What Is A Domain Name Registrar
Domain Registrars are companies that can register and maintain domain name information for customers. That is accredited by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers .
Any place where one can register a domain name must use a domain registrar. Domain registrars make sure that there are no multiple registrations of identical domain names. Domain name registrars are also accountable for keeping the attached contact information current for the domain names registered through them. That protects the person that purchased the domain name from third-party attempts to steal said domain name.
After you purchase a domain name from a registrar, you are capable of the following administrative actions:
- Manage the contact information on the registration entry.
- Manage the nameservers that your domain uses.
- Create a Secure Space by adding an SSL/TLS to it.
Note:
Although we often refer to registering domain names as purchasing and owning them, the fact is that registries own all of their domain names, and registrars only offer the opportunity to reserve domain names for as long as the customer keeps paying for that reservation.
In case you have failed to pay for your domain renewal in time, keep in mind that many registrars honor up to 45 day Auto-Renew Grace period which allows you to redeem an expired domain name.
Finding The Owner Of An Ip Address
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: How Much Are Domains
What Is A Domain Name
A domain name uniquely identifies a website, and it cant be shared with other websites. If you look in your browsers address bar, youll see the domain name of the site youre visiting, like www.hostpapa.com, for instance.
While a domain name is associated with a website, theyre not the same thing. Every website also has an IP address, its official identifier on the Internet, but IP addresses are just a series of numbers. Accessing a website using its IP address instead of a readable domain name would not be effective for people using the internet.
When your website is created, you, your web developer, or your hosting company will associate the sites IP address with the domain name you purchase. This is not a permanent decision if you buy a different domain name in the future, its simple to redirect your website to the new domain.
When someone buys a domain name, the seller, known as the registrar, is often a web hosting company. Lets look at what domain registrars are and how they fit into the domain registration process.
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.
Don’t Miss: How Much To Buy A Domain Name
Purchase The Domain Name
When you have settled on the domain name and a suffix, you will pay to register the domain name with the domain registrar. This is not a one-time purchase, however. Typically, you will pay to own the domain name for one year, after which you can renew your registration for a fee. You can expect a registration fee of about $10 to $15.
Add Domain Id Protection
When you register a domain name with ICANN, you must provide your contact information including your name, phone number, physical address, and email address.
As soon as your domain name is registered, this contact information becomes available to the public unless you pay for domain privacy through your domain registrar. This domain privacy will shield your information from view keeping your personal information safe from spammers or worse, identity thieves.
Once you’ve got the domain name in hand, you’re ready to find hosting and build your website. Consider a free CMS, like HubSpot, to design your website, strategize for SEO, and create a blog.
Also Check: How Much Does It Cost To Buy A Website Domain
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.
How Do I Find Available Domains Through The Whois Database
You can check the availability of a domain name by searching for it on the Whois database. It will give you the status of whether the domain name that you are looking for is available or not. Doing this for multiple domain names over time can help you build a list of available domain names.
Leading provider of web presence solutions that empower you to establish and grow your online presence.
You May Like: Do I Need Private Domain Registration
Use Whois Or Icann Lookup
In case you are unable to find your billing records, you can search for your domain registrar online. Simple WHOIS inquiries will tell you what the registrar knows about your domain name. The WHOIS domain database is a listing of all registered domains and is regularly used for various legal purposes.
Typically, public WHOIS records show the domain owners contact email, street address, phone, and fax numbers. Thats unless the owner is using a domain privacy feature such as IDProtect.
Additionally, a WHOIS service will also show the current registrar, DNS servers, and the domain names creation and expiration dates. To find out who your domain registrar is, you can use a WHOIS service such as who.is. Follow the steps below:
- Input your domain name in the bar above your displayed IP address
- On the results page, see the information in the Registrar Info block. You will find your domain registrars name, along with their website.
Alternatively, you can use ICANN Lookup to find your domain name registrar:
- In the search field, enter your domain name
- Click on Lookup
- On the results page, scroll down to Registrar Information:
GDPR WHOIS Specifics
The impact of GDPR is being felt not only by businesses and individuals. GDPR also has influence over security researchers, investigators, and those who offer security products and services that rely on WHOIS data. GDPR impacts everyone who processes EU personal data.
Country-Code Domain WHOIS Specifics
Domain Name Resellers
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.
Don’t Miss: Cost To Buy A Domain Name
How To Find Your Registrar
- It’s likely you have received invoices for your domain name by email it is best to search your email history for these emails to find out the registrar/company you are using. Try searching for your full domain name as a starting point. You should have an email from them with the original account creation and billing information which you can use to log in and gain access.
- Failing this you can do a WHOIS lookup, the easiest way to do this is through the lookup website , enter your top-level domain name, for example, “mydomain.com” and click search. Look for the Registrar information this shows the company that the domain is currently hosted with. If this looks foreign check the Admin, Technical and Billing contacts and email addresses for any company name that looks familiar. You may also find a colleague’s details which you can use to track things down further.
- Some WHOIS lookups don’t return the results you might be looking for, instead, they return a link to a provider website where you can then search for the specific details. For example, most Australian .au domain names are like this. In the public WHOIS results, you might receive a message like “Visit whois.ausregistry.com.au for Web-based WhoIs” which requires you to go to that website to perform the search and get the full results. It just depends where your domain is registered and how much information they make publicly available.
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
One: Visit The Website
In cases where the owner bought the domain as an investment, theyll make it easy for you to contact them. So start by pulling up the website to see what shows up.
You might like
They may say outright that the domain is for sale, and include contact information or a form you can fill out. Or in some cases where the domain is in active use, youll be able to find contact information on the websites Contact or About page.
If youre lucky enough that this step does the trick and you find the domain owner, you can skip the next two steps.
Domain Name Registration Is Not Domain Name Ownership
It should be noted that simply registering a domain name does not give you the rights to it forever. Domain name registrations follow something more akin to a subscription model where you can basically rent the domain name for a period of time, be it one year or multiple years. Once this time period is up, you have the option to renew the domain name registration or to let it simply expire. If it does expire without renewal, that name is now up for grabs. Therefore, it is vital that you renew your domain name registration or all the work that went into building the brand and the website might all be for nothing.
Also Check: How Much Is It To Buy A Domain Name
Choose A Domain Name Suffix Such As Com Or Net
After settling on the domain name, consider the suffix. The most popular suffix is .com, although .net and .org are also popular. These are considered to be top-level domains, or the highest-level domain suffixes in the domain naming system.
There are also other varieties to consider, such as country code top-level domains. These domain names end in a suffix that is particular to a specific country. A website in Germany might end in .de, for example.
Finally, there is another class of domain name suffixes called “sponsored, top-level domains,” which are sponsored by a specific community related to the domain name. For example, .gov is for the U.S. government and .edu is for education organizations.
For most websites, .com is the best suffix for its ease of use, but if you have a specialized website, you might consider a country code or sponsored top-level domain.
How To Find The Owner Of A Website
If you want to know how to find the owner of a domain, start with the website. The website itself can be a useful source of information.
If the domain has been registered, but the website is not live yet, skip to step two and look at the domain registration history.
However, if there is a website, here are some places to look to find a website owner:
- Contact us page
- Website footer
- Privacy policy
Depending on the website owner, they may make their contact information accessible. Professional resume websites often have contact information, and so do sales websites.
However, if the owner of the website doesnt list any contact information on the contact us or about page, there are a couple of other places you can look.
First, scroll down to the website footer. This is where you can find out who owns the copyright, and sometimes you can find out which agency created the website. Either of these can point you in the direction of the website owner.
Finally, you can check the privacy policy page. If a website collects any user information, its legally required to have a privacy policy.
How does the privacy policy page help you?
The privacy policy needs to include contact information for privacy issues. It often includes the email address or physical address of the individual who owns the websites data.
|
You May Like: How Much Does It Cost To Get A Domain Name