How do I manage my clients' domains and hosting?
A domain portfolio grows quietly: 40 domains and 15 hosting accounts no longer fit in a spreadsheet on one person's laptop. What you need is an inventory with expiry dates, renewal alerts and a clear rule for who owns each domain.
Respuesta breve
- Build one inventory: domain, owner, registrar, expiry date, hosting account.
- Set renewal alerts well before expiry, not on the day.
- State in the contract who owns the domain: the agency or the client.
- Agree in advance how renewal costs are passed on to the client.
- Keep registrar and hosting credentials in a password vault, with role-based access.
What the rules and the contract say
- For generic domains (.com, .net), ICANN provides a redemption window of about 30 days after expiry, with an extra fee.
- Each registrar sets its own renewal prices and grace period in its contract, so check both before you rely on them.
- The healthy practice is for the client to be the domain owner, with the agency holding only administrative rights.
- Credentials and the registrar contact person are personal data — keep them in line with the GDPR (Regulation (EU) 2016/679).
- Whether VAT applies to a renewal you pass on depends on your own VAT registration; check it with your accountant.
Practical examples
- A portfolio of 40 domains renewed yearly is 40 renewal dates to track, not one.
- A hosting renewal that lapses on a Friday evening costs emergency work and a client who calls before you do.
- A 120-domain portfolio with two missed expiries a year means a full working day lost to recovery.
What the domain inventory holds
| Field | What you fill in |
|---|---|
| Owner | The client or the agency, exactly as it appears at the registrar |
| Expiry | The exact date, with renewal alerts ahead of it |
| Hosting account | The provider, the plan and the renewal date, tracked separately from the domain |
| Cost to client | The renewal cost and any admin percentage agreed with the client |
Common mistakes
- Keeping the domains in a file on one person's laptop.
- Leaving the domain in the agency's name with nothing in the contract — then the client leaves.
- Renewing everything without agreeing who pays, so the client's hosting comes out of your own margin.
- Tracking the domains but forgetting the hosting accounts, which renew on different dates.
How 4webagency helps
- Every client's domain and hosting portfolio in a single inventory.
- Renewal alerts for domains and hosting, before the client calls you.
- Projects, clients and the domain portfolio in one account, so each renewal sits next to the client it belongs to.
- Honestly: we are not a registrar — registration and transfers stay with your registrar; we keep the records and send the alerts.