SHORT ANSWER: An expired domain is a domain name that’s registration has expired.

LONG ANSWER: When you purchase a domain name, you have a choice of whether to register it to you or to your company. Once your domain name is registered, it’s yours for one year, then you have an option to renew. Once your domain is registered, each year you get to renew that registration. Domain name renewal costs anywhere from $5 to $15, depending on which domain name registrar you use.

Most domain name registrars give you the option of a multi-year renewal, which saves a few dollars and the headache of renewing every year. Multi-year renewals are a good idea if you have a domain name you are pretty certain you will want for the foreseeable future.

Even if you decide to let go of the website attached to the name, you can always use it for PPC and affiliate ads like the big guys do!

A domain name with an expired registration, meaning no one owns the name at the moment, is known as an “expired” domain name. If you don’t renew at the end of the year, that domain name becomes available for purchase by someone else.

Who would miss a domain name renewal?

• Maybe the domain name wasn’t so good after all!
• Absentminded website owners who simply neglected to renew their domain names;
• Webmasters who got tied up in other ventures or interests;
• Webmasters who discontinued a site due to time constraints;
• Webmasters who ran out of money to continue to operate.

As domain name renewal comes around, you should get several renewal notices from your domain name registrar. Make sure the email address on file with your domain name registrar is working so you don’t miss a renewal!

Now, when a domain name expires, registrars take over the name for 3-6 months afterwards before putting it on the market again. Your domain name registrar parks your old domain name because there might still be traffic to the site, traffic thta just might click on an ad. The domain name will now point to a parked page with PPC ads, with all monies going to the registrar. Smart!

Here’s the rub: if you decide you want the name back after it’s expired and the registrar has assumed control of it, the registrar will charge you anywhere from $50 to $150 (those are the prices I’ve seen) to pull that domain name out of limbo and reinstate it to you! (Proof that even a domain name with little traffic is worth something!)

The lesson here is, if there is any chance you can use that domain name, make sure your email address is good so you don’t miss your renewal!