We all know the deal. You purchase a domain name for a year, and then renew it each year if you want to keep it going. There’s auto renewal to make sure you don’t forget, and if you like, you can renew for more than a year at a time. The longest period you can renew for is typically capped at 10 years.
So, what’s this 100-year plan from WordPress all about?
Making a domain registration period available for 100 years was always going to grab some headlines. But this is WordPress. They’ve been around for nearly 20 years, so they’re not a fly-by-night operation you’ve never heard of that is likely to suddenly vanish without warning. If anyone was going to introduce something different, it would surely be WordPress.
They’re calling it the 100-Year Plan. Yes, it even earns itself a capital letter for Plan. And it’s not just about registering a domain for 100 years either. They’re offering other services alongside this option that give you even more peace of mind and stronger support throughout.
They’re aiming this at families and businesses alike. The 100-Year Plan is supposed to give families the opportunity to save all their digital assets in one place. According to details, whoever owns the domain can pass it down to a younger family member, too, just like any other asset.
As for companies, the idea of protecting and maintaining their online presence for a century is also appealing. We expect businesses that have already been around for many years will be the target market for this product.
Expect multiple backups and the chance to enjoy their best hosting services too. Unmetered bandwidth, the best support, and the strongest security services they can offer – these and more elements feature in the 100-Year Plan.
Of course, all this comes at a cost. In this case, it’s priced at $38,000. Mind you, if you divide that between the 100 years you’re paying for, you’re talking about $380 per year or around $31.66 per month. That doesn’t sound so bad, but of course, people have posed questions about how it all works.
For instance, while WordPress has indeed been around for two decades, we’re talking about a domain name and hosting plan that lasts for five times as long. We’ve all seen companies that have been around for over a century or more folding in modern times, especially recently. No one knows where the internet will be in 30, 40, or even 50 years from now, much less a century. Could people pay for something they won’t receive?
It’s a bold plan, certainly, and it has garnered plenty of headlines. If you are interested, WordPress provides a form for you to fill in to get more details. With a price tag that high, it’s probably just as well you cannot directly purchase from them. But it remains to be seen whether this unusual service will be a success – both now and in the future.