To Check The Creation Date
Any customer can find out the date of domain creation for free. The service also allows you to check the date of the latest update, as well as the registrar registration expiration date. This information may be used in case you want to buy this name when the date of ownership expires. You can also use the domain age tool to uncover these details.
Public Whois Database Listing
If you’re comfortable with having your information available to the public and don’t want the extra fee associated with private domain registration Network Solutions will submit a public listing to the WHOIS lookup database. This listing will include your name, address, phone number, email address and domain name expiration date. Your IP address and host name will also be listed.
What Is The Process To Lookup Domain Name Details
The domain name registration process has been engineered in a very transparent way. Everybody has an open access to obtain information about domain name registrant and the ownership of a domain by just clicking on certain informative links. It also helps in keeping a track of domain name expiry dates and the start date of registration.
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Find The Information You Need In Whois Records
If the domain owner is interested in selling their domain, their contact information is typically available in the Whois records. However, youll sometimes find that the information youre looking for has been blocked by the domain provider for privacy reasons.
If the domain that youre interested in is being sold by someone who is looking for a willing buyer, the steps outlined above is the easiest way to start negotiating a purchase. But if the seller has hidden their contact information or is not interested in selling their domain, dont despair! There are workarounds for those who are interested in a domain that has already been registered.
Reach Out Via Proxy Or Business Contact
When you encounter hidden domain name information, theres no need to panic. Domain registrars typically use a third-party service, such as Domains by Proxy, which enables customers to manage email forwarding settings for their masked contact information.
That means youll see a generic email for the company providing privacy protection, but if you send a message to that address, it might make it to the actual owner via proxy. That is, as long as the real owner configures their email forwarding settings to allow direct messages.
Heres an example of a masked email address:
In some cases, you also might see a link to a contact form instead of a masked email address. You would need to go to that contact form to contact the owner:
Heres an example of what that form might look like:
However, some users may turn off email forwarding or turn on strict spam filters. These measures can prevent them from receiving any emails you send.
Additionally, if they dont respond to you, you still wont have any way of discovering their real contact details.
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Contact The Domain Owner
First things firstyou need to reach out to the domain owner. You might find their contact information using the steps listed above, often in the form of a physical mailing address. But if you want to reach out in a different way, there are some steps you can take to find the appropriate contact.
The best place to start is with a Google search. Simply enter the persons name on Google to see what comes up. You might also search email address or contact information. If that doesnt yield any results, check out databases like Hunter.
Once you get in touch with the domain owner, be prepared to negotiate a deal for the domain. Have a number in mind and be prepared to hear a counter offer. When preparing your number, consider the domain authority, or how much search equity the existing site has. If its clearly out of date and doesnt show up high in search result pages, you can offer a lower number. But for updated sites with a robust digital presence across multiple channels, youll likely have to start higher.
Choose An Alternative Domain Name
Unfortunately, finding a domain name that is available and appropriate for your website can be difficult. Whats more, you might not have much luck trying to buy a domain directly from a pre-existing owner.
Thats because the majority of professional websites will want to avoid the negative effects of switching domains . You could try to work with a domain broker, but this could get pricey, and theres no guarantee youll get the domain name you want.
Therefore, you might want to avoid the hassle of trying to win a domain name from someone else by simply opting for an alternative domain name.
For instance, you could choose the same domain but use a different extension. If you initially wanted mywebsite.com, you could use mywebsite.net instead. Still, this may not be a good choice if your website is likely to be confused with the other one .
Another option could be to change your desired domain slightly. For example, if you were hoping for myflowershop.com, you could try yourflowershop.com instead.
Alternatively, you can avoid the hassle of accidentally choosing a taken domain altogether by using a domain name generator like DomainWheel:
This free tool is extremely handy if youre brainstorming domain names. Simply enter a few keywords related to your business or brand name, and it will provide you with an extensive list of available options. When youre using DomainWheel, youll never find a domain name thats taken.
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What Is Whois Domain Lookup Tool
Whois Domain Lookup is a special tool that allows to check domain availability, finding domain registration details like registration date and expiration date e.t.c. Additionally, this tool provides information on the registrar, reseller, contact details of owners, and other information that you may be interested in.
Whois database contains public information that is legally provided to all customers. When registering a name, a site owner agrees that info will be publically available on the web. However, some registries allow you to hide the information.
But in most cases, anyone can discover the details about the website domain by using Whois Domain Lookup tool. It collects all data from the official resources and provides this info right on the page where you request it. It helps you check all information faster, as you dont need to go to other websites to check it. All tools that you need to improve your SEO and website performance are available in one place.
Be A Safe Domain Buyer
You cant guarantee that an existing domain youre buying is completely safe. Just like you cant be 100% sure that theres nothing wrong with the house youre buying. But these tools will help you discover issues that should be investigated further.
Also, ask the domain name owner what they know about the domains history. How long have they owned it? Did they buy it from someone else? How did they use the domain?
Its also worth pointing out that the historical usage of a domain name can actually be helpful to you. If a previous owner created a site for the same topic you will be using the domain for, any quality backlinks they generated could give you a leg up when you start your site.
One things for sure: doing appropriate due diligence is important to feel comfortable spending a lot of money on your new domain.
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How Can I Hide My Remaining Public Contact Details From The Whois Database
For Canadians with a .CA domain name, the?Canadian Internet Registration Authority ?automatically provides domain privacy be default. However, non .CA domain names will need to purchase an additional service called a Domain Privacy service. Once purchased, all Registrant information on the WHOIS database is replaced by proxy contact information. In most cases, this information belongs to the operating registrar such as Webnames.ca.
While the details list a registrar or proxy contact information, the true owner of a domain name is still the original registrant.
Finding Out Who Owns A Domain
Many times youll want to know who is behind a domain. This used to be relatively easy to find out in the past: when a person bought a domain, their name was put into a registry, which is sort of like the phonebook of domains.
Back then, to find out who owned a domain, youd just go and look it up, using a service called WHOIS.
Unfortunately, things got more complicated. People who had their email addresses and names in the domain phonebook would get spam email, or the information displayed on the registry would be used to try to hack their site. And many peoplefor example, political dissidentshad good reason to not reveal their names. So, a lot of the registrars started offering masking services, which hide the owner of the domain.
Nowadays, if you want to find out who owns a domain, WHOIS-type services are a good first stop, even though they will usually fail for smaller sites.
To look up domain ownership, we recommend a tool called Domain Dossier. Go to the site and type in your root URL and check all the checkboxes:
In this case, the registrant is not from Arizona and not named Domains by Proxythat is just the masking service.
Again, its important to note that masking is common enough these days that it shouldnt cause suspicion.
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Ways To Check Domain Ownership History Easily
You have your eyes set on the domain you want.
Its the perfect domain at a great price. All thats left to do is buy it right?
Not so fast.
So many people make this mistake. They fall in love with a domain and buy it without checking the domain ownership history.
You need to be sure that the domain you are buying:
- Is completely clean.
- Wont negatively impact you in the future.
Ready for some good news?
There are three easy to use tools that will help you check the domain ownership history of any domain in less than 5 minutes.
What Will I Learn?
Go Around The Whois Protection
Some domain owners decide to hide their information by using domain protection services. Such services use methods to protect the privacy of their clients by providing their own contact details instead.
The best way to go around this kind of privacy protection is to reach out to the third-party company and ask them to pass on the email to the owner. While there are no guarantees that this method will work, it will increase your chances.
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Visit The Website Directly
If youve checked the domain status to find out your wanted domain name is not available, the first thing you should do is visit the website directly.
Some domain names are bought out to be resold later for a higher price. In such cases, the existing site will state the domains availability for sale and provide the owners contact information right away, like in the example below.
If you enter the domain name into the search bar and get taken to a proper website, see if there is a Contact Us page in the navigation bar or the sites footer.
There you will either find the contact details of the website owner or a contact form. Take the chance to reach out and offer to buy the domain name from the registrant.
Choose The Right Domain For Your Online Business
Take the first step towards bringing your business online
It’s important to choose a domain name or URL, that’s easy to remember and spell so customers can find you easily. You can customize your domain name to your store name, and it can end in .com, .org, .gov, and even more creative things like .co or .io.
Search the availability of a domain name that reflects your business with Shopifys free WHOIS lookup. This search tool is designed to help you find WHOIS information about a domain name, who might own it, and when it expires.
If the domain name you searched for is unavailable, use the WHOIS search to find out when it expires before you move into other ideas. If you have an existing website, the WHOIS tool can help you check domain information when transferring ownership to a new website.
How to come up with the right domain for your business
The tool lets you search an unlimited amount of domain names for your business, from the public WHOIS database. If your business name has already been registered by someone else, you can explore available domains based on your search.
Shopifys WHOIS search tool will provide you a list of recommended domains, but finding the right one that works for your brand is up to you. Knowing what makes the best domain isnt always easy, but when you register a website name, here are some factors to keep in mind:
Fast and easy domain names from Shopifys business name generator
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Check The Whois Directory
There is an organization called the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers or ICANN. This group is in charge of all domain name registrations. And it requires all registrants to enter their name, mailing address, phone number, and email address.
And the best part? The public can access all of that information. Or at least they should be able to .
But yeah if you go to ICANNs website, you can enter the domain name and find out who the owner is alongside other relevant information that you might need.
Heres what a WhoIs lookup search result would look like. You should find the name of the domain owner under Registrant.
Youll soon notice, however, that most sites dont display the name of the domain owner. How is that possible?
Most domain name registrars offer a service where they keep your contact information private. And a lot of domain owners opt for this service because they dont want to share their details with everyone.
After all, whod want to share their phone number and mailing address with the world?
So why even bother searching the WhoIs database? Is it even worth it?
Yes, it is.
Why? Because you can still find the email address of the domain owner. Even if you dont see the owners personal or business email, you should still be able to reach the owner through the email address provided by the domain registrar.
But WhoIs isnt the only option. There are other ways to get in touch with a website owner as youll see below.
Why Is Whois Data Important
Every time a domain name is registered, registrars need to verify the identity of a domains owner or registrant. This information is important because any domain name disputes and technical issues will need to be resolved by the domain name owner.
Beyond this, WHOIS information is used by different parties in many different ways. In some cases, domain names may be put up for sale and having WHOIS information is a way to determine and generate leads in the sale of a domain name. WHOIS information can also be used by network administrators to combat spam, fraud, identify trademark infringement and track down registrants that may be engaged in damaging or illegal activities.
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What Does A Domains Ownership History Tell You
Heres the truth:
You wouldnt buy a second-hand car without looking at the service history, right?
A domain ownership history check is just like getting a service history check on a car that tells you what its been used for and whether or not it has been maintained over the years.
A domain ownership history tells you:
- Previous sales history
- What the domain has been used for
- When it was originally registered
- If the domain was used in illegal activity
- Any trademark infringements
- Past domain ownership
You can even see the website traffic statistics in some cases.
Domain ownership history checks are important and provide a lot of details for serious domain buyers.
Its always worth the extra effort to ensure that your purchase is a good one particularly if you are domain flipping high-value domain names.
How To Determine Who Owns A Domain Name
Naeem MobasharDecember 28, 2010 | Updated: December 9, 201573
The International Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers is the organization that authorizes registrars to issue or assign domain names to public. A registrant is the person or entity who is considered to be the domain name owner authorized to make or request for changes to be made in vital information related to domain name. It is, therefore, critically important to know the owner registrant of a domain name and also the person or entity having administrative, billing and technical rights related to domain.
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How Do I Use The Whois Lookup Tool
Do you want to know more about a domain and find out who owns it? Use our domain owner lookup tool by entering the URL into thesearch bar above.
Here you will find the answers to important questions like:
- Is the domain available for registering?
- Who is the domain owner?
- What contact information is available?
- When is the registration expiration date?
Discover further information on any domain, and find new opportunities for your personal or professional website.