We're seeing a few blog owners, in Blogger Help Forum: Get Help with an Issue, reporting new custom domains that don't work - or that worked for a while, then stopped working.
Domains purchased through Google Domains, and other registrars, need ownership email verification.
When you buy a domain, you get various email messages - from your registrar, and your bank, for instance. Some, you file without opening.
Sometimes, you get a third email, that you may not recognise - a demand for email address verification.
Registrars are subject to regulations from ICANN, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers - the master clearinghouse for all domains. You may get email from ICANN immediately, or days later.
When you purchase your domain, you use your email address for making the payment, and for receiving instructions from the registrar - how to access and use their zone editor. And, you get various email messages.
ICANN requires verification of email addresses, with all registrations.
ICANN requires that all domains have verified owner email addresses. Depending upon how quickly ICANN processes your domain registration, as received from your registrar, they may send you the email verification demand on the same day that you buy the domain - or the next day, or later.
Not everybody responds to the address verification demand, immediately.
Some people may be more alert to incoming email, when they are making an important purchase - but less alert, later. Others may be suspicious of email from unknown sources. Many will respond immediately, to verify (just 30 seconds out of their busy day) - but some will file the email, and never get to it.
When ICANN discovers an unverified domain, they notify the registrar.
When ICANN processes the verifications received each day, eventually they get around to noticing that yours is not in there. Soon, they will inform your registrar that your registration has not been verified. Some time later, your registrar will suspend the domain.
Detection of non verification - and suspension - won't be immediate.
This whole process could take days - or even weeks - but eventually, with your domain unverified, your registrar must suspend your service. And you get complaints from your readers.
We diagnose the problem.
So, we look at the domain.
I verify proper DNS addresses, using DigWebInterface ("DigWebInterface.com").
DigWebInterface shows us a domain with no DNS addresses. Or maybe a non registered domain.
With no DNS addresses showing, I try Whois ("Whois.Com"), and a complementary service Who.is ("Who.is").
"whois.com"
"whois.com" DOMAIN INFORMATION
"who.is"
"who.is" Registrar Info
And we see a domain that has been suspended, per ICANN requirement ("clientHold").
If your domain registration is suspended, find the email from ICANN.
So, search back through your Inbox, from the day when you purchased the domain. Look for email, from ICANN.
Eventually, you'll find the verification demand. Hopefully, it won't have expired. Verify your address (far less time than it has taken you, to find all of this out), then contact your registrar and convince them to re instate your registration.
And next time you purchase a domain, you check immediately and frequently, for the ICANN email - and you make very sure that ICANN receives what they require, promptly.
Domains purchased through Google Domains, and other registrars, need ownership email verification.
When you buy a domain, you get various email messages - from your registrar, and your bank, for instance. Some, you file without opening.
Sometimes, you get a third email, that you may not recognise - a demand for email address verification.
Registrars are subject to regulations from ICANN, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers - the master clearinghouse for all domains. You may get email from ICANN immediately, or days later.
When you purchase your domain, you use your email address for making the payment, and for receiving instructions from the registrar - how to access and use their zone editor. And, you get various email messages.
ICANN requires verification of email addresses, with all registrations.
ICANN requires that all domains have verified owner email addresses. Depending upon how quickly ICANN processes your domain registration, as received from your registrar, they may send you the email verification demand on the same day that you buy the domain - or the next day, or later.
Not everybody responds to the address verification demand, immediately.
Some people may be more alert to incoming email, when they are making an important purchase - but less alert, later. Others may be suspicious of email from unknown sources. Many will respond immediately, to verify (just 30 seconds out of their busy day) - but some will file the email, and never get to it.
When ICANN discovers an unverified domain, they notify the registrar.
When ICANN processes the verifications received each day, eventually they get around to noticing that yours is not in there. Soon, they will inform your registrar that your registration has not been verified. Some time later, your registrar will suspend the domain.
Detection of non verification - and suspension - won't be immediate.
This whole process could take days - or even weeks - but eventually, with your domain unverified, your registrar must suspend your service. And you get complaints from your readers.
Why did your new domain stop working? Where is your blog??And you echo your frustrations, in Blogger Help Forum: Get Help with an Issue.
We diagnose the problem.
So, we look at the domain.
I verify proper DNS addresses, using DigWebInterface ("DigWebInterface.com").
DigWebInterface shows us a domain with no DNS addresses. Or maybe a non registered domain.
With no DNS addresses showing, I try Whois ("Whois.Com"), and a complementary service Who.is ("Who.is").
And we see a domain that has been suspended, per ICANN requirement ("clientHold").
If your domain registration is suspended, find the email from ICANN.
So, search back through your Inbox, from the day when you purchased the domain. Look for email, from ICANN.
Eventually, you'll find the verification demand. Hopefully, it won't have expired. Verify your address (far less time than it has taken you, to find all of this out), then contact your registrar and convince them to re instate your registration.
And next time you purchase a domain, you check immediately and frequently, for the ICANN email - and you make very sure that ICANN receives what they require, promptly.
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