Are The Domain Owner And The Website Owner The Same
In most situations, the domain owner and the website owner are the same. But technically, that doesnt have to be the case. So, who is the owner of a domain?
Businesses are a great example to look at. A business website is part of the company, which can be owned by a partnership or corporation. However, domains are usually registered to one individual.
When a domain is registered, it will have several contacts listed for it. These are Registrant, Admin, Technical, and Billing. The Registrant contact is the legal owner of the domain.
If you hired an agency to build your website, someone on its staff might have registered the domain. If its not under your contact information, you wouldnt be the websites legal owner.
And finally, sometimes, domain registration services retain ownership of your domain. If they charge you for managing your domain, such as updating MX or A records, then thats a good sign that you dont legally own your domain.
However, if you find the domain owner, it will be easy to get to the website owner and vice versa.
Lets look at five proven ways to find out who owns a website.
Who Owns A Domain Registration
Whether you register the domain privately or publicly, the registration is always owned by the website owner and not the registrar because a website owner is the one to bear the registration cost.
Whoever registered the web address first with an accredited registrar owns the domain name. However, to maintain the ownership, the domain owner has to pay the registration fees, along with the renewal fees, when the domain reaches its expiration date.
To avoid any complications with ownership, the domain owner must provide their information accurately.
Dont Miss: Cost To Buy A Domain Name
How Is The Gdpr Applicable To Webnamesca
Under Recital 23 of the GDPR, Webnames.ca claims no nexus with the EU, EEA nor the citizens of either, and therefore claims non-applicability of the GDPR to any and all aspects of its business.
Despite this, many of the domain Registries that Webnames is partnered with to provide domain extensions must comply fully with the GDPR. The changes to policies and procedures required of these partners will affect what information is collected, shared and displayed, and may result in changes to agreements and terms.
Notwithstanding, many domain Registries with whom Webnames.ca contracts must fully comply with the GDPR, and therefore these Registries may implement policies or procedures relating to WHOIS data which result in changes. These changes may include, but are not limited to,?variations in what WHOIS data is included and how it is displayed via the Webnames’s WHOIS lookup page.
Therefore, in regards to WHOIS output:
Where the domain Registry is the sole source of Registrant WHOIS data for the queried domain, the WHOIS data will be displayed by Webnames in whatever form it is received from the Registry, without alteration of any kind. This may result in some fields, particularly those containing Personally Identifiable Information being absent, blank or redacted.
Don’t Miss: Transferring Domain From Wix To Shopify
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 The Owner Of An Ip Address
Read Also: Transfer Shopify Domain To Another Host
How To Find Out Who Owns A Domain
You can search the WHOIS database to find key information about a domain. Simply enter the URL for the domain name in question here:
Click the green Search button to find out information about the domain and who owns it. First, WHOIS will show basic information, like the domain name, ID, domain registrar server and URL, and creation date. You can see below that shopify.com was created on March 11, 2003, and is currently registered with .
You can also click View more information to expand the window and see more data about the domain name.
Now, you might notice that this information doesnt exactly take you directly to the domain owner. In fact, the domain name service acts as a go-between, essentially protecting the domain owners identity. That means youll need to do some extra research and sleuthing to find out who really owns the domain.
If the domain owners identity is hidden, look up information about the company that owns the domain. You might find a Contact Us or About Us page that talks about the companys leadership, founders, owners, etc.
You can also find out where the company is registered and seek out databases that list information about registered companies. Look for the secretary of state or department of revenue websites for the corresponding location. For a Florida-registered business, for example, you can look up business ownership by company name, employer identification number, address, or even registered agent name.
Come Up With New Ideas For Your Domain Name
If your negotiations dont bode well and you cant secure ownership for the domain name, youll have to brainstorm some new ideas. Try these tips to help you choose a domain name without having to completely start from scratch:
- Opt for a different top-level domain . Many websites use a .com TLD, but you can also see if your domain name is available at a .co, .org, .shop, .biz, or other TLD.
- Add a word to your domain name. Words like shop and buy make excellent additions to your domain name. If shoes.com isnt available, for example, you could do shopshoes.com or buyshoes.com.
- Get help from a domain name generator. Get ideas from Shopifys free domain name generator. Plug in your ideas and keywords and youll get popular and alternative domain names to use for your business.
Find your perfect domain name
Search for domain name ideas and instantly check domain availability.
Also Check: How Much Does It Cost To Buy A Web Domain
Go For A Different Domain Name
There is always a chance that even with all the aforementioned steps, the owner will flat out refuse to sell their domain or name a price that is way outside your budget. In this case, you can consider a different domain name.
Do not forget to try your domain name with different TLDs . If the .com version of the domain is taken, maybe the .net will be available. Check out our article about the different types of domains if you wish to learn more.
Even if that is not the case, sit down and try to brainstorm other domain names. Who knows? Maybe you will come up with one that you like even more than your original idea.
How To Update Your Whois Information
You should always keep your WHOIS information updated to comply with ICANN rules. That means providing accurate contact information through which you can receive correspondence from your provider.
You can update your WHOIS information easily on the Hostinger control panel. You only need to log into your hPanel account and update the Domains section. Follow this guide for more detailed steps.
Dont Miss: How Much To Buy A Domain Name
Recommended Reading: Transfer Wix Domain To Shopify
Why Should Registrants Still Utilize Whois Privacy Services
The WHOIS database lists information about each domain registration online and is open to the public. In regards to Registrant information, the amount that is displayed publicly may differ based on a number of factors, including:
- The specific domain extension
- The type of Registrant used for the registration
This means that malicious entities are still able to quickly access this public directory and survey for potential pieces of information to exploits. By replacing your information through a privacy service, your information is effectively blocked from public access.
Some More Registrant Information Domain Server Information Domain Name Record Information
WHOIS performs the required task efficiently, however, at the same time it should be noted that the information available may be exploited or utilized for spam and other purposes. You may end up receiving emails and unnecessary information from different resources and start filling up your inbox. To get rid of this problem, there are certain tools to help protect your privacy.
As in the case of www.DomainSherpa.com, we are able to see only limited information about the actual owner as the information is camouflaged through a privacy protection service called domain name privacy. Many domain name registrars offer domain privacy to mask the actual information of the domain owner. The privacy feature helps display third party information to safeguard your personal information from publically available information. Personal information is collected by the registrar and is accessible only on request by following certain privacy rules and regulations.
You May Like: What To Do After Buying A Domain
What If I Dont See Their Contact Information
Remember how I said there are ways to keep your contact information private? It is quite common and cheap to do so.
A domain owner can accomplish this by using a domain privacy service, which just about every website that sells a domain name offers.
Alternatively, they can use a proxy.
In either event, if the tool does not uncover the contact information, the domain owner is intentionally hiding their information, This is often a sign that they are not willing to sell.
However, all hope is not lost. If the website is still active, you can use any contact information listed on the website to begin the talks.
Keep in mind that not everyone is will to sell their domain. If this is the case, you are unfortunately out of luck.
Why Search For A Domain Owner
The most obvious reason to locate a domain owner is to try to purchase the domain, but that isnt the only one. If a site claims to be a legitimate one owned by a major corporation but appears suspicious, checking its ownership is a way to verify its authenticity. Likewise, if a website has no contact information on its homepage or a contact page, a visitor could track down its owners in order to contact them with questions about the sites products or servicesor to report a technical problem.
Another reason to check domain ownership information is to safeguard the security of your own site against incorrect or incomplete contact information. Looking up the domain ownership records on an existing site allows owners to ensure that their information is correct and that nothing has been changed without permission. Searches for domain ownership can be accomplished through public WHOIS databases, website searches, and even email, depending on the reasons for conducting the search.
Don’t Miss: How Much Is It To Buy A Domain Name
Who Else Might Own My Domain
The first place to check is with whoever built your website in the olden days, it was quite common for web designers to register the domain to themselves without realising that this could be a problem. In most cases, it was a genuine mistake and asking for the domain ownership to be transferred to the client was all that was needed to put things right. However, we have come across a few examples of web designers refusing to release the domain because they were unhappy that the client was moving on to a new web designer. As a result, even if youre really happy with your web designer, its always worth checking to see who owns your domain.
Read Also: How Much For A Domain Name
If A Domain Is Registered To Be Sold For Profit
Some people register domain names speculatively, and often go after domains that include the names of big companies, popular products, media enterprises, you name it. Or maybe youre just a big fan and want to set up a fan site that the big media company that owns the popular product, franchise, etc. will want to pay you money for .
Making money this way is possible, but youre just as likely to get a legal notice. And if they own the trademark, which they very likely might, they have a much stronger case and can demand you hand over the domain for zero dollars.
Sometimes though, what looks like domain squatting can actually be a case of someone having a domain long before a company or product is created and wants its corresponding domain. In these cases, the new company may offer to buy the domain off of you, or they may lodge a UDRP complaint , which basically claims that you own a domain you dont really have rights to and arent using the best way, and the other company has a trademark or business case that is better suited to the domains ownership and use.
Once upon a time domain squatting and speculation were more common and easier to get away with, but those days are long past. Registering what you think is a hot domain in hopes of a big payday is not the likely windfall some people still think it is. Youre more likely to be threatened with legal action.
Recommended Reading: Shopify Transferring Domain
Find Your Domain Host
Your domain host is typically who you bought your domain name from. If you dont remember who your domain host is, search your email archives for billing records about registration or transfer of your domain name.
Your domain host is listed on your invoice.
If you cant find your billing records, you can search for your domain host online. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers is a non-profit organization that collects domain information. Use the ICANN Lookup tool to find your domain host.
Domain resellers
Some domains are hosted by resellers through a separate registrar. If you cant sign in with your listed registrar or the registrar field is blank, your domain host may be a reseller.
If there is no reseller listed, contact the listed registrars support team for help.
Recommended Reading: What Is An Io Website