How To Check For Domain Availability
Check to see if a domain is registered to anyone by simply using the whois command and specifying a domain name.
$ whois example.com
If the domain is taken, youll see output like that in the screenshot above. It lists when the domain was registered, when it expires, the registrar, and various other registry information.
Contrast that to the output below, where the domain is available and returns a No match found for message.
Its nice being able to check domain availability from the Linux command line. However, its not that much more convenient than just checking it in some registrar website. The real convenience can be found by using the Bash script in the section below.
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.
Why Do You Need A Domain Name
There are several reasons for this, the most obvious being that its good for branding. Nothing looks more unprofessional than a brand that hosts its website at brandname.wordpress.com. This is because as a general rule, the websites that buy and maintain a domain name tend to be those that are more reputable and more established.
But your domain name is so much more than that. Often, the reason why people start a website in the first place is so that theres something they have full control over. When you use social networking sites or free blogging providers, or even if you make a living selling on Amazon and eBay, youre fully reliant on those other sites. If they change their terms of service or the service goes down completely, youre in trouble.
When youve registered a domain name, though, you dont have to rely on anyone else. That domain name belongs to you and you alone, and you have full control over what you do with it. You can control any associated email addresses, determine which server the site accesses and even sell it or transfer ownership if thats what you want to do.
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Next Check The Whois Record For The Domain Name
Once youve determined that theres not an active website for your preferred domain name, youll want to check the WhoIs record for the domain name. What is a WhoIs record and why do you need to check it?
The WhoIs record for a domain name provides the history of that domain name. It will show you if that domain name has ever been registered to another company or individual and when it was registered to them. This is important information to have because it will let you know if the domain name is likely to get traffic from people looking for the business that used to own the domain name.
If the WhoIs record shows no previous registrants for that domain name, then you know that your business is the first to use that domain. This is the ideal scenario because it means your business will be the only one associated with the domain name.
If the WhoIs record shows that the domain name is currently registered to someone else, that means the domain name is not actually available even if theres not an active website associated with it.
WhoIs will offer you the option to purchase the domain if its available, but this is not usually the best option for your business. A good domain name registrar provides more services than simply registering your domain name. So, youll want to look for a good company domain name registrar from whom to purchase and register your domain name.
Can I Look Up Org Info Biz Us Or Tel Domains
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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.
Buy Available Domains From The Hundreds Of Tlds We Offer
After looking up a domain with our domain name availability tool, youll see a list of all the different available domains and variations you can purchase. If youve already decided on a particular domain ending, say .com for example, you can choose to filter out all the other domain endings during your domain name availability search. Our domain name checker tool features over 750 different domain endings, giving you a plethora of choices of available domains. In most cases, .com is the most popular domain ending and the one users will most easily remember. That being said, you should definitely check domain name availability with other domain endings as they all have interesting potential uses. Choices like .org and .net are also very popular, and may be more appropriate for your domain depending on the nature of your website and domain name availability.
You can purchase multiple versions of available domains, using different domain endings: this is often done in order to secure every popular domain ending to protect a websites brand name, and to set up URL forwarding to the main domain name. Thanks to Gandis domain name bundles, you can benefit from discounts when you buy multiple domain names at once.
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Finding The Right Domain Name
Theres a lot that goes into choosing a domain name. Your domain needs to succinctly sum up what your site is about while being catchy and easy to remember.
Your domain will define your brand and be the first thing that visitors see. As a result, your domain will create either a good or bad impression of your website.
Here are some tips for finding the best possible domain name for your new website:
Check If Your Domain Is Working
To confirm your domain is active and DNS settings are correct, access your domain name in a web browser as you would any other website. If you see Your Account has been created message, your domain is pointed to our servers and is ready for use.
You also will get a temporary URL to access your domain before your DNS settings are changed or the domain registration is processed.
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How Do I Use The Domain Checker
Domain checker usually works best if you start out with a list of potential site names in mind to begin with. Dont worry about the extension too much – just list out the names and have them at hand so you can check different variations to find one thats available.
Lets say youre searching for yourexamplesite as a potential domain name. When we pop that into the domain name checker search box and click check it, we get a response to say that yourexamplesite.xyz is available. Beneath that, it shows us that while yourexamplesite.com is taken, its available as a number of other extensions including yourexamplesite.org and yourexamplesite.net.
But heres where it gets interesting. As well as simply checking the term that you entered, the domain checker will also offer up suggestions. With the example above, we get yes.it and yoexsi.com, both of which could make for interesting alternatives. We often find that the suggestions prompt new ideas and that even if people dont go with the exact domain name thats suggested, they end up with a variant.
You can use domain checker to look up as many domain names as you want, so dont be afraid to be creative. And dont forget that once you find the ideal domain name.
How To Check If A Io Domain Name Is Available Or Not
For example, if you want to register a .io check . If you want to check a .hr domain, go to . If you want to check .me, open This is the best place to check because theres a lesser chance these guys are front running .
You cant really buy domain names at these places, so you have to find a registrar where you can register that domain.
If you are interested in a more detail course on how to setup a profesionall email address, check it out here.
One of the reasons for holding your own domain name is that you probably will not keep the same job forever, so if everyone has an email address of your company you are working for, you might lose contact with them after losing that account.
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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.
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.
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Free Products + Services When You Register
From free perks like URL and email forwarding to sophisticated account features like Two-Step Verification and DNS templates, Name.com offers more for less.
Fair, transparent pricing
We clearly display domain discounts and renewal pricing during the search process so there are no nasty surprises when your domains renewal comes up.
Everything in one place
Once you have a domain in hand, we make it simple to attach email, hosting, website builders, and more. Its everything you need in one convenient place.
Easy domain transfers
FAQs
How Much Does A Domain Name Cost
The exact cost of your new domain name will vary based on the registrar, the specific top-level domain you’ve chosen, and the quality of the domain name. Domain.com is proud to offer more than 300 unique TLDs to help your new website stand out. Some domains may be pricier due to their intrinsic benefits, like being short and memorable, or the use of very competitive keywords such as cars.com. Browse our premium domains to jumpstart your website performance.
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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.
Choosing A Domain Name
In addition to following the rules for registering a domain, you should also keep some guidelines in mind when choosing a name. Lets see what the guidelines are for choosing free domains.
The number of free domains you can register can be up to 63 characters. Despite this, it is far better that your domain is short and easy to remember. Ideally, you could go for between 3 and 12 characters and not exceed 3 or 4 words.
Is the domain name you would like to choose too long? To make it concise you can try and eliminate the superfluous: articles, prepositions, conjunctions, numbers or hyphens.
In addition to having to keep it short, the domain name should be easy to type, so avoid using words that tend to be misspelt often or are difficult to pronounce.
What name to choose? The domain name can be the same as your brand name or a variation such as a combination of brand name and keyword.
Dont overdo it with keywords and use them only if it makes sense for visitors to understand what the topic of your site is. For this same reason, you may want to include a geographic reference to help visitors understand where you operate. Remember, however, that in this case, you can also take advantage of national extensions .
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