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How to track a domain portfolio in a spreadsheet

A durable spreadsheet layout for domain inventory, renewals, and costs — plus when to graduate from sheets to a dedicated board.

Last reviewed: 11 August 2026

A spreadsheet is still the most common domain portfolio system. Used well, it beats chaos. Used poorly, it becomes a stale artifact that fails on the week a name expires.

Column Example Notes
Domain example.com Apex name only
Registrar Namecheap Or the account nickname you use
Expiry date 2027-06-15 Year-month-day sorts cleanly
Renewal cost 14.99 Numbers only
Currency USD Three-letter code (USD, EUR, GBP)
Auto-renew TRUE/FALSE Critical risk flag
Labels Client work; Investment Keep a controlled vocabulary
Notes Client X landing page Free text
Purchase date 2024-01-10 Investors
Purchase cost 1200 Investors

Operating rules

  1. One row per domain — never per year of renewal.
  2. Update expiry immediately after renewals.
  3. Review “auto_renew = FALSE” weekly.
  4. Freeze a label list so filters stay meaningful.
  5. Export a CSV backup monthly.

Conditional formatting that helps

  • Expiry within 30 days → red
  • 31–90 days → amber
  • Auto-renew off → highlight the whole row

Limits of the spreadsheet model

Sheets do not pull registrar truth, send multi-stage reminder emails, or convert mixed currencies for portfolio totals without fragile formulas.

When you outgrow the sheet, map columns with CSV import or connect registrars via sync. For a head-to-head framing, read DomainsBoard vs spreadsheet.

Minimal starter workflow

  1. Export whatever each registrar offers.
  2. Normalize into the columns above.
  3. Add reminder tasks outside the sheet (calendar or DomainsBoard).
  4. Run a quarterly audit.

FAQ

What columns does a domain portfolio spreadsheet need?

Domain, registrar, expiry date, renewal cost, currency, auto-renew, purpose/label, notes, and optional acquisition fields if you invest.

When should I stop using a spreadsheet?

When multiple registrars, reminder failures, or currency math make the sheet slower than the risk it is supposed to prevent.

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