Renewing Your Domain Name

At Bluehost, our automatic renewal feature simplifies domain management, ensuring your domain stays registered without hassle. Here's everything you need to know about renewing your domain name and keeping your online presence uninterrupted.

• Automatic Domain Renewal
• Why Renew Your Domain Name
• How to Manually Renew Your Domain Name
• Domain Expiration and Grace Periods
• Summary

Automatic Domain Renewal

By default, Bluehost automatically renews your domain registration 15 days before it expires. This means we'll attempt to renew your domain using the payment method linked to your account. However, if the automatic renewal fails, we'll send you a reminder to manually renew your domain before it expires, giving you ample time to ensure continued service.

Whether you run a business blog or manage a personal website, our automatic renewal feature helps keep your domain active so your audience can always find you online.

Why Renew Your Domain Name

Failure to renew your domain can have serious consequences, including website downtime, loss of brand identity, and potential loss of revenue. Here's why you should prioritize renewing your domain:

• Prevent Website Downtime: If your domain expires, your website will become inaccessible, disrupting your online presence and damaging user experience.

• Protect Your Brand Identity: Losing control of your domain could allow competitors or cybercriminals to take over your domain, harming your reputation.

• Ensure Email Continuity: If you use email services tied to your domain (e.g., [email protected]), renewal is critical to avoid disruption in communication.

• Safeguard Your SEO Rankings: An expired domain can negatively affect your search engine rankings. By renewing your domain on time, you can avoid the challenge of rebuilding your SEO.

• Keep Your Customers: Renewing your domain ensures that customers who have bookmarked your site or remember your URL can easily find you.

• Maintain Control of Your Online Presence: Renewing your domain keeps you in control of your brand's digital footprint and security.

• Protect Against Cyber Threats: Keeping your domain renewal up-to-date helps guard against hijacking and other malicious activities.

How to Manually Renew Your Domain Name

If, for any reason, automatic renewal doesn't work, you can manually renew your domain by following these simple steps:

1. Log in to your Bluehost Account Manager.
2. Once logged in, navigate to the Renewal Center tab in your dashboard's lower-left corner.
   
3. In the Renewal Center section:
   1. Under the Products & Services column, check the box next to the domain(s) you wish to renew.
   2. After selecting your domain, click Renew Now to begin the renewal process.
4. Review your renewal details and any applicable ICANN fees in the shopping cart. Complete your payment.
   
5. After processing your payment, you'll receive a confirmation email with the receipt confirming the successful renewal of your domain.

Domain Expiration and Grace Periods

To avoid losing your domain, renewing it before expiration is important. Here's what happens if your domain expires:

• Pre-Expiration Reminders: Bluehost will send at least two reminders within 60 days before the expiration date, and a final reminder will be sent 5 days before expiration.

• Grace Periods: If you miss the renewal date, your domain enters a holding period of up to 31 days. During this time, a third party could purchase your domain. If a third party doesn't acquire the domain, it enters a Redemption Grace Period for 30 days. You can renew your domain during this period, but a $99.95 reactivation fee will apply.

• Pending Deletion: After the redemption period, the domain enters a 5-day pending deletion phase before being permanently deleted. Unfortunately, it cannot be recovered once this process starts.

Summary

Renewing your domain name is essential to keeping your website online, maintaining control over your brand, and avoiding unnecessary disruptions. Bluehost offers an automatic renewal feature that simplifies this process. However, if the automatic renewal does not work for any reason, we have provided straightforward instructions for manual renewal.

Remember, if your domain expires, you may lose it to third parties, damaging your brand, negatively affecting your SEO, and losing traffic and revenue. Therefore, renewing your domain on time will be crucial for maintaining an online presence of strength and continuity.

Are you eager to dive deeper into the world of Domains? Check out these insightful articles for all the details you need:

• About Domain Names
• Domain Name Management FAQ
• Domain Redemption Period
• How to Register a Domain Name
• How to Transfer A Domain Name To Us
• What Is Domain Privacy Protection?