How To Find Out If Your Domain Name Is Available

How To Find Available Domains

Search for your perfect domain name with the easy-to-use IONOS domain checker and get suggestions for available domains. Just enter the domain including your preferred domain extension or let the domain check suggest a suitable extension.

The domain check tests availability, not only with classic extensions like .com and .co.uk domains, but also with a huge selection With over 400 new domain extensions, it’s never been easier to find and check the domain name that best sums up what your site has to offer. Close of new top-level domains like .global, .online or .cloud. This way, you’re sure to find the perfect domain name for your website.

How Do I Search For Expired Domain Names

Expiring domain names are just what they sound like: Domain names that were unavailable because they were already registered but are about to expire, making the website name available for purchase again. You can search for expiring domain names using keywords or you can check the list of about-to-expire names. Search domains expiring now

Checking Domain Name Availability

A domain name cant be registered if it is already claimed by someone else, even if its not actually being used, but its easy to find out if your domain name is available in the form you want. One quick way to check for the availability of a domain name is to do a simple web search. Type in the name you want to use, including the top-level domain, or TDL extensions, such as .com or .net. That can reveal whether the name is currently in use, and your search may even provide some suggested alternatives.

A more thorough and reliable way to check for the availability of a domain name is to run your desired name through a name search tool. Before you register a domain, you have to use a domain checker that can scan all unavailable names. These tools are available from every domain registrar, as well as web hosting companies that include domain name registration with a hosting package. To check for availability, type in your desired name and add the extension you want to use. The search tool then returns a result: the name is available or its already taken. If your domain name is available, you can do a domain name registration immediately by paying the required fees for a selected period of time, typically one to three years.

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Why You Need A Domain Name

You dont really need your own domain name to simply create an online presence. A variety of free services provide space for users to set up a blog or basic webpage and give it a name, but that name becomes a subdomain of the main site and isnt a domain name you own. This means it appears online as something like _yoursite.hostname.com_ or _hostname.com/yoursite_. If the host site closes down, your sites identity disappears with itand it cant be used in that form to create a self-hosted site elsewhere.

To set up a fully functional website with its own permanent identity, you need to own a unique domain name that remains yours under all circumstances, regardless of the hosting service you choose. Buying a domain name and registering it reserves the name for your own exclusive use as long as the domain registration fees are paid for periods ranging from one to several years. To keep rights to the name, youll need to continue renewing it. If a domain registration expires and isnt renewed, the name can become available to others.

Why Do Some Whois Queries Have More Information Than Others

With WHOIS now in a state of change due in part to privacy laws such as GDPR, the data displayed in a WHOIS lookup can vary to some degree as each of the Registrant, Registrar and Registry have a jurisdictional nexus with such laws.

Where a nexus with the EU’s GDPR is present, Personally Identifiable Information will often be removed or redacted from WHOIS output.

Read Also: How Much Does It Cost To Buy A Web Domain

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 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.

Recommended Reading: Cost Of A Domain Name Per Year

Set Up Domain Monitoring

Still after that perfect .com URL?

Maybe none of these techniques have persuaded you to try something else, and thats okay. If your dream .com is what youre after, you can get it.

Lets say you only want a certain .com address, but its taken by someone.

If you dont have the funds to buy it outright , then the next best thing is to monitor the domain to check if it expires.

You can use a tool like DomainTools Domain Monitor to track any changes in its registration status.

If it expires and the owner doesnt renew it, you can swoop in and snatch it.

This isnt a surefire technique, but it can get you exactly what you want.

In the meantime, you can use one of these other strategies to set up a temporary domain. When youre able to grab your ideal domain, you can set up 301 redirects to the new URL.

Check For Trademark Infringement

Both major and minor brands alike take issue with others using their trademarked names. Even if youve just made an innocent mistake, the legal hassle involved in a lawsuit and having to rearrange your web presence could be costly.

You can avoid these situations by using a trademark lookup tool before you finalize your choice.

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We Want To Help Get You And Your Business Online As Quickly As Possible

Instant Domain Search was first launched in 2005 by Beau Hartshorne. It is based in Victoria, Canada, and we are constantly working to help you start something new.

Beau Hartshorne founded Instant Domain Search in 2005 and has grown it to help millions of people find names to start their businesses. He built one of the first online image editors, Snipshot, as part of one of the first Y Combinator cohorts in 2006. That led to a role at Facebook where he helped the growth team hit one billion people using the product, helped the photos team modernize and rebuild to support billions of photos, and helped relaunch Facebooks iOS application to hundreds of millions of devices. Beau recently reset his focus to return to his Canadian roots and grow both his family and his company.

Dirkjan Ochtman caught Beaus attention when he significantly increased the speed of a command-line utility using a programming language called Rust. Contributing regularly to the open source community, Dirkjan balances work on the Instant Domain Search team with family time in the Netherlands.

Nick Rempel is a fan of completing problems on the bouldering wall and in front of the screen. Nick began his career as a founding team member of a Y Combinator startup. That led him to start a number of his own businesses, and he continues to fill his spare time with a variety of software projects. He laughs when asked about his downtime he says my hobby is working.

Instant Domains, Inc.

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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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.

What Is A Pre

When a new gTLD launches, it goes through a series of phases before it becomes available to the general public. In order to help our customers register the domain name they want, we’ve created the Pre-Order system to reserve a domain before it launches. Once a Pre-Order is in place, we’ll attempt to register it when it becomes available. Placing a gTLD Pre-Order is completely free, but we will pre-authorize credit cards two days before the TLD goes live.

Pre-registration, on the other hand, allows you to create a watch list. Pre-Registration is only available for domains that haven’t launched yet. When you Pre-Register for a gTLD, we’ll add the domain to your account and notify you when it becomes Pre-Orders become available. Like Pre-Orders, Pre-Registering for a gTLD is free.

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What Is A Domain Name

A domain name is your companyâs online identity. It is the name attached to your IP address that redirects visitors to your site, as is the case with our ovhcloud.com domain name. A domain name consists of three elements. As an example, the website www.myshop.com is made up of a top-level domain and a second-level domain . The top-level domain, also known as an extension, is listed in the final position following the domain name. Of course, everyone is familiar with popular extensions like .uk and .com. However, not all TLDs have the same features: there are generic top-level domains , and others associated with a specific country, which are known as national domain names. National domain names are the TLDs that are used in the majority of cases.

The second-level domain corresponds to your company name or brand. It appears just before the extension, separated by the â.â character. In the example mentioned above, it is the âmyshopâ part. This section is customisable, so you can link it as closely as possible to your business. At the beginning of the string, in the domain name, is the subdomain â represented by âwwwâ. This is a flexible part, which you can optimise to refer to different sections of your website. For example, you can create a subdomain named contact.myshop.com or recruitment.myshop.com.

What Is A Domain Name Registrar

OVHcloud is an example of a registrar. As an accredited service provider, OVHcloud can create your web addresses or domain names with the extensions .uk, .re, .yt, .pm, .wf or .tf. We act as an intermediary between you and the registry when registering domain names. Our role is to carry out all the necessary procedures with the services that concern domain names: creation, renewal, transfer, change of owner and deletion. In addition to managing your domain names, OVHcloud can offer other services, including a custom email address service, web hosting for your website or blog, and more. All of these essential services can be linked to your domain name.

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Contact The Domain Name Owner

If one of the steps above leads you to the website owner, its time to reach out! Craft an email letting them know that youre interested in purchasing the domain.

To avoid looking like spam, make sure your email conveys seriousness and professionalism. If you have a professional email address at a domain name you own, that will look more legitimate than one from a yahoo or aol account. If not, consider at least setting up a gmail address, which looks a bit more respectable.

Make sure your email includes:

• Your contact information both email and phone, so its easy for them to choose the method they prefer.
• Language that makes it clear youre willing to pay you may not want to include a specific offer yet , but theyre more likely to respond if they know this is a genuine business offer
• Something that shows your legitimacy how can you show youre a real person with serious intent? Maybe thats a link to a website you already run or a LinkedIn profile.

People get a lot of spam emails, so you want to clarify that youre a real person with real interest. If you can pull that off, the chances of getting a response are much higher.