10 Mistakes When Buying a Domain: Lessons From an Agency Since 1996
In short: The most common domain buying mistakes are registering the domain in someone else’s name, missing the renewal date, looking only at the first-year price, not checking who issues the invoice and settling for a single extension. Register the domain in your company’s name, for several years, with a registrar that issues Turkish e-invoices and offers reachable support.
Aso Ajans has worked with brands since 1996 and on domain, website and business e-mail projects since 2000. Over the years we have seen that most costly problems start with small mistakes made when the domain is bought. Here are the ten most common ones, their consequences and how to avoid them.
10 Domain Buying Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
1. Registering the domain in someone else’s name
Registering the domain in the name of an employee, web designer or former agency is the most common and most expensive mistake. The legal owner is the registrant; recovering the domain after a dispute can take months.
Solution: Make sure your company name is the registrant, and keep the account credentials with a permanent person in the company.
2. Missing the renewal date
Reminder e-mails often go to an address nobody reads any more. Expired .tr domains are suspended for 2 months, then wait 1 month in the re-allocation list before becoming available to everyone; for generic extensions the redemption period costs extra.
Solution: Register for several years, keep the contact e-mail up to date and add a renewal reminder to your calendar.
3. Looking only at the first-year price
Many registrars sell the first year for 1–3 USD; renewals can then cost 15–23 USD per year.
Solution: Compare the 5-year total (first year + renewals). See our registrar comparison (in Turkish).
4. Not checking who issues the invoice
Some registrars invoice through companies registered in Northern Cyprus or abroad. Such invoices are outside Türkiye’s official e-invoice system and need extra accounting work.
Solution: If you buy for a Turkish company, ask which company issues the invoice and whether it is an e-invoice.
5. Settling for a single extension
Owning only .com or only .com.tr leaves the other extension open to competitors or domain speculators.
Solution: If you do business in Türkiye, register at least .com.tr, .tr and .com and redirect the extras to your main site.
6. Not checking trademark rights
A domain containing someone else’s registered trademark can be taken away in a dispute; not registering your own trademark makes your domain harder to protect.
Solution: Search the trademark register (TÜRKPATENT in Türkiye) before choosing a name and register your own brand.
7. Choosing a long, hyphenated or confusing name
Names that are misspelled over the phone, contain hyphens or are too long make it harder for customers to reach you and cause e-mail typos.
Solution: Pick a short name that is written the way it sounds and matches your brand.
8. Using free e-mail instead of business e-mail
Writing to customers from Gmail or Hotmail although you own a domain reduces trust and scatters company correspondence across personal accounts.
Solution: Create business e-mail on your domain with SPF, DKIM and DMARC records. Business e-mail plans (in Turkish).
9. Changing DNS settings without knowing them
Changing name servers or MX records incorrectly can take your website and e-mail offline for hours.
Solution: Write down the current records before any change and always keep MX records for domains used for e-mail.
10. Choosing a registrar without reachable support
Domain problems are urgent: the site is down or e-mail stops. Unreachable support turns small problems into days of downtime.
Solution: Choose a registrar with fast phone or WhatsApp support.
Summary Table
| Mistake | Possible result | Prevention |
|---|---|---|
| Registered in someone else’s name | Losing the domain, long legal process | Company as registrant |
| Missed renewal | Site and e-mail outage, domain lost | Multi-year registration, current contact e-mail |
| First-year price only | High renewal cost | Compare 5-year totals |
| Foreign / Northern Cyprus invoice | Extra accounting work | Registrar issuing Turkish e-invoices |
| Single extension | Losing the other extension | .com.tr + .tr + .com |
| No reachable support | Long outages | Phone / WhatsApp support |
Where Should You Buy a Domain?
First-year prices look similar, but renewal prices, invoicing and support channels differ a lot. We compared .com and .com.tr prices, 5-year totals, invoicing and WhatsApp support of seven registrars popular in Türkiye in our best domain registrar comparison (in Turkish).
Video: domain prices and invoicing of 7 registrars (in Turkish)
Register your domain the right way
At ASO Web your domain is registered in your company’s name, invoices are official Turkish e-invoices and support is available 24/7 on WhatsApp.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I check when buying a domain?
Check that the domain is registered in your company’s name, the renewal price, who issues the invoice, .com.tr support, transfer conditions and support channels.
In whose name should a domain be registered?
In the name of the company or person using it. Registrations in the name of an employee, designer or agency can lead to losing the domain.
What happens when a domain expires?
Expired .tr domains are suspended for 2 months, during which only the owner can renew; then they wait 1 month in the re-allocation list and become available to everyone. Generic extensions have a paid redemption period.
Is the cheapest domain always the best deal?
No. Domains with a cheap first year can have high renewal prices. Comparing the 5-year total gives a better picture.
How many extensions should I register?
A company doing business in Türkiye should register at least .com.tr, .tr and .com and redirect the extras to the main site.
Can I get a Turkish e-invoice for a domain?
Registrars established in Türkiye issue e-invoices or e-archive invoices. Invoices from companies in Northern Cyprus or abroad are outside the e-invoice system, so check before ordering.
