The website is accessible to everyone, but one question remains closed: who holds the key to the front door?
An online business starts with something very obvious and simple: a domain name, a corresponding website and a few e-mail addresses. A strong website and a .be domain name inspire confidence and can be decisive for people who are unsure about making a purchase. Your domain name is, as it were, the digital front door of your business.
A logical solution... or not?
Many entrepreneurs (and other domain name holders) assume that they are the owners of their domain name. But that is not necessarily the case. Often, website developers register domain names for their customers. This can be an employee in your company, but also an external consultant, a communications agency, an acquaintance or friend whom you asked to give you a hand...
When building your website, it seems like a good idea. Registering a domain name is one of the many things you entrust to your developer when they create a website for you.
The person in whose name the domain name is registered automatically becomes the domain name holder. And only the domain name holder can move a website, manage email addresses, put the domain name up for sale again…
You would rather not entrust that to others. Just imagine what would happen if the employee who is the domain name holder left the organisation, or your web developer stopped his business...
A familiar situation?
For years a sports club had a website and associated email addresses on a single domain name. An entire digital ecosystem grew around that domain name.
However, the domain name was not registered in the name of the club itself, It had been registered years before by a fan of the club. Out of goodwill, the sports club was allowed to use the domain, including hosting and email management. That worked well for a long time.
When the sports club wanted to improve the security of its mailboxes, it became clear that this arrangement was not very future proof. Owning the domain name was essential to implement their plans.
The sports club explored the options with DNS Belgium. Presumably, both parties came to a mutual agreement, because we heard nothing more after that. A good example of how clear agreements on ownership ensure peace of mind and trust online.
How do you know if you are the owner?
Not sure if you are the owner of your .be domain name?
Go to the homepage of our website. You can enter your domain name in the central search window. Select the 'Verify details' option and click on 'Show details'. The second results box will show you who the owner of your domain name is. Is it your own name or your company name? Great. Is it someone else's name? Then it's time to set the record straight.
Request your transfer code
You can do this in the same search window via the “Request transfer code” option. As soon as you click on the “Send the transfer code” button, we will send the transfer code for the domain name to the e-mail address of the domain name holder.
The holder will give you the transfer code, which you can use to start the transfer with your registrar. This only takes a few minutes and gives you years of security.
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