5 ways to protect your WordPress domain name and hosting account

Following the registration of a new domain name or the acquisition of an existing one, there are a few things you can do to safeguard it from theft and cybercrime.

The consequences of not taking any of these actions could be disastrous.

You can avoid future hassle and problems by protecting your domain as soon as possible.

1. Protect your hosting account

Use 2-factor authentication and a strong password when setting up your hosting account.

This is done to protect your account from unauthorized access and to avoid domain hijacking.

The issue of domain hijacking is quite real.

It is really challenging to obtain your domain name back if someone compromises your account and takes it.

2. Lock domain transfer

Check that your domain is properly secured against transfer and locked.

You can do this by going to your hosting account’s domain security section and turning off the domain transfer switch.

3. Set up autorenewal for your domain(s)

Most domain registrars offer the option to configure automatic domain registration.

It is important to set this up so that you do not forget to renew your domains and lose access to them after their expiry.

4. Purchase other common extensions for your domain

If your domain ends in.com, make sure to purchase other common TLDs such as .org, .net, and so on to prevent competitors from purchasing those TLDs with your domain name and redirecting users who visit them to their sites rather than yours.

Register your domain with those TLDs and redirect them to your primary domain and site.

5. Purchase common misspellings of your domain

If your domain is easily misspelled, buy that misspelled domain as well and redirect it to your main domain so that it does not fall into the wrong hands – your competitors.

Flickr, for example, purchased and owns flickr.com.