FreeYour registrar + a DNS hostAbout 40 min
Control Your Domains and DNS
A domain is the name people type. DNS is the set of records that sends that name to your site and your email. Whoever holds the login controls both.
Why This Matters
The worst mistake is letting a freelancer, a nephew or a past agency hold the registrar login. When they vanish, your site, your email and your Google verification can vanish with them. The owner should hold the keys.
✓ How To Do It
- List every domain you or a client use. Write down the registrar, the DNS host, the renewal date and the email on the account.
- Log in to each registrar and check that the account email is one the owner controls and reads. Turn on two step sign in.
- Turn on auto renew and add a card that will not expire this year. Put the renewal date on a shared calendar with a 30 day warning.
- Turn on registrar lock so a transfer needs approval. Keep the transfer code private.
- Pick one DNS host per domain. Many people use their registrar. Others use a separate DNS service. Whichever you choose, write it down so no one edits the wrong one.
- Export or screenshot all DNS records before any change. Save them in the client folder with the date.
- Change one record at a time. Add the new value, wait for it to work, then remove the old one. Check with a public DNS lookup tool.
- Remember that changes can take from minutes to hours to reach everyone. Do not panic and revert too fast.
- Never let a client's domain sit in your personal account. Register it in their name, or move it to them before the first month ends.
- Do a yearly check. Open each login, confirm the contact email, confirm the card and confirm the records still match your saved copy.
Done WhenA sheet lists every domain with registrar, DNS host, renewal date and owner email, and each account has two step sign in turned on.
Tips & Pitfalls
- A domain that lapses can be bought by someone else, and spam sites love old names with history.
- Do not share a password in chat. Use a password manager with a shared vault.
- Keep a short "who holds what" sheet. Update it whenever someone leaves.