What Is Domain History And What Is Dangerous
Lets imagine a situation in which you bought a domain you liked, started filling your pages with useful content, promoting your website and after a long time, you see no result.
One possible reason might be that Search engines do not fully or partially index your resource. But what abour your domain?
An available domain name does not mean that nobody used it before. Some owners simply forget to extend the deadline, others deliberately abandon their web sites that fall under the ban or sanctions.
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.
What Can I Do With A Ca
Host a website or build an online store
A website or online store is an obvious and powerful way to use your domain name.
Create your own .CA email address
Your .CA domain name can be used for personalized email addresses
Link your .CA to your social media profile
You can forward your .CA domain to another online or social media profile, like Facebook, LinkedIn, or Etsy – anywhere you want.
I think a .CA will always be the number one domain for us partly because of the brand value that Canada has abroad the quality that Canada brings, the brand recognition. I personally believe that a .CA has more brand appeal internationally than a .com does.
Connor CurranFounder and Chief Laundry Folder at locallaundry.ca
Read Also: How To Get A Business Domain Email
Whats The Difference Between A Domain Name Registrar And A Website Host
There are usually two parts to owning a website:
When someone types your domain name into a web browser , the internet knows to serve your website files stored on your web host to that visitor. Thats because youve set up your DNS to associate your domain name with that web host .
Some companies like GoDaddy will offer both domain names and web hosting. More commonly, most people buy their domain name from one provider and get their web hosting from another company. And, yes, that means you will be billed for your domain name and your website hosting separately. Typical pricing for domain names ranges from $10 to $25 a year, and web hosting ranges from $10 to $50 a month.
Final takeaway: Dont be shy. Call your web host and registrar. Theyll be more than happy to educate you on how all this works. Also, calling late at night is a good idea because you wont have to wait on hold.
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.
Recommended Reading: Gulftel Webmail Login
Check Domain Availability Conclusion
Choosing a domain is an important decision, and one that can be fraught with difficulties. Even if you dont get the exact domain you want, however, there are plenty of ways to find a suitable alternative.
Lets recap the steps you can take when you find that your desired domain name isnt available:
How To Find Out Who Owns A Website Or Domain
You can also find out when it’s going to expire
Wouldnt it be nice to know who owned a certain website? Previously, I wrote about how you can find out who is hosting a website, but that only tells you where the server is located. If you want to verify the owner of a domain name or see when one expires , performing a WHOIS lookup is the way to go.
If you perform a search in Google for WHOIS, youll get a bunch of results, but normally the first one is whois.net. By visiting www.whois.net, you can not only find out who owns a certain domain name, but also when it was purchased and more importantly, when it is due to expire.
Looking up a domain name on www.whois.net is very simple. All you have to do is enter in the web address you want to look up and presto all the information you wanted will appear. For example, if you look up the website address for the WHOIS site, you will find out some important information. In the screen shot below, we can tell that the domain name was purchased in 1997 and they have paid for it through 2018 .
While WHOIS is a great reference for when you want to find information about someone elses website, but it can be a problem when its the other way around. When purchasing a domain or even afterwards, most companies provide a private registration benefit that will remove any personal information about the owner.
You May Like: How Much To Purchase A Domain Name
The Length Of The Domain
Generally, the shorter a domain name, the more valuable it will be. Now, this wont always be true. For example, the domain r4dxf3.com wont be very valuable. But, taken as a whole, domains with few words or short phrases will hold more value. Shorter domains are much easier to remember and more straightforward to market overall. You can easily build a business around a shorter domain, while it may be more difficult with a longer domain.
How To Find Your Domain Name Registrar: Whois Search
I Cant Remember Where I Purchased My Domain Name! Who is my Registrar
Update: This article explaining how to use whois search to was written in 2006 and has been updated with a photo illustration because it is one of the most popular articles on the site and continues to attract visitors 11 years after publication.
It wasnt until my third client had called asking how to regain control of her domain name that I realized that it was a common problem for small business webmasters to forget where they had registered their domains. WHOIS my registrar? Why didnt I get an email about renewal? Why did my site stop working today?
People rarely realize how important it is to keep their domain registrar notified of changes to their email address and and other contact information. The registrar will send renewal notifications to the email address last on file. For most domain owners, the only time they think about contacting a registrar is the day they reserve their domain name. If they move to a new city and get a new internet service provider, it doesnt occur to them that the old email address will change and that meeans that the registrar can no longer contact them through the previous address, or phone or fax as each of them change and we rarely notify the controller of our domain of those changes.
The following URL leads to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers discussing the grace period and redemption period rules it enforces.
Domain Name: google.com
You May Like: What Is A .io Domain
Your Domain And Its History
The first step when building a website for your brand is to register the domain name. You will need to pick the domain registrar, and from there, you will find whether the domain you want to use is available or not.
Most of the time, people would opt for a domain name that is new with no history at all. However, there are cases where buying an old domain is more beneficial than a new one, especially with ranking fast in Google. As you know, using a new domain name that Googles spiders have never crawled into before may not be effective if you want the search engine to rank you high in the results page.
With an old domain, you have a previously registered domain name. Often, it has built authority over time, and you may even benefit from its connections. Plus, Google trusts these old sites, which can give you a high ranking quickly.
For some reason though, the owner stopped paying the registration fees for the domain. The registrar will immediately put it in an auction. If no one buys it, the name expires. Although the expired domain may have a bad reputation on Google and all its data might reset to default, it could still build authority over time. The longer it has been around, the more trustworthy it could become for Google.
Think Art Not Science When Calculating Domain Value
If youre looking for a predetermined formula to calculate exactly what your domain is worth then, unfortunately, youre out of luck. Domain appraisal services can churn out a number based on a complex set of criteria, but theres much more to domain names than algorithms and search rankings. A domain exists in the wider context of the online and offline worlds, and all of their complexities and nuances will play a part in how much interest there will be in your domain.
To figure out domain value, you ultimately need to understand who your potential buyers are. What industry are they in? Is a website important for their business? How relevant is your domain? A domain is only as valuable as someone is willing to pay for it, so knowing what related domains are priced at, how sought after your domain is, and how much to reasonably expect a buyer to pay will help you arrive at the right number.
Read Also: How To Transfer Squarespace Domain To Godaddy
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
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.
Read Also: How Much Does It Cost To Buy A Web Domain
Lookup Domain Name Registration Online
Need the details of a .au domain? We provide a simple, easy-access search tool for our customers and visitors. Using this tool, you can search the details of all Australian domain names. Simply type the name of the domain you want to check with the .com.au domain extension and click search to find out the owner and their best contact email.
Has Been Around For A While
An older domain name has had more time to be indexed and ranked by Google, making it better for SEO than a recently-registered domain. Plus, you are likely more attached to a domain youve had for eleven years than one that youve had for eleven days. Both of these can be helpful as leverage during negotiations.
Read Also: How To Buy Domain Names And Sell For A Profit
Search For The Domain Name Youre Interested In
Now, simply type in the domain name you want to find out more information about into the search bar and press enter. Whenever a domain owner decides to register the domain, theyre required to include information such as their name, address, email, and phone number. A Whois lookup can also tell you which registrar the domain is at, when it was registered, when it could potentially expire, and more.
How Is Whois Changing
In light of the General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, coming into force within the European Union in May 2018, many Registries and Registrars that operate within that region, or globally, are required to gain Registrant’s consent before disclosing Personally Identifiable Information to any third parties or the public. As a result of the implementation of the GDRP, much of the data historically found within WHOIS will no longer be included or be redacted. The absence of this information has a trickle-down effect throughout the domain industry, affecting WHOIS data output for domain names and Registrants that do not have an immediate or obvious nexus to the European Union
Also Check: How Much Should A Domain Name Cost Per Year
What Factors Make A Domain Name Valuable
Knowing whether you have a valuable domain on your hands doesnt require a ton of work, but it does require that you understand the factors that lead to a domain being valuable.
Often, the value that a domain holds will be determined by how desirable the domain name is. The list of factors below can help to illuminate whether or not your domain is valuable, but its not a science or always right.
Theres always the chance that your strange and unique domain could align with a phrase from another country, or be the ideal name for a new startup.
Overall, the conditions below will be a good indicator of how valuable a domain actually is.