12 May 2020
Woman smiling while on phone in a quiet cafe

Today’s blog post focuses on understanding how your registrar can support you as a .au domain name registrant. We discuss the importance of understanding the fundamentals, including renewing your domain name and updating your details and look at additional website solutions your registrar may offer.

Let’s say you registered the domain name homejukebox.com.au. It was almost a year ago and you haven’t built the site yet but music/entertainment is a great interest of yours, and you plan on launching soon. But before you launch, you want to be clear on where your registrar can help out, specifically with regards to renewing your domain name and updating your details.

Fundamental 1: Renewing your domain name

Depending on the registration period you selected, every 1–5 years your .au domain name will expire on a certain date and be eligible for renewal. If you’re unsure of your renewal date, you can check with your registrar at any time. If you’re not sure who your registrar is you can perform a quick WHOIS Lookup to access the details. 

Within 90 days of your renewal date, you will receive an email from your registrar informing you that your domain name will expire soon and that you can renew it through your customer portal. It should be a straightforward process but if you get stuck remember you can always contact your registrar support team.

Fundamental 2: Updating your details

You renew your domain name successfully but realise that when you performed the WHOIS Lookup, you had listed your personal gmail address as your registrant contact email address and want to change it to your professional one, hello@homejukebox.com.au

As the administrator and self regulatory body for the .au namespace, auDA explains that your WHOIS record can be updated by completing an authorised check with your .au registrar, using your (original) registrant contact email address. Again, this is something that is managed through your registrar’s customer portal, or you can contact them to guide you through the process.

Website solutions

Before you launch, you want to ensure your website is appealing to users to increase the likelihood of visitors. You want your website to have a rock n roll diner theme with a clean layout and for visitors to be safe from potential online threats.

Luckily for you, aside from domain names there is a good chance your registrar is already an expert in website building tools and security options, so don’t be shy in asking them for assistance.

Domain name fundamentals and website solutions are just some of the ways your registrar can support you as a .au domain name registrant and assist in building a trusted online presence. If you have any questions at all, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us (or your registrar) today. 

Have some feedback or an idea for a future blog post? Email us at blog@afilias.com.au.