A domain inventory is a list of the names your business holds, who controls them, when they expire and which services they connect to. Keep operational details there, and keep passwords, recovery codes and other secrets in an appropriate secure store.
Before you begin
- One row per full domain.
- Record responsibilities and expiry.
- Store secrets separately.
Start with the names you actually hold
Collect confirmed domain records from your registrar accounts and existing business documents. Include older brands and secondary endings, not only the address used by the current website. Mark uncertainty for investigation rather than assuming an invoice proves current control.
Use one row per full domain. The same word under .co.uk and .uk needs two rows because the registrants, expiry dates and DNS settings can differ. Record the date you last checked each entry.
Use fields that support real decisions
A small, accurate inventory is more useful than a complex sheet no one maintains.
- Full domain and business purpose.
- Registrant and registrar account owner.
- Expiry date, current renewal estimate and budget owner.
- Active DNS host or nameservers.
- Website and email providers.
- Primary address, redirect or other intended use.
- Responsible contact and last review date.
Separate a reference from a secret
It is useful to record where an authorised person signs in and which secure credential record to use. It is not useful to expose the password in a widely shared spreadsheet. Keep recovery methods and access permissions appropriate to the people who need them.
For example, finance may need the renewal estimate and expiry date without needing permission to change nameservers. A designer may need the DNS host and approved change process without becoming the registrant. Record those responsibilities explicitly.
Review the inventory when something changes
Update the entry after a renewal, nameserver move, email migration or staff handover. Test important redirects periodically and remove obsolete supplier access through the relevant provider. Before intentionally dropping a domain, check whether it is still used in email or account recovery.
Use the inventory to total current annual renewals and decide which extra names still justify their cost. NameUK’s transparent UK renewal amount makes that calculation straightforward, but the list should include every provider and ending the business uses.
Prepared with AI-assisted drafting and illustration, then checked against the linked sources and NameUK’s current service. The artwork is conceptual; setup values must come from your own provider.
Further readingNCSC: turn on two-step verification ↗NameUK registration and renewal prices ↗NameUK registration terms ↗Extension rules and provider processes can change. Check the current registrar instructions before a registration, transfer or renewal.
Low-cost registration. Affordable UK renewals.
Register .co.uk for £9.99 for one year, with annual renewal currently £9.99. Or choose a new three-year .co.uk registration for £25.99. Check the selected name and term before payment. Future renewal prices can change.