What Is A Domain Name
Domains are the equivalent of your home address but in the internet world. A domain name is an address people put into their browsers to access certain sites. This is a much easier way of browsing the web compared to the alternative: manually writing down IP addresses.
When you type a domain name into Google, the top search result is usually what youre looking for. And if you type the domain name into your browser, you can directly access the website.
Examples of domain names are Hostinger.com, Facebook.com, and Google.com. For the best results, you may want to register your ideal domain and include the name of your brand.
Domain Owner Lookuphow To Find An Owner
Securing your own domain online is as simple as choosing a domain name and paying the appropriate fees to register it. But, in some cases, the way to get the perfect domain for your brand or business is to buy one that already exists. Expired domain names are available for anyone to buy, but if your sights are set on one thats currently in use, youll need to find out who owns that domain in order to contact them about buying it. With the help of online domain owner lookup tools and some research, you can find out the legal ownership of a domainincluding your own.
Domain.com has the tools you need to continue building your business into a success.
How To Find A Great Available Domain Name
Ben Sibley Build SitesJuly 27, 2018
Follow the plan outlined here and you can create your own website from scratch without writing any code for less than $300.
Have you ever tried purchasing a domain name?
Just in case you havent, I want to prepare you for a major let down.
All the domain names are taken.
Theyre all gone.
Okay, Im being hyperbolic, but thats how it can feel when youre trying to find an available domain name for your site.
Why is it so hard to find a good domain name?
In this guide, Ill explain the current state of domain names and a strategy to help you navigate the challenge of finding a great available domain name.
Also Check: How Much Do Domain Names Cost
What To Do If Your Domain Name Isnt Available: 13 Strategies
Its part of the struggle of running a business in the digital age.
You come up with the perfect business name.
You design business cards, start all of the official paperwork, and tell everyone about it.
But when you go online to register the domain name, you discover something horrible.
Your perfect domain name is taken.
What do you do?
Do you give up your perfect name? Do you modify it somehow? Add a couple random dashes or underscores? Choose a weird domain name ending ?
Its one of the toughest situations to face as a business owner. It can bring your progress to a screeching halt.
This situation makes you rethink your entire brand.
The question remains: What do you do when this happens?
Ive gotten this question hundreds of times before, and Ive also heard some solutions to this problem.
Quite frankly, not all of those solutions are good.
Your domain name is a big part of any SEO campaigns you run, and it will affect your performance.
If you make a misstep with your domain name, it can negatively impact your SEO in the long term.
A large amount of your traffic will come from users who search your brand name. Its called navigational search. Thats why its good to use your brand name as your URL.
But if you cant, dont worry. There are alternatives that will still work for you.
Over the years, Ive seen what works and what doesnt. I want to share what Ive learned so you dont have to make any mistakes.
How Long Does A Domain Name Registration Last
The minimum registration period for domains is 1 year. At Hostinger, you can register TLDs such as .com, .net, and .org domains for 3 years when you know youve got your dream name.
You need to make sure you renew your domain on time to keep the domain yours. To ensure that the domain is always registered under your name, you can set up an automatic renewal that happens whenever the domain is set to expire.
Recommended Reading: How Much Does It Cost To Register A Domain Name
Why You Need A Domain Name
You dont really need your own domain name to simply create an online presence. A variety of free services provide space for users to set up a blog or basic webpage and give it a name, but that name becomes a subdomain of the main site and isnt a domain name you own. This means it appears online as something like _yoursite.hostname.com_ or _hostname.com/yoursite_. If the host site closes down, your sites identity disappears with itand it cant be used in that form to create a self-hosted site elsewhere.
To set up a fully functional website with its own permanent identity, you need to own a unique domain name that remains yours under all circumstances, regardless of the hosting service you choose. Buying a domain name and registering it reserves the name for your own exclusive use as long as the domain registration fees are paid for periods ranging from one to several years. To keep rights to the name, youll need to continue renewing it. If a domain registration expires and isnt renewed, the name can become available to others.
How To Find The Perfect Domain Name
Keep It Short
There isnt a minimum or maximum length for domain names. However, we highly recommend using domains between 2 and 3 words. The more words in your domain names, the harder it is to remember for visitors.
Keep It Simple
You want your domain names to stand out, but you dont want it to annoy your visitors. So, as much as possible, avoid hyphens, slang, numbers, and complex spellings in the domain names. The more complex the domain, the harder it is to recall, and its very important for your visitors to remember your website name.
Include Your Brand Name
One thing you need to include in your desired domain name is the name of your brand. That way, you instantly tell your visitors what the website is about while also targeting the keywords for your niche. When doing this, you rank higher in search engines, bringing in more brand recognition and website traffic.
Research
You need to make sure your desired domain name is available. You can check domain availability with a domain search tool to ensure it isnt taken. Additionally, you need to ensure that the name isnt already trademarked or under copyright to avoid a lawsuit.
Think Locally
For most people .com domain extensions are the only option. However, if you choose a country-specific domain such as .co.uk or .eu, you target a particular country or area, attracting customers that can increase conversion rates.
Check Domain and Act Fast
Read Also: How Much Are Domains
Find Out Who Owns The Domain Name
Once youve determined that the domain isnt being used for an active website, your next step is to find out who owns the domain. The easiest way to do this is by using a WHOIS service. Theres a number of websites where you can do this sort of lookup, but, most of the time, youll get a set of standard information from any of them:
- when the domain was registered,
- who the domain was registered by,
- how to contact that person or company,
- and even when the domains current ownership expires.
You may also see other information related to the purchase, but for the purposes of getting that domain, the owners email address is really what you want.
Example results of a WHOIS lookup:
Some domain owners will have purchased privacy protection and their names wont appear in a WHOIS search. In these instances, it will be difficult to purchase the domain unless you can find it on a domain auction site or marketplace like Sedo, Namecheap, or Flippa.
What Is A Domain Name What Is A Tld And What Is A Ccltd
A domain name is how users on the internet identify your website. As opposed to memorizing and entering your sites IP address, users use your domain name to locate and access your website.
A top-level domain refers to the domain or URL extension. TLDs with no registration restrictions such as a .com may also be referred to as gTLDs .
TLDs can be a streamlined way of communicating the purpose of your website. There are more than 2,000 different TLD options available some have broad applicability , while others have narrower uses cases and in some cases, use requirements or restrictions .
A country code Top-Level Domain is a domain extension reserved for specific countries or territories. ccTLDs always appear as two letter extensions, and are often used to indicate the region and language that will be displayed while using a site.
Examples of ccTLDs include .ca, .us, .uk .
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How Do I Choose The Best Domain Name For My Website
Just because a domain is available, doesnt mean its a good domain. Before you check a domain to see if its available, you need to determine if the name is worth a domain check in the first place. Some things to consider when creating a domain name for your site include:
Length. Keep it short 2 to 3 words is ideal.
Simple. Dont use lengthy or hard-to-spell words that make it hard for users.
Keywords. Add a keyword from your niche. For example, if you sell coffee beans in Seattle, try Seattlecoffeebeans.com
Avoid numbers. Numbers are hard to remember and make everything more complex.
Brand name. Register a domain with your brand name in it for maximum recognition.
Add A Verb To Your Domain Name
This is a popular method of getting around a domain name thats already taken.
There are two big benefits to this technique.
First, you can still use your brand name in the URL itself. Second, you dont have to consider different TLDs.
Verbs like get and try are popular choices as additions to domain names.
For example, Pocket uses getpocket.com:
These also tend to look a lot nicer than some alternative TLDs, and theyre usually easier to remember.
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Domain Search Tool #: Google Worlds Largest Domain Information Database
You know very well about Google. No need to explain its dominance. Googlebot is a very diligent web spider. Now I will show you how to search for available domains using the Google search engine.
Head over your browser to Google.com. Use this search query to find out whether that domain is or not. Alternatively, you can also use Bing or Yahoo search engines. But I recommend you to use Google to find not yet registered domains because Google crawls new websites more speedily than other search engines.
site:exampledomain.com
The above search query will find a .com domain if its already indexed by Google. Heres what I was going to explain to you.
You can see that Labnol.org domain has been already indexed by Google. That means the Labnol.org domain is a registered domain. Heres another one
Now look at this Google result page.
Google didnt find a domain called volleyballtraininginstitute.com in their search index. So I will go to this domain to make sure its not registered. Heres what I see.
Google chrome informs me that This webpage is not available. Which means its not yet registered.
Not only you can find available top level domains such as .com, .net and .org, but also you can search more custom domain extensions such as .ly, .com.au, .lk, .in, .pk, .cn etc.
You dont need to go through other tools to check the domain name availability. Just using one search query, you can find the domain name availability.
How Much Does It Cost To Get A Domain Name
The cost of a domain name can vary significantly, depending on several different factors. Here are a few things to consider when thinking about how much your domain name will cost:
Type of extension: The cost of acquiring a domain name can be heavily impacted by the TLD itself. For example, a promotionally priced .cyou domain may cost less than US $5.99/1st year, while a more exclusive TLD like a .inc can be priced in the thousands. Prices can also be impacted by the domain registry, any discounts at the time, along with the operator of the domain. The most popular and familiar domain extensions tend to fall somewhere within CA$20/year to CA$50/year.
Promos & Term: Domain names are sold as annual renewals, not dissimilar to subscriptions. If youre looking to get a domain over a multi-year term, be sure to consider the annual renewal price as well. Often domain names are sold at a discount for the first year, with the price of renewal being significantly higher. Consider the total cost of ownership when committing to a domain.
Availability: If youre looking to get a domain that is already taken, the cost of acquisition can vary significantly from seller to seller. In cases where youd like to acquire a domain thats been taken, enlist a domain broker to get an accurate valuation of any aftermarket domains youre hoping to acquire.
Also Check: How Much Does It Cost To Get A Domain Name
Use Our Domain Name Checker To Pick The Best Result
Our domain name availability search tool is specially designed to help you find available domains that will be most beneficial to you. Some domains are very expensive, while others are a lot more affordable. Gandis domain checker tool helps you see which available domains are currently discounted. That way, comparing prices and finding the best deal on available domains is simple! But beyond pricing, what are the attributes to consider when it comes to picking the best domain name for you?
Domain Search Tool #: Expired Domains Find Expired Domains
This is one of the best ways to search for the best and hottest domain names. Not only expired domain names have good Page ranks, Domain authorities, and quality backlinks, but also search engines will rank them higher whenever they start publishing quality articles consistently. Because they are old domains.
Actually, there are millions of deleted or expired domains on the internet. They are very good for search engine optimization prospects. Because you dont need to rebuild their reputation, backlinks, etc.
Just take a look at this screenshot. These domains expired on 10-10-2014.
Have you noticed highlighted domains Page Rank, External backlinks and the first found to date from Archive.org?
Just look at the Athusia.com domain. It has 3 Google Page Rank, 14,800 backlinks and its registered in 2006. You know how much time, the effort you have to devote to gain those 14,000 backlinks. Heres the Athusia.com websites backlink profile.
Actually, Athusia.com has more than 14,000 external backlinks. Check this report.
Actually, there are tons of expired or deleted domains like Athusia. You just need to find those domains and purchase them as soon as possible. Eventually, they could become your millionaire online business.
Just go to expireddomains.net and put your keyword into the search box. Then find expired domains. Use Semrush to check its backlink profile, keyword profile, and other important metrics such as Semrush traffic rank.
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