How Do I Check If A Domain Is Available

The Domain Name I Want Is Already Taken What Can I Do

In cases where youd like to acquire a domain name thats been taken, you can attempt to reach out to the current holder in order to negotiate an agreement. Consider enlisting a domain broker in order to get an accurate valuation of the domain youre hoping to acquire, and to negotiate the acquisition on your behalf.

What Do I Do If A Domain Name Is Already Taken

If the domain name that you want is already taken then your best bet is to look at minor variants. For example, perhaps you can add another word to the name or you can switch one word out for another. Perhaps you can register it using a different extension, such as by using a ccTLD instead of the .com domain.

Another option is to hyphenate, so instead of using mywebsitename.com you could try my-website-name.com. Just be careful, though the last thing you want to do is to cause confusion by having a name thats too similar to someone elses.

Finding the right domain name requires a little bit of art and a little bit of science. It also often takes patience and a lot of trial and error. But thats okay too. Remember, the right domain name is out there, somewhere. You just need to keep searching around until you find it.

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Should My Business Name And Domain Name Match

Generally speaking, your business name and domain name dont have to match but there are cases in which it makes sense. This depends mainly on how your company name aligns to the brand you are trying to establish.

If you named your company after your brand, you should of course use the same as the domain name. As an example, if your company is called AdClicks Ltd and you aim on running an advertising network under the name AdClicks the domain should naturally follow and be adclicks.com .

On the other hand, if your business name is rather generic, you shouldnt use the matching domain name. For example, if your company is called J& A Trading Ltd. because you and your business partners first names make up the company name, yet you are selling baby accessories under the brand name babys world, you should use babyworld.com or something similar. It wouldnt make any sense to go with jatrading.com as it hurts your search-engine ranking.

In the latter case, you might have a corporate website sharing company-related information while running the main project under the respective branded domain name.

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Avoid Numbers Hyphens And Other Characters

A memorable site name can go a long way towards helping your site gain traction. One quick way to make things more difficult is by adding hyphens or numbers to your domain name.

Hyphens not only make it more difficult to pass on your domain, but itll probably lead to a lot of misspellings and people not being able to find your site.

For example, whats easier to remember and type into your browser? C-N-N.com or CNN.com. Or how about Face-book.com, or Facebook.com?

The same goes for numbers. Adding numbers to your domain can come across as spammy and much more difficult to pass on.

Wait For The Domain Name To Expire

If youre in no hurry to have the domain you want today, another option is to wait for it to expire. When it does, it may become a dropped domain. This means that the owners havent paid to renew it, so it will go up for auction.

Waiting for a domain to expire may seem passive, but you need to be prepared for when it does. To get an estimate for when you might be able to make a bid, you can visit WHOis.net to see if the domain has changed hands recently.

One unfortunate side effect of waiting for a domain is that if you need to get your site online now, you may need to work on re-branding after you change the name. Doing so can be a time-consuming process, and one that might impact your search rankings.

However, there are ways to alleviate those problems, such as by setting up a redirect to your sites new address. Plus, if you dont actually need the domain right away, theres no harm in waiting to see if it becomes available. Keep in mind that most domains renew on a yearly basis, although some site owners may pay for multiple years in advance.

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Backorder/bid On The Domain Name

A backorder allows you to monitor a domain name status and be notified of the start of an auction. To place a domain name backorder or bid, you will first need to sign up for an account at the auction partner you identified in Step 2.

Not sure how much to bid? Start by learning how to value generic domain names.

If the domain name has already expired and has not gone to auction at the partner auction service, then you will need to use a drop catching service.

Set The Primary Domain Name For Your Azure Ad Organization

When your organization is created, the initial domain name, such as âcontoso.onmicrosoft.com,â is also the primary domain name. The primary domain is the default domain name for a new user when you create a new user. Setting a primary domain name streamlines the process for an administrator to create new users in the portal. To change the primary domain name:

You can change the primary domain name for your organization to be any verified custom domain that isn’t federated. Changing the primary domain for your organization won’t change the user name for any existing users.

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What If The Right Name Isnt Available

If the domain name you want is already in use, most name search tools also provide multiple alternatives to choose from, using different word combinations, spellings, or extensions. Your ideal name may already be in use with .com, the webs most recognizable extension, but it might be available with another less familiar one such as .net, .org, or any of the many new TDL extensions that are now available, like .me, .photo, or .us.it might also be available with a slight change in phrasing or spelling.

If none of these alternatives sound appealing, you can brainstorm a new name, or search for name variants using a variety of online name generator tools. These tools typically generate domain names based on the keywords or phrases you provide. If you decide to try one of these generated names, its important to run it through a domain name checker before you register it to be sure that it is actually available.

Get Started With Domain Name Checkers

Hopefully, you have a better idea of what to look for in new domain name for your site, plus how to use a domain name checker to actually see if your dream domain is available.

Getting a domain name isnt a process youll want to rush. Spend some time with the domain name checkers above until you find a great domain that speaks to the core of what your sites about, while remaining memorable and catchy. Then, when youre ready, you can register your domain right here at HostGator.

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Use The Right Domain Name Extensions

When you choose your domain name extension, you can be sure of one thing: .com is still the best.

According to research from Domain Name Stat, 43% of all domains have the .com extension.

Why? Well, .com is the most familiar and easiest to remember.

While there are many successful websites with a .net and .org, your website will probably do better if it has a .com extension. Its the safest bet.

Our advice: Go with .com. If thats taken, try .net or .org. If these are taken too, youd be better off brainstorming a new domain name. And oh! Avoid those weird extensions like .club, .space, .pizza and so on.

A Guide On How To Check If A Domain Name Is Available

When youre creating a website for your business choosing a domain name is essential. The domain name for your businesss website is an important part of your branding. Having a domain name thats highly relevant to your business also helps your customers find you.

In a perfect world, the domain name for your website would be the name or a simplified version of the name of your business. However, because there are so many websites on the web, finding your perfect domain name can be difficult.

Youre probably wondering how to check if a domain name is available so you can know whether youll be able to get that perfect domain name. This guide will walk you through the process. Read on to find out everything you need to know.

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How Do I Find My Domain Name And Url

It is not easy to get started with a domain name, especially if you are just getting started online. You can use the address bar to access the web name.

The domain name for this website is hostgator.com, while the domain name for the internet is google.com.

The main differences between a name are that a URL is a simpler form of a URL and a domain name is used in place of a technical internet address. It is supposed to make it easier to access a website.

It is possible to refer to a business name with a domain name.

Although a URL and a domain name have different technical definitions, they are treated the same by your browser. A full URL is comprised of a full URL and a domain name. You could say that they are in the same household.

The top level domain is called a domain extension. com.org, or.net is the domain that follows your domain. When you try to find out if your dream domain name is available, you discover that it is not. A URL is where a domain name can be found.

There are some similarities between the URL and the domain, even though they are just a part of it.

What Does Make Offer Mean In Domain Name Search Results

New domain extensions like .CLUB, .XYZ and .NINJA can cost as low as USD $14.99 while others including .ATTORNEY, .LAW and .CONSULTING can be priced a little bit higher. The varying prices are affected by the domain registry or domain operator of the extension.

You might also encounter domain names marked as Premium. These Premium domains are designated by the gTLDs registry and you’ll frequently see one-word and generic names marked as such.

For new domain extensions that don’t have any pricing information included, this simply means that the domain has not been assigned to an operator or the domain operator has not released information about it yet. When the domain becomes available and as we receive more information about it, we will update the domain’s pricing and inform you about it.

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Why Do You Need To Check Domain Names For Availability

When starting a business, registering your brand name is usually the last thing on your mind. And when success arrives, it carries a slew of new issues with it. People can buy domain names that feature your brand or register your trademark first. To avoid this privacy or future lawsuit issue, register a variety of domain extensions to shield your brand from cybersquatters. If you need to develop the greatest name for your company, contact us and try the website name generator.

Consider These Popular Domain Extensions:

.com

The most popular and professional extension for any kind of website.

Grow your network, and your business, with a .net domain.

Brand your site as an organization for greater good.

Show you’re at the forefront of todayâs tech scene with a highly relevant domain.

Get personal. Show off what you’re all about to your visitors.

Rep your company with a domain that’s globally recognized and memorable.

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How Do I Check If The Domain I Want Is Available

There are few different ways to verify if the domain you want is available.

While all processes are kept secure and confidential, the most straightforward is the domain name search tool. Simply type your desired website domain name in the search bar, and youll be presented with a list of results.

The search results will show the domain you want along with its availability, as well as options in other extensions and related suggestions. If the domain is taken, youll be able to review the WHOIS record to see information on the current owner and when it is set to expire, along with a link to our domain brokering services in case youre interested in acquiring that domain.

In addition to Webnames domain search, you can also check out our domain wizard or our domain marketplace to discover more great options.

How To Find Out If A Domain Name Is Available

Most of the good domain names are already registered. This makes it incredibly hard to find a suitable name for your website without spending a huge amount trying to secure a taken domain.

Now there are many online tools you can use to check if a domain name is already taken or available for registration.

All you have to do is type in your domain name in the search bar and the tool will check if the domain name is available.

Depending on the tool you use, if a domain name is taken, youll see a list of similar suggestions with different extensions . Or the tool will give you the option of domain broker services to help you buy the taken domain name.

If it is available, you can go ahead and register it in your name. In case the domain search tool doesnt offer registration services, theyll redirect you to their preferred domain registrar where you can go ahead and buy it.

Since there are so many domain search tools out there, its important to pick a reliable one thats actually helpful in finding available domain names.

Weve narrowed down the search to the top 5 best ways to check if a domain name is available for your to register.

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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 .

What Steps Can I Take To Ensure My Domain Privacy Is Protected

Some Registrars offer privacy protection services that allow their customers to mask their actual contact details in the Whois search result in order to prevent their private contact information falling into the hands of spammers and scammers. Get in touch with your Registrar to learn more about your options.

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How To Register A Domain Name

Once youve found the perfect domain name thats actually available, then its time for the easy part. Registering your domain.

If you were using the HostGator Domains tool to search for the availability of a domain, then youre already halfway there.

Just, add your domain to your cart, and complete the checkout steps.

Heres a brief walkthrough just in case:

The Impact Of Your Domains History

An old domain may boost the efficiency of your SEO efforts. However, there is one crucial step that you should not neglect here, and it involves knowing the history of your domain name. Its background will tell you who owned that particular domain before you did, the type of website, and the activities that took place under it.

Imagine that you are all set with your site, and you are well-prepared to expand your online business, but Google will not rank you in its search engine results page. The very reason could be the bad history of the domain you are currently using.

If another person, group, or business has used the domain before you, it is essential to know if it has a good track record. If for some unknown reason your website finds it hard to be visible in the organic SERPs, it may have violated the guidelines of the search engine. Some domains may have been penalized by Google or had numerous drops, which would cause the problem.

Google sees domains as proof of the owners identity and what he or she does. Therefore, a decent track record is significant to your overall SEO ranking.

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