Many businesses put their personal and website’s security as an afterthought only to regret it later on – you know – when hackers and other privacy attacks happen. Keeping your information safe should be a rule. It’s unfortunate that there is no end to unscrupulous people on the internet looking for people to take advantage of.
After purchasing a domain name, ICANN requires your registrar to enter your contact information – including your name, email address, phone number and even your physical address – in its whois, a searchable directory that lists your contact information for the public’s use. That’s right, it’s free of charge, to anyone who wants to check domain names in the whois database.
Private domain registration is a protection from the many dangers of whois database. Much like protecting your privacy by keeping your contact out of telephone listings, it’s possible to use private domain registration to remove your contact information away from strangers.
Using private domain registration for your domain name allows your registrar to replace your contact information in the WHOIS database. This is considered an add-on service, entailing an additional fee separate from domain registration. As threats to online security continue evolving, here are several reasons why you must consider private domain registration.
Privacy protection. Identity theft happens all the time. Your risk level escalates when your personal information is available in the WHOIS. Private domain registration alleviates your concerns by making sure that anyone who wants to check domain names for bad purposes will find only given your domain provider’s info – not yours.
Eliminate unwanted solicitation. You risk becoming a target for people who have less than the best of intentions when you can’t manage the distribution of your contact information through WHOIS. Oftentimes, spammers use this to infiltrate your business email system, which can cause issues for you and your customers. Moreover, telemarketers are notorious for scouring the WHOIS database looking for contact information to use.
Manage everything. You can decide what information you want to make public via your business website while private domain registration keeps all other personal information out of the WHOIS database. You’ll be providing “safe” contact information that you can feel comfortable distributing.
Hide your email. After electing private domain registration, your domain name registrar will then provide a unique email address that changes regularly in the WHOIS database to keep spammers at bay. Any email sent to this address are filtered for spam and redirected a private email account.
Stay within budget. While it’s hard to put a blanket price on peace of mind, you may spend upwards $5-$9 price with private domain registration. Business expenses can quickly add up, but it’s hard to deny that private domain registration is indeed a bargain for the benefits you gain through it.
Consider a private domain registration if you’re concerned about your data in the WHOIS database. Only you should have control over your personal information. Get your domain registered if security is the main concern for you, especially if you are looking to run an ecommerce site. Doing so can get you a higher ranking, as the authenticity of your site won’t be an issue.
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