How Do You Find Out Who Owns A Domain Name

Free Methods For Finding A Domain Owner

The Website

First of all, theres the website itself, if active.

The three most obvious places on a site youd find info about the owner would be:

• Contact us page.
• Privacy policy.
• Terms & conditions.

Even where privacy policies & Ts & Cs pages dont directly reference the owner, there are sometimes clues: Company numbers, Ltd Company names, etc. And failing that copying & pasting a whole privacy policy or Ts & Cs page into google, or unique sentences from that, can show up other sites using the same policy. .

Less visible sources of info direct from websites include:

• Robots.txt file these occasionally contain info about the owner, usually visible at www.examplesite.com/robots.txt

In the case of the latter two, looking for the Google Analytics ID in the source code, and then pasting that into Google, occasionally shows up other sites using the same ID.

Google

Off-site, there are also places where you can often find info. Most notably, Google itself. Some less obvious ways of using Google to find the owner of a site include:

• Do a site:examplesite.com email search, and a site:examplesite.com phone, and a site:examplesite.com contact search, which sometimes shows up email addresses or phone numbers on pages that arent obvious to find via the site itself, but have been picked up by google.
• www.examplesite.com as a search sometimes shows up other sites referencing it. In some cases these will contain contact details.

Whois Tools

Archive.org

Twitter Search

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.

How Do You Find Out Who Owns A Domain Name

Now, we move onto the main purpose of this article to explain how you find the owner of a domain name. Thankfully, its not difficult at all. In reality, you can find all the information you need by using one incredibly useful resource.

The resource in question is whois.net. Finding who owns what domain is as easy as typing in the domain name in the search bar. In fact, you dont even have to know the domain name, just type in the keywords, and it should come up for you.

Once youve done this, youll be shown a list of information about that domain name. This includes who the registrar is, what their phone & email is, the status of the domain, when it was created when it was last updated, and when the registration expires. There is also a few pieces of additional information, but these are the main bits that will be of interest to you.

Its really useful as you can learn a lot from what youre staring at. For example, you can get a good idea as to whether or not youll be able to buy a domain based on the creation date and the expiry date. If youve got your eyes on a domain that expires next year but was created 10 years ago, the chances are fairly slim youll be able to buy it from the owner. Theyve had it for a decade, so youll need to part with a hefty bit of money to get them to sell.

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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.

Migrate Your Site To The New Domain

Once youve secured ownership of the domain in question, youll want to migrate your existing site to that domain name.

If you build your website on a platform like Shopify, you can migrate to or from pretty much any online site builder. There are several options for migrating a site to Shopify, each being a relatively simple process.

Learn more: Get the features you need to grow your businessand the support to switch smoothly with Shopify website migration.

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Check Domain Name Availability

Our tool checks domain availability by doing a DNS query to get search results as fast as possible. WHOIS domain lookups are much slower than DNS queries, but provide more information about who registered the domain name.

Red results mean the name is taken. Do aWHOIS lookup to see when the current domain registration expires.

Green results mean the name is available and you can register with one of our partners!

Blue results show names for sale. Buy them from one of our auction partners.

Search Features

Three: Contact The Domain Registrar

Many domain registrars now offer domain name privacy, which keeps the owners personal information from being listed in the WHOIS directory. Between that and GDPR legislation, the WHOIS directory is no longer a reliable way to find a domain owners personal contact information.

That means in many cases, you wont be able to learn directly who the owner is via the directory. But you will be able to find out who they registered the domain with.

This still isnt a dead end. Go to the website of the domain registrar , and look for their contact information. Give them a call or write them an email letting them know what domain youre interested in buying, and ask them to pass along your information to the owner. The registrar will have the owners contact details on file, and will be able to share your interest with them without violating any privacy concerns.

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What Is The Process For Hiding Whois Information

All Hostingers domain names come with an optional WHOIS Privacy security setting that can be activated through your hPanel account. Simply follow our WHOIS Privacy activation guide, and youll have it set in minutes.

Note that even without activating the WHOIS Privacy protection, your personal details and contact information wont be shown if your domain is registered in the EU due to the GDPR.

Why Whois Privacy Is Important

Without going too in-depth to what ICANN and WHOIS are, suffice to say its the nonprofit corporation that is responsible for keeping the internet secure and the naming structure of websites as it is. It requires anyone who registers a domain to provide accurate identifiable contact information, including name, address, email and phone number. Not everyone is comfortable with that information being public.

Domain registrars have found a way to keep your info safe and still provide ICANN with the info they need. These domain privacy features replace your information with the registrars info, at least publicly. Anyone can look up who registered a domain name, so having domain privacy can reduce spam for you, and keep you safe.

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Avoid Numbers And Hyphens

Imagine asking your 10 friends to spell or pronounce a domain name filled with numbers and dashes. It wont work.

If you choose a domain name with these elements, youre likely going to lose traffic to people who cant remember your domain or effectively tell someone else how to find it. We probably wouldnt have Facebook today if you had to go to Face-Book.com to reach the site.

Search Engines And Social Media

If current ownership information is not available through a WHOIS database or not directly shown on a site, it may be possible to track it down through other kinds of information, such as social media profiles or links to related sites. For example, a searcher might find the site owner through a Twitter account or LinkedIn profile, even if that information is not on the domain or in a WHOIS database. Even a Google search might turn up clues to a domain owners identity and contact information.

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Go Around The Whois Protection

Some domain owners decide to hide their information by using third-party protection services, such as WhoisGuard. 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 contact 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.

Consider A New Domain Name

Theres a decent chance that even if you take all of these steps, the person that owns that domain now either wont want to sell, or will only accept a higher price than you can pay.

In that case, youre far from the first person to have to come up with an alternative to the first name you set your heart on. Consider different domain name extensionsif the .com is taken, the .net or .co may still be available. And brainstorm new domain name ideas. You may just come up with something you like even more than your original idea.

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Whys It Necessary To Have A Whois Database

The ability to find domain info quickly and accurately is important for a couple main reasons: 1. A WHOIS check is essential for people in the business of buying and selling domains. These individuals need a method of communication for their transactions. A WHOIS search will provide one or more methods for reaching the current owner of a web address. 2. The WHOIS database is a way to maintain accountability for people who operate online. For example, if you felt someone was using your trademarks on their website, the WHOIS database provides a number of ways to resolve that dispute.

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.

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Connecting Your Domain Name To Mailchimp

Whether youve bought your domain through Mailchimp or a third party, you can transfer your domain name and connect it to your Mailchimp account. Once connected, you can use that domain with a custom landing page or Mailchimp-hosted website. If you dont already have a website, Mailchimp offers a free website builder that you can use to make your brand stand out with no coding skills required.

How To Hide Your Information From Whois Lookups

Online privacy is incredibly important and some people do not want their contact details publicly available on the internet. For anyone who does not want to sell their domain or be contacted by those browsing the Whois directory, we highly recommend purchasing Advanced Security for all of your domains, which includes Whois Privacy, Domain Lock Plus, and a free SSL certificate. It masks your contact information and prevents spammers and telemarketers from using your information for no good.

Also Check: When Does A Domain Name Become Available

Choose Your Whois Lookup Tool

Theres a bunch of different WHOIS lookup options online to check who owns a domain.

These tools help you quickly search the WHOIS database. They provide such information as:

• Contact details of the domain owner
• The domain name registration.

The Interner Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers provides a simple summary of the WHOIS records. You see:

• The expiry date.
• The owner of the domain.
• The registration date.
• Where the domain points to.

It is available in a number of languages. It also provides useful information about registration policies and other topics.

Whats The Difference Between Domain Extensions

Arguably, the most popular domain extension is .com, but other TLDs include .net, .org, .edu and .gov. There are literally hundreds more from which you can choose, and the less popular extensions are usually less expensive, with a few exceptions. The popularity of .io and .co has skyrocketed recently, so theyre pricier.

Some extensions are restricted and you cant purchase them unless you meet certain requirements. Restricted extensions include .edu and .gov. Overall, all extensions work the same. The .com extension is preferable because its easy to remember.

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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.

Uncovering Secrets With Dns

Every domain has DNS info that is public. You can browse this on many sites but I like to use leafdns.com. DNS is what points domain services to different servers like pointing your email to Google and your website to Bluehost. This may not tell you who owns your domain but it can tell you HOW your domain is being used which may be an important step in recovering your website files if youve lost those in addition to the domain. I often use this when Im on a call and a prospect doesnt even know where their site is hosted. It makes me look really smart!

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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.

How To Find Out Who Actually Owns A Domain Name

Last updated on June 2nd, 2021 by Editorial Staff | Disclosure: Our content is reader-supported. This means if you click on some of our links, then we may earn a commission. See how WPBeginner is funded, why it matters, and how you can support us.

Do you want to find out who actually owns a domain name?

Looking up who owns a domain can help you find the owners contact information, so you can purchase the domain name.

In this article, well show you how you can find out who actually owns a domain name, step by step.

Why Find Out Who Owns a Domain Name?

Finding out who owns a domain name can tell you valuable information about the domain name owner.

Usually, this information will include an email address and other contact information, so you can get in touch to purchase the domain name.

It also shows you useful domain name information, like the last time it was registered, how many owners the domain has had, and more.

If you find that multiple people have owned a specific domain name, then this increases chances of the domain being used for spam.

When youre creating a WordPress website, one of the biggest decisions youll make is choosing the perfect business name and matching domain.

If youve found a great domain, but its already registered, then youll want to reach out to the owner to see if theyre willing to sell it to you.

Video Tutorial

If youd prefer written instructions, just keep reading.

Method 1: Search for a Domain With Domain.com WHOIS Lookup Tool

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