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The life cycle of a domain name

Domains

It’s a common misconception that once a domain name has been purchased, it’s owned by the buyer. This is not the case! When a domain is purchased, it’s available for use for a set period of time (between 1 and 10 years), it can be renewed indefinitely but is never truly owned. 

The domain life cycle is the process that details each stage of a domain lease, including: available, active, expired, redemption (or the ‘grace’ period), and pending deletion. Below is our guide to how this all works!

The Domain Lifecycle
Note: This life cycle applies to .ca and .com, and other gTLDs managed by ICANN.

Available domain names

When a domain is available for purchase, that is, it’s not currently registered by any entity, it’s considered available. To secure an available domain, make sure you register the name as soon as you decide it’s a domain that you want. Be quick because until it’s registered, anyone else can claim it!

The ‘Active’ period

Once a domain has been registered, it becomes Active, you can now use it as your web address, and you're free to modify its settings and contact information. 

Your domain is registered

A domain name can be registered for an agreed-upon duration, ranging from 1 to 10 years. After the initial registration, the domain is all yours until it’s time to renew. During that time, you may list and sell the domain, or transfer between registrars, if you wish.

The most important thing to remember during this time period is to renew your domain before it expires. That is, if you plan to keep it for the long term. 

Your domain is about to expire

We recommend you renew your domain well before the expiry date, as once the domain expires, your website will no longer be visible, and any email addresses connected to your domain will stop functioning. 

At WHC, we will communicate with you, well in advance of when your domain is due to expire. So make sure the contact details for your domain are always accurate and up to date, otherwise, you could miss this communication. 

For this reason, we strongly recommend that you set up an auto-renew of your domain, in case its renewal date falls off your radar. Especially if it’s a domain that you want to keep active, and hold on to for the long term!

The ‘Expiration’ period

If you forget to renew your domain before it expires, the domain name will be deleted, and any related services will stop functioning. Your webpage will be replaced with a ‘parked’ page, indicating that the domain has expired. Furthermore, an expired domain can not be transferred to another registrar, unless it is renewed. 

The good news is that renewing your domain will return it (and your email) to normal! Note that you only typically have up to 40 days to do this, before your domain enters the redemption period.

If you decide not to renew your domain, it will simply become available for anyone to purchase at the end of the ‘pending deletion’ period.

The ‘Redemption’ period

When the domain has expired (at the end of the expiration period), it enters the redemption period. This usually lasts for 30 days (for most top-level domains, like .ca and .com). In this period, your website, email or domain-based services will not function, and the information about your domain is scheduled to be deleted. 

Note: If your domain is in the redemption phase and you’d like to restore it, it is still possible! At this stage, there will be a redemption fee that needs to be paid on top of the normal renewal rate. Contact the company you registered the domain with and they will guide you through the restoration process.

The ‘Pending Delete’ period

If your domain is still not renewed by the end of the redemption period, it will enter the pending delete phase. By now it’s not possible to redeem or change the domain in any way. This period only lasts for 5 days, after which the domain will be deleted and is then released back to the public for registration. Note that for .CA domains, domains are released on the Wednesday following the end of the redemption period.

When the domain is made available for registration again, it can often be challenging to re-obtain. It could end up on a backorder list to be auctioned off, or in some cases purchased by a third party requiring a substantial buyback payment. 

Wrapping up

We hope this article has given you some insight into the overall domain lifecycle process. 

The main takeaway is to always remember to renew early! It will save you money, and will significantly reduce the risk of losing your domain name.

Care for more domain-savvy articles?

How buying a domain affects your privacy
How buying a domain affects your privacy
4 Reasons to secure your domain name now
4 Reasons to secure your domain name now
Finding your perfect domain name - Canadian Edition
Finding your perfect domain name - Canadian Edition

How buying a domain affects your privacy

Domains

Securing your domain name is an exciting and important first step for any new online project. However, with this purchase come important decisions that can critically affect your security, privacy and success. 

FACT: When choosing your perfect domain name, your choice of .com or .ca, for example, might end up affecting some personal privacy settings. 

How? We’ll explain everything you need to know about domain privacy and how buying a domain name can affect yours. But first, a little bit of context. 

What happens after you buy a domain name, exactly?

When you register a domain name, it is required that you, the owner or registrant, submit valid contact information, just like you would when you create any account online. This process is heavily regulated by international domain rules and overseen by ICANN. All that information is then stored in a public database called WHOIS. 

What is WHOIS?

WHOIS serves as a public directory regulated by ICANN (International Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) which stores all the information collected when someone registers a domain name. WHOIS is as old as the internet; it was standardized in 1982.

Did you know? Falsifying your personal information can result in you losing your domain. Make sure the information you provide is valid and accurate when registering a domain name. It’s the law! 

Depending on the TLD you chose, this information may become immediately available to the public and shared online (for everyone to access in a few clicks) through the WHOIS database.

Here is the list of information made public:

  • your name
  • your email
  • your address
  • your phone number
  • domain creation and expiry dates
“Wait, what? A public database with all my personal info? But this has ‘privacy nightmare’ written all over it.” As scary as that sounds, this is an overall good thing. It helps keep things on the internet relatively civilized by ensuring each domain has a registered owner (person or organization) who can be held accountable. 

So, YES to a safer internet… we’re all for it! However, it entails a definite security and privacy risk for you. 

This is where domain privacy comes in handy. 

What is Domain Privacy?

It’s a service that shields your name, email, phone number, and complete address from bad actors or any data-scraping tools and replaces it with the registrar’s details instead. This way, your own personal information will not be displayed to the public at all. To be clear, you retain full ownership and control over your domain, however, the contact details listed are coming from the company you purchased the domain from and not your own. 

Here’s how this information is laid out with and without domain privacy:

Without domain privacy With domain privacy
Sarah Smith
6789 Grant Street #301
Montreal, Quebec
H2R 2Y3
Canada
1-888-545-3942
[email protected] 		Domain Admin
Privacy Protect, LLC
10 Corporate Drive
Burlington, MA
01803
US
+1.8022274003
[email protected]

Domain privacy protection helps to lock away sensitive data and gives you better control over your information. It may or may not be included depending on which TLD you purchase. 

To put it simply, with the protection of domain privacy, no one would know which individual owns the domain in question, but only which registrar the domain was registered with.

Choosing .CA can protect your privacy… for FREE 

If you are a Canadian individual, the contact information you provide when you register your .ca domain will not be published on the .CA WHOIS database. Yep, it’s one of the many perks that come with being Canadian. This means you won't have to worry about others exploiting your WHOIS contact information to spam you (as with some other TLDs) or paying extra for privacy protection.

Just one of the many reasons to choose a .CA domain! That being said, non-individual registrants, such as corporations or organizations will have their contact information displayed by default and those cannot be hidden. That’s to protect us, the consumers. However, an organization or company that wishes to keep its details private could have its domain(s) registered by a third party person, for instance.

How about other TLDs like .com? 

If you choose to go with .com over .ca, that’s cool too! 

You can usually buy an optional privacy protection service. Domain Privacy Protection generally costs a few dollars per year; a small price to pay to avoid potentially falling victim to fraud, spam, or identity theft. At WHC our Domain Privacy Protection is an add-on for domain purchases. We like giving people a choice! 

You can purchase this feature at any time, and it renews at the same time as your domain renewal date every year. The best time to purchase this service is directly at checkout when securing your domain. But, if you JUST learned about privacy protection now, just know, you can always add it after purchase. 

As a side note, you should know that not all TLDs are created equal. Some domain extensions simply cannot activate privacy protection, like .PRO and .US (which is done to protect consumers). And, in some cases like country-specific TLDs, domain privacy protection is actually included with the purchase of domains, like .AT, .DE, .BE, and .CH, to name a few.

Who needs domain privacy?

You’ll always be the better judge here. But take it from us, domain privacy is important and should be taken into account, by anyone in the process of purchasing a domain. 

Did you know? Even though the vast majority (92%) of Canadians are concerned about their personal privacy, only 50% of people will actually purchase domain privacy protection (when it’s not included) at checkout. 

We now understand how the WHOIS database is a gold mine for hackers, spammers and identity thieves. Here are just a few of the most common threats you may face if you choose not to protect your private data:

  • Unwanted emails/calls from real or fake companies (spam or scams) 
  • Potential use of personal information for fraudulent purposes (identity theft or hacks)
  • Disgruntled customers (or competitors) knowing where you live (threats)
  • Overpriced renewals notice from a third-party provider (spam)

These reasons alone are enough. Protecting your privacy is more important than ever. That’s why we strongly recommend making sure your privacy is protected when purchasing domains. It’s far better to know and be aware of the facts, than to regret one time too late. And at the very least, everyone should be able to make an informed decision.

And that’s about it!

Owning your own personal space on the internet is exciting and full of possibilities!

Yet, there are several key considerations when purchasing a domain. Making sure your privacy is protected should be one of your top priorities; it can save you future headaches.

Just one of the million things to think about as you start your next big idea or project, eh? 

We hope this article helped you get a better understanding of how buying a domain affects your privacy. Still have questions or want to add this feature? Call or chat with us. We’re always happy to help.

Other useful articles when starting online: 

What is web hosting, anyway?
What is web hosting, anyway?
4 Reasons to secure your domain name now
4 Reasons to secure your domain name now
5 Reasons your business needs a website
5 Reasons your business needs a website

Kiara Taylor

Uncategorized

WHC’s Blog

Articles by Kiara Taylor

Kiara Taylor has worked as a financial analyst for more than a decade. Her career has involved a number of financial firms, including Fifth Third Bank, JPMorgan, and Citibank. She has filled a number of roles, including equity research analyst, emerging markets strategist, and risk management specialist.
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Web Hosting Canada manages fast and reliable online infrastructure with 24/7 support. Learn more about WHC

How to boost cybersecurity when money’s tight

Security

The level of organizational cybersecurity is often subjected to budget constraints. But by the same token, the need for security-related tools and services has steadily grown as the expansion of technology brings on bigger and more complex threats. 

As small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) continue to use exciting new technologies to speed up their digital transformation, they’re able to take advantage of game-changing opportunities but at the cost of taking on greater cyber risk. That is why savvy enterprises are on the lookout for methods to reduce costs while enhancing the effectiveness of their cybersecurity capabilities. 

Business finances have been adversely impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak, and security-related budgets are the first to be downsized in many cases. The pandemic has also brought an incredible amount of clever cyber threats and scams. Phishing attacks, remote malware, use of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), and middle-man attacks have all increased due to the onset of remote working.

Fortunately, there are some ways organizations can prepare a financial plan to protect and secure their data, networks, systems, etc., within their budgets. 

How to budget for SMB cybersecurity 

Planning the financial future of your business, while considering threats, is always the first step to success. Remember, no matter how much money your business spends on strengthening its cybersecurity posture, there is never a guarantee of complete protection. 

So your best bet is to deploy a multifaceted cybersecurity program that provides ongoing protection. Maximize your existing resources by training your personnel to deploy them correctly, test them often and update them regularly to mitigate costs if the unwanted happens.

Here are a few pointers to help you stretch your cybersecurity budget to the max:

Step 1: Understand the nature of your business

Instead of simply looking for threats, it is vital to understand your business's nature so you know what might be attracting the threats in the first place and how you can protect against them.

Make sure you know the answers to the following questions:

  • What are your company's most critical strategic initiatives?
  • Which processes help you generate value? 
  • What are the most essential supporting processes that require protection? 

Consider these questions and consult with your peers to better comprehend how to prioritize aspects that need the most protection.

Step 2: Measure the risk to your business

Next, it is essential to determine the resources that could be affected by security threats. How can this interruption impact your organization? How much revenue will be threatened?

Furthermore, if an asset wasn't available for an hour, day, or week, how will it affect your business operations? What secondary effects can accrue from that? Will there be potential fines or a regulatory impact? Damage to the brand image? For each of the vital assets, processes and initiatives, determine if security issues and concerns impact their success. 

This would also be an excellent time to use penetration testing to find system vulnerabilities. According to cybersecurity expert Barbara Ericson of Cloud Defense, "with penetration testing, a cybersecurity expert can try to find and exploit any vulnerability in your computer systems before they have a negative effect on your organization. Think of penetration testing as simulated practice attacks made for your benefit."

Penetration testing then allows you to gauge the type of threats that exist. Here, you can leverage threat intelligence feeds and figure out how probable they can pose a risk to critical systems' integrity, availability, or confidentiality. 

To effectively evaluate the intensity of risks: analyze which assets (customer base, intellectual property) or processes like human resources, finance, sales, etc., are vulnerable to attacks and hackers and why - disruptions, monetization, etc.

Step 3: Consider the value of security

To quantify the risk for critical processes or initiatives, you can do this by merely multiplying the total vulnerability impact by the possibility of a threat exploiting that system's weaknesses. A risk matrix can effectively help you prioritize security-related risks by exposing potential damage from the chances of the risk occurring.

For processes or assets where both the probability and the risk are high, find the controls implemented to mitigate the risk or minimize its chances. How good are the solutions? What is the current intervening time to identify a threat? Calculate the value of a prompt response that alleviates the impact on your business from security breaches like data exfiltration. 

Security starts with choosing the best web hosting provider. Did you know WHC protects your websites with a 6-layer security system, called Imunify360? Furthermore, it includes extensive DDOS protection, two-factor authentication, and automatic software updates to keep your website and data safe.

Step 4: Prioritize your cybersecurity efforts

Evaluate how you can reduce the resolution and response times by deploying better tools, making necessary changes to processes, increasing your staff, or training them. 

Figure out the best solution that can help you enhance your security efforts. Then evaluate and communicate the amount of difference it will make in line with how much you can stretch your budget.

When you are gauging your business's critical areas, don't overlook tools or platforms that can help you automate your operations and better allow you to understand the risks/threats in a digitally-enabled work environment.

With over 50% of business computing devices being of the mobile variety, coupled with the growth of internet-of-things (IoT), prioritizing the security of mobile devices may be the first step in your network security plan. Mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets, laptops, wearable, and portable devices are also opening the doors to new challenges to enterprise network security as more confidential data and information is being shared and stored on these devices. 

Another way to examine and prioritize security is through updated threat intelligence sources: leverage your social or work connections to find optimal resources and best practices. Finally, consider the outsourcing option, especially when you know your company's internal expertise lacks in a specific area.

There should be internal discussions on the importance of security, what value it brings to your company, and how it supports crucial initiatives to prevent risks that accompany breach costs. That way, you can collectively establish a solid case to increase the budget and achieve its strategic goals.

WHC’s SiteSafe Protection scans your website for possible threats and costs less than $10 a month. Solutions like this one, offers small businesses some level of security at an affordable price.

Step 5: Review your existing policies

Of course, there is no definitive way to prevent or avoid all kinds of cybersecurity or malware attacks. But it is pivotal to take preemptive measures to alleviate such unforeseen security breach events. 

Also, you need to have a solid plan of action that helps you determine how to deal with attackers and unauthorized users. One of the consequences of cybersecurity attacks is that you can lose vital data.

So, merely having effective security policies and guidelines in place is not enough. Proper implementation is also crucial to ensure the effectiveness of those policies. Hold frequent training sessions to educate your workforce about the best practices for security.

A disaster recovery plan can also help your team quickly recover your entire infrastructure or reestablish access to IT resources, applications, and data after an outage.

You need to monitor the adoption and comply with new rules and regulations that are designed to safeguard data integrity on a regular basis to make sure employees are doing all they can to avoid common security challenges. This also means assessing your current in-house security policies and reviewing them regularly to see if they are impactful.

When you detect and identify security vulnerabilities and threats early on, your organization reduces the vulnerability remediation costs significantly. Here are some simple, actionable ways that can help you improve your existing security efforts:

  1. Check if your employees follow all the policies, including the robust password procedures.
  2. Monitor your team when storing, managing, and backing up data in a safe and protected manner.
  3. Determine if your employees have the knowledge and tools to tackle security-related issues. Offer cyber education training for employees so they are aware of phishing scams, malware, etc., and can react effectively.
  4. Gauge your access management control and see if individuals/employees only have access to the essential data critical to performing their daily tasks, business functions, etc.

Wrapping it up

There will come a time when cybersecurity is a standard line item in all P&L sheets. For now, businesses must do what they can to mitigate the increasing risk of cyber-attacks and threats that could target their companies. 

A few decades ago, alarm systems and accounting software would have been an extravagance for a small business. But now these are among the first investments for any entrepreneur. Cybersecurity services are heading in the same direction. It’s a small price to pay for knowing that your business, your data, your staff, and your customers are protected to the best of your ability.

What exactly is WordPress?

WordPress

Are you considering building your own website? By now, you probably know WordPress as the ‘world’s most popular Content Management System’.... But what does that even mean? 

If you’re just discovering WordPress and/or have never used it before, you might feel confused as you try to understand when and how you’d use it. There’s a whole range of in-depth articles on the subject, but very few when you’re just trying to grasp the basics... like why everyone talks about WordPress as being the holy grail for building your own website. 

WordPress has become so big and popular within the last few years that you probably heard the term several times before without having the slightest idea of what it really accomplishes (or maybe just a vague idea anyways).

So, how about we start from the beginning and stick to the basics? Here we go!

To better understand this article, make sure you understand what web hosting is, and why a website absolutely needs both web hosting and a domain name to live on the web.

What is WordPress?

WordPress is a free content management system that can be used to build and manage your website. It’s open-source software, which means it’s developed by a large community of people like you and me (only a tad more skilled). It’s the most popular way to build and manage your website, and powers more than 40% of the world’s websites.

Essentially, WordPress is considered by many as the best and easiest way to get your content onto the web. It’s the most popular Content Management System, often referred to as a CMS.

What’s a CMS? 

A Content Management System is a platform that allows you to create, manage and maintain your website (and its content) without the help of a developer or any complicated coding. 

There are other CMS’s that you may have heard of, like Joomla, Wix, and Shopify to name a few, but none of them have caught on as rapidly as WordPress. 

Did you know: Over 500 sites are being built using WordPress every day. There are developers all over the world who do nothing but design templates and plugins for WordPress specifically, such is the popularity of the platform! For example, there are over 55,000+ plugins in the WordPress Plugin Directory alone.

How does WordPress work? 

Now that we understand that WordPress is a tool that simplifies publishing content onto the web, let’s dig a little deeper.

From a technical perspective, WordPress works as an interface between the creator (who publishes the content), a database (the server that stores the content) and the visitor (who accesses that content) via a web browser. WordPress connects all these elements together. 

Now, this part might sound technical, but here we go… What makes WordPress so powerful is that when you use WordPress to publish content on the web, you’re essentially just entering data (images, text, links, etc) into a database. Once a visitor requests to visit the website (by entering its url into the browser), WordPress builds a ‘view’ with all the information it has, which is then rendered to the user in the form of a web page.

This is a huge advantage, as WordPress gives you the flexibility to easily change anything on your website, any time you see fit. Then publish the changes for visitors to see instantly.

Why is WordPress so popular?

When it comes to creating your own website, there are now an enormous amount of ways to go about building it. A popular choice is to use a simple WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) site builder like Weebly, WIX, or Squarespace, to name a few.

With all these options, why is WordPress the most popular and is it worth all the hype?

There are 2 main reasons why WordPress stands out from the crowd.

WordPress gives you the freedom to completely customize your website like no other CMS. In short, WordPress separates content and content management, giving you complete freedom to edit and adjust the content and more control over every aspect of your website. 

WordPress is relatively easy to manage. The vast majority of WordPress users are just resourceful people without technical or designer backgrounds. The interface is straightforward and easy to understand. You’ll find text editors, free page builders like Elementor to create layouts and landing pages. Much of it can be done with a simple drag and drop, without entering a single line of code.

Here are a few other reasons why people choose to go with WordPress:

  • Free and open-source software
  • Works for any type of website
  • Supports multiple types of content
  • Available in many languages (196 and counting)
  • Supports bilingual websites 
  • It’s easy to learn basic WordPress skills
  • There’s a huge community behind it
  • Fully customizable with the thousands of themes and plugins
  • Let’s you easily scale and expand 
  • No need to be a tech wizard to manage your site
  • Great built-in SEO features
  • Offers great security features
  • Gives you 100% control over your website



… and, that’s just a few reasons why WordPress is such a popular choice!

WordPress is also the preferred choice when building a bilingual or multilingual website. We know a thing or two about that here in Canada, eh? 

What is the difference between .com and.org?

When experts talk about WordPress, or when you hear the word in a conversation, it usually refers to the application itself, hosted at wordPress.org. But to avoid confusion, let’s see the difference between WordPress, wordpress.com and wordpress.org.

WordPress

As in: “My website is powered by WordPress.”

WordPress is the application itself. A free and open-source publishing application that anyone can download, install and use on any server to publish content on the web.

WordPress.org

As in: “When you’re new to WordPress, try asking questions in the WordPress.org forums.”

WordPress.org is the official website that hosts the WordPress application. It’s on this website that you can download WordPress (the application). But this is also a go-to for all official documentation on WordPress, handbooks, support via the many forums, directories for templates and plugins, etc.

WordPress.com

As in: “I started my blog on WordPress.com but as it’s growing I need more functionality, so I’m moving it to a WordPress site and will host it myself.”

WordPress.com is run by Automattic, the for-profit service provider that runs the WordPress project and offers paid WordPress services. You can build your website directly there, however, it may be restricted by the platform, in features and functionality. 



What kind of websites can be made using WordPress?

The best example would be our own website: whc.ca (wink, wink) but there are plenty more to choose from, like The White House, Sony Music, Walt Disney, and even Snoop Dogg (really!). 

WordPress started out as a platform used mainly by bloggers, but as you can see, today, you can build almost any kind of website using WordPress. Whatever you have in mind, there’s a vast choice of plugins and themes for any type of website you desire; from a basic blog that gets little traffic, to a large ecommerce website with millions of visitors a month.

To give you more ideas of how you can use WordPress, here are some of examples:

  • Business websites
  • News outlets
  • Portfolios
  • Resumes
  • Forums
  • Social networks
  • Membership sites
  • …and so many more!

How do I get started with WordPress?

To start a WordPress website, you must have a place to host it first, along with a domain name. (That’s the case for any website, WordPress or not.) Then you simply download the WordPress zipped file from wordpress.org and unzip the contents onto your web server. And that’s it! When the setup completes, you’ll have a working version of WordPress on your website. If this sounds way too complicated, just know that most providers offer simple 1-click installation tools to help with the installation. If you need help with this part, you can reach out to your web hosting’s support team for instructions or assistance. 

WHC offers Managed WordPress plans which are optimized specifically for WordPress hosting. You get the best features of WordPress without the hassle, like 1-click installation, pre-installed plugins and themes, a staging area to test any site changes before going live, and automatic minor updates. Not to mention the installation, updates, performance and security is all managed by WHC to keep your site safe, secure and working optimally.

So, that’s it! 

You now know the basics of what WordPress really is. 

Though WordPress can seem quite abstract for most newcomers, at the end of the day, it’s just one of the many ways to build a website. If you’re ready to build your own and think WordPress is the best way for you, you can get started in WordPress in 8 easy steps...

We hope this article has been helpful for you to better understand the basics of WordPress, and to see why so many people choose it when creating their website.





Starting a new project? And wondering how to get the ball rolling? Choosing the right domain name is often where it all begins!

We think you should definitely check us out at WHC. Proudly Canadian, we’re trusted by thousands of small businesses across the country. 


We offer affordable web hosting solutions to meet all your online business needs. Built for speed, our servers are located in Canada, from coast to coast. We also offer 24/7 assistance.

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