How To Find Out Who Actually Owns A Domain Name
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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 and the site using it.
Usually, this information will include an email address and other contact information, so you can get in touch to purchase the domain name from them.
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 the 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.
2. Look up Company Information
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What Is Domain Brokerage
Domain brokerages. Buying and selling domains is an industry all in itself, and a number of services exist to make those transactions possible. If all efforts to find a domain owner through WHOIS or other strategies are fruitless, a domain brokerage or agent may be able to help. These entities offer services that range from locating an elusive
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Private Whois Database Listing
Having your personal information made available to the public will increase your risk of becoming a victim of hackers, spammers and even data miners. To keep your contact information out of the hands of those who may use it maliciously, Network Solutions® offers private domain name registration. For a small monthly fee, we’ll act as your proxy which means that anyone who does a WHOIS lookup for your domain name information will find our contact information, not yours.
How To Find Out Who The Domain Owner Is
Youve spent time brainstorming domain names. Youve tried different domain suggestion tools. And youve finally figured out the perfect name.
But when you go to register the domain name youre set on, you find that someone has already claimed it. What a disappointment.
Before you give up on that perfect name and start the whole process again from scratch, know there might still be hope.
Registered domain names are sometimes still availableif you know how to find the owner.
People invest in domain names for a number of different reasons. Sometimes, its to start their own website at that domain. Sometimes its purely for investment purposes. And in a few cases, it may be for a website idea that either never comes to fruition, or that falls off the owners radar over time.
If the website youre interested in isnt being actively used and updated, then the owner may be happy to hear from an interested buyer. And even if the owner is clearly using the domain name right now, if youre willing to spend enough to make a sale worth it to them you may still have a chance.
In both cases, you should anticipate spending more for the domain name than if you went with something no one else owns yet. But if youre really set on that domain name, its worth trying your chances.
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Contact The Domain Owner
First things firstyou need to reach out to the domain owner. You might find their contact information using the steps listed above, often in the form of a physical mailing address. But if you want to reach out in a different way, there are some steps you can take to find the appropriate contact.
The best place to start is with a Google search. Simply enter the persons name on Google to see what comes up. You might also search email address or contact information. If that doesnt yield any results, check out databases like Hunter.
Once you get in touch with the domain owner, be prepared to negotiate a deal for the domain. Have a number in mind and be prepared to hear a counter offer. When preparing your number, consider the domain authority, or how much search equity the existing site has. If its clearly out of date and doesnt show up high in search result pages, you can offer a lower number. But for updated sites with a robust digital presence across multiple channels, youll likely have to start higher.
What Information Shows Up In A Whois Lookup Result
Using our WHOIS domain lookup tool, you can see where a domain is registered, which DNS servers the domain name redirects to, its creation, renewal, and expiration dates, as well as other contact information, all of which allows you to contact its owner, or even transfer the domain name to another registrar if its one thats already in your possession.
However, not every piece of domain information is made public in a WHOIS lookup. Depending on the domain ending, also known as a TLD, you may be able to use WHOIS domain lookup privacy features that allow you to hide some of your domain name information in a WHOIS lookup. At Gandi, you can protect sensitive data from WHOIS lookup tools for all eligible domain names for free.
If you already own a domain, a WHOIS lookup is a great way to check what information is publicly visible when others do a domain lookup. Making sure everything that appears in a WHOIS domain lookup is accurate is also very important in a legal context, but also in order to facilitate future domain name transfers. WHOIS lookup is also an easy way to make sure your domain has been properly renewed since the domain lookup results will show your domain’s expiration date.
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Lead By Features How Do I Change Which Domain My Leadpages Is Connected To
Leadpages was created in 2010 by Clay Collins over at Minneapolis. Armed with a team comprised of conversion-marketing specialists and tech service staff whose warmth you can feel through a display of a smartphone, the business has over 45,000 users and is widely considered as one of the top choices which will help build most of any online businesses. Dont believe us? See how easy it is yourself thanks to this handy tutorial by Yes to Tech:
Among the greatest things they have done is how theyve made among the most effective development programs on the market, but was able to make it simple to use and not overtly complicated. Using it wont feel like youve got to have a crash course and cram just to have the ability to get started.
For new users on the market, that sets the tone for what Leadpages is about.
And as soon as youre over the anxiety of using it, the apprehension which accompanies a new instrument, its simple to dive deep into the features they offer and see how powerful it really is.
Having premade designer templates puts them in an advantage because theyre the only product that have it. They have more than a 150+ beautifully designed templates ready to use, all of which are categorized by industry and purpose, and therefore are even mobile friendly.
Whatever your requirements may be, whether its a giveaway or something to catch their attention and data theyll have it.
What Is A Whois Lookup
Immediately after a domain has been registered, the Internet Corporation of Assigned Names and Numbers requires that accredited registrars such as Hostpoint publish the contact information of the owner, the domainâs registration and expiry date and other details in the Whois database.
The Whois database is a searchable list of all domains currently registered worldwide. A Whois domain lookup allows you to request domain name information about an already registered domain. Since data protection regulations have tightened, some data is usually no longer visible.
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Two: Check The Whois Directory
Every time someone registers a domain name, the domain registrar that processes the sale is required to collect basic contact information. In some cases, that information then gets submitted to the WHOIS directory, so that theres a record of who runs each website online.
The WHOIS directory is therefore our next stop for seeking out a domain name owner.
Put in the name of the domain youre looking for and scroll down to find all the data the WHOIS directory lists for it. In a few cases, that may contain the owners contact information. If so, you can skip the next step.
Even if not though, it will always include at least their domain registrar and domain expiration date. That lets you know if the domain will be coming up for renewal soon. If so, you may be able to snap it up for cheaper when it expires than if you buy it from them directly. But that only works if they dont renew, so youre taking a chance.
Either way, knowing the domain registrar enables you to take the next step.
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Who Legally Owns A Domain
Searching for a domains owner can turn up multiple names provided as contacts for functions such as technical support, administration, and billing. But, the legal owner of a website is the registrantthe person or entity in whose name the domain has been registered with a dedicated domain registrar or hosting provider. As long as registration fees are kept up to date, that owner retains full rights to the domain and has sole control over selling it at any time, whether or not the domain is nearing expiration.
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Can I Look Up Org Info Biz Us Or Tel Domains
DOMAINS
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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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.
Why Use Whois Lookup
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Ample reach across TLDs
WHOIS Lookup contains the records of over 565 million currently active domains spanning more than 7,298 generic and country-code top-level domains .
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Readily available and easy to use
WHOIS Lookup reports are parsed and normalized so professionals can easily access and make sense of the information they provide. Query results are available in seconds for faster decision-making.
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WHOIS Lookups domain search query results come with custom URLs that users can readily share with relevant parties with just a few clicks.
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Fresh and accurate data
We gather and refresh data in near-real-time so users can act on the most recent WHOIS insights on domain names and IP addresses of interest.
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Tlds Handle Whois Differently
Some TLD registries have no Whois servers. This might be because they are new, or because they are relatively small. They are still obliged to provide other ways to query their databases, such as from the registry’s website theres generally a link within the returned Whois record that you can follow. In other cases, they might provide limited information on their Whois servers, but, for complete information, you will have to access that registrys site.
Each top-level domain handles Whois differently: each has different central Whois servers and different formats to respond to. For example, some top-level domains, including .com and .net, follow the thin Whois model, where domain registrars maintain their customers’ data, whereas much larger, global TLD registries operate under the thick model. CcTLDs on the other hand play by their own rules, which vary from nation to nation.
The records stored among domain registries vary for instance, .com and .net are managed by the domain name registry VeriSign. These gTLDs operate differently than standard Whois systems. The central Whois server will display information regarding the domain registered, when it expires, and the registrar it was registered with however, youll find nothing about the domain owner.
Why Is Your Dream Domain Name Suddenly Unavailable
Unfortunately, many domain search services are taking advantage of you at that moment by buying the domain out from under you and then offering to resell it to you at a higher price. When you check domain availability using their tools, you are literally helping them to identify a valuable asset that they can make more money on your dream domain is now seen as a desirable domain that is worth it for them to own & invest in the speculation that you will be willing to buy it back from them.
I know. It sucks. And unfortunately, it happens. This practice of domain buying & reselling is widespread, and even includes major hosting companies that you think you can trust. Whats up?
Well, this domain reselling practice is its a lousy and unethical thing to do, but perfectly legal. Basically, these hosting companies use the domain search tool on their websites as a way to gauge consumer interest in a given domain name. Its a reasonable assumption that if you are searching a particular domain for ownership, you will quite likely want to purchase it even if you dont do so that first day when you searched to see if it was available.
They know, of course, now that you want the domain you are more likely to pay more for it. If you had purchased it on the first day it would have been available for somewhere in the range of $8 $15 / year. Now? They offer you the chance to buy the domain from that mysterious someone at a much higher rate plus a commission!
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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.
Can The Whois Search Tool Be Used To Register Domains
Yes, it can. When you search for a domain using our tool, the WHOIS lookup results will show whether its available for purchase. If it is, you can buy it for your website right there and then.
For more options and advanced suggestions, use our Domain Checker tool!
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