before the domain name is available for registration by the public again.

Once the domain name leaves "PENDING-DELETE", it will be deleted, and you can then register your domain name at the registrar of your choice.

If you are worried you might miss when your chosen domain name is deleted, you can use a domain deletion watch program to secure the domain name for you once it becomes available.

You can place a Snap on a name you want to get, but don't want to have to watch carefully. For $69, you can place a Snap, which can be used on a name that has expired, or on a name that hasn't yet expired (perfect for a domain name that is parked and will be coming up for renewal soon). If the owner renews the domain name, or your snap doesn't get it, you can transfer your $69 onto another domain you would like to watch.

For that perfect domain name, a $69 investment is a wise one, especially if you aren't available to check the domain name status numerous times a day when it is "PENDING-DELETE".

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