Transfer a domain name: how does it work?

If you’ve ever bought a domain name, you probably know what a registrar is: a company that handles URL acquisitions. Such a company can be just a URL provider (not bad enough) like NameCheap, or offer a web hosting service in addition to this service, like OVH.

We’ll talk about that later, but whatever the reason, transferring a domain from one registrar to another is a fairly simple process. Governed by ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) and as long as you follow all the required steps, the procedure does not usually result in brain knots.

If you are requesting a domain transfer, you must of course be the owner or administrative contact for the domain name. If you’re not sure, check the details of your recording contract with your current provider. And if you don’t know who your registrar is, look up your domain name at lookup.icann.org

Why do you want to transfer a domain name?

Security

One of the main points of attention on your website is security. You don’t want Google to punish you or your customers to start complaining that they can’t get to your site or that they’re being directed to another site. This may be the result of your domain name being hacked. This type of hacker often demands a ransom to get your domain name back, usually in exchange for money. To combat this, make sure your new domain name service offers domain locking. This prevents the domain from being changed until you do it yourself. Also, make sure your new host informs you if there is an attempt to change the domain, whether it was done by you or not.

Privacy

It is different from security because it only concerns you and your domain name. While all registrars claim that your privacy is taken seriously, this is not always the case. To be clear, it can be difficult to find a registrar’s privacy policy. Some don’t address every situation in their privacy agreement, so it’s best to educate yourself as much as possible, including checking their website, doing a Google search for privacy issues, and reading customer reviews. The latter, although not always very reliable, can be very useful in these cases: if a common problem arises in many comments, it is probably true.

Customer service

If your website is growing, you’ll need support in many areas, and your domain host is no exception. In addition to helping you transfer your domain name, make sure your new domain provider offers aftermarket support – some hosts don’t have a support team, just a sales team that will try to get you to purchase additional options or other extensions to your domain name. .

user experience

Is your domain name easily manageable? If even the smallest operation seems like a hassle, imagine when you need to do a bigger one. Make sure your domain settings are easily accessible. It not only saves you time, it takes away stress and benefits visitors as well.

Cost

While paying too much is never good, paying too much for a company that doesn’t do enough is even worse. Not all registrars are the same and their prices can vary up to twice as much. When looking for a new domain name host, you should consider all of the items on this list and determine if this service is worth your time.

The steps to transfer a domain name

Choose a new provider and create an account

It sounds logical, and it is: before starting the process to transfer a domain name, you must choose the new host to which you want to transfer it. You may have already chosen your new host, in which case you can move on to the next step. But if you are still undecided, I invite you to reread the previous paragraph, in which the main selection criteria are found.

If you want to transfer your domain name to change web hosting at the same time, you can check the comparison of the best web hosts to find the solution that best suits your needs.

Raise domain privacy

Most registrars offer domain privacy when you sign up, and some even do it for free, so chances are you’ll use this service. If you have this service, it means that your registrar protects your personal information by hiding it in the WHOIS database: instead of seeing your name and contact details, a user visiting your site will only find a forwarding address published by your registrar.

Without this domain privacy option, anyone on the Internet can access your contact information by searching for your domain name.

For the confidentiality of a domain to be effective, it is your provider who publicly registers your domain in its own name, thus guaranteeing your privacy. Only here: To proceed with your domain name transfer, you must first deactivate domain confidentiality with your current registrar, then wait for the central registry to update their records with your “real” name and contact details.< /p>

Unlock your domain name

Most domain name registrars “lock” domains by default at the time of purchase, which is intended to ensure that your domain is safe from unauthorized changes to contact information, DNS settings, and ownership of it. Locking also protects your domain from unauthorized transfer attempts.

Therefore, you will need to manually unlock your domain name in order to transfer it. Fortunately, most registrars make it very simple. Log in to your personal area and look for a button to disable your domain lock. This option is usually found in a tab labeled “Transfer,” “Share,” or something similar, and it’s easy to locate.

Once you have requested unlocking, your request will be taken into account and will be effective instantly.

Request authorization code

After unlocking your domain, you should look for an option to receive an authorization code (usually located in the same place as the unlock option). Registrars use this code system to help identify themselves to the new service as the legitimate owner of the domain name.

Most registrars send this code via email, but keep in mind that it may take up to five business days to receive it. Before requesting a code and to avoid unnecessary delays, first make sure your email address is up to date!

start transfer

Once your domain is unlocked and your previous registrar has sent you your authorization code, you can finally begin the transfer procedure with your domain. It is at this point that you will be asked for the authorization code.

The new host will guide you through this process. Make sure you follow the domain transfer instructions and don’t register a new one!

Your new registrar will give you a deadline for the transfer (up to 14 days, but getting faster). You will likely receive updates on the progress of the transfer via email from both your old and new registrar. By the way, try not to use a domain-linked email address, it may not be available in the meantime.

Pay

At this point, most hosts will either charge you a transfer fee or renew your domain for another year. You will need to make this purchase for the transfer to be successful. Major hosting providers have domain transfer fees, and their annual renewal fees differ depending on their pricing policy, but also depending on the domain name extension (com, org, biz, etc.) you’re using. .

Our advice for transferring a domain name

Completing the various steps required to complete your domain name transfer shouldn’t take more than an hour or two, and it’s best to complete all of these steps in one go—in order, of course!

If all goes well and there is no reason not to process your request, the transfer should take place within five to seven business days.

If you need help transferring your domain name, feel free to call a freelance web developer at Codeur.com.