The Risks of Using .online Domains: A Cautionary Experience with Google Blacklisting
By
ssiddharth
Baker's choice. Dense with flavour, light on filler.
Summary
The author shares a cautionary tale about purchasing a .online domain that resulted in significant problems. After buying the domain from Namecheap, the site was quickly flagged by Google Safe Search and placed on a blacklist, causing it to be inaccessible to users. The author details the frustrating experience of trying to resolve the issue with both Namecheap and the registry operator Radix, facing bureaucratic hurdles and lack of support. The article serves as a warning about the risks of using non-.com TLDs, particularly .online domains, and highlights potential issues with registry operators and domain registrars in handling security flags.
Key quotes
· 5 pulledI've been a .com purist for over two decades of building. Once, I broke that rule and bought a .online TLD for a small project. This is the story of how it went up in flames.
Within 40 minutes of posting this on HN, the site has been removed from Google's Safe Search blacklist. Thank you, unknown Google hero!
The site is finally back online. Not linking here as I don't want this to look like a marketing stunt.
Namecheap's Alluring Off
I've emailed Radix to remove the darn serverHold.
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