What Does A Domains Ownership History Tell You
Heres the truth:
You wouldnt buy a second-hand car without looking at the service history, right?
A domain ownership history check is just like getting a service history check on a car that tells you what its been used for and whether or not it has been maintained over the years.
A domain ownership history tells you:
- Previous sales history
- What the domain has been used for
- When it was originally registered
- If the domain was used in illegal activity
- Any trademark infringements
- Past domain ownership
You can even see the website traffic statistics in some cases.
Domain ownership history checks are important and provide a lot of details for serious domain buyers.
Its always worth the extra effort to ensure that your purchase is a good one particularly if you are domain flipping high-value domain names.
Why Do You Want To Find Out Who Owns A Domain Name
Finding out who owns a domain name can tell you valuable data about the domain name owner. Generally, the information includes an email address, name, and contact information, so that you can get in touch to buy the domain name.
You can also know when your domain name was registered, how many owners the domain name has had, etc. If you find that many people have owned a unique domain name, it means there are many chances of the domain being used for spam.
For example, If you are developing a WordPress website, the most important decision you make is selecting a perfect business name and matching domain. If you find out a great and specific domain and you want to purchase it. But, it is already registered then you find out to see who is the owner of a domain and they agree to sell the domain name to you or not.
There are many ways to find domain name owner. In this article, well tell you the 3 effective ways to find the owner of a website.
What Is A Whois Domain Lookup
A Whois domain lookup allows you to trace the ownership and tenure of a domain name. Similar to how all houses are registered with a governing authority, all domain name registries maintain a record of information about every domain name purchased through them, along with who owns it, and the date till which it has been purchased.
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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.
Knowing Domain Name Ownership Details
A domain name is an online address through which one can access a website. They are used in place of IP addresses to help users ease the process of remembering a complicated string of numbers. For example, xyz.com may have an IP Address of 194.128.1.2. So, as you can see, remembering the foremost is easier as compared to the latter.
Before we dive into the main topic, lets understand a few fundamentals. It all starts from the database of all domain names, i.e Registry. From there, the middleman of domains comes into the picture i.e Registrar. These are the ones who manage the reservation of internet domain names via resellers or directly deal with the end customers. The end clients who register these domain names are known as registrants. A domain name reservation can be done for a maximum period of up to 10 years.
Why find the domain name owner?
Key points to consider for obtaining the end result
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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.
Why Check Owner Information Of Domain
Before going on a quest for knowing how to find out who owns a private domain, it is essential to ask yourself why you wish to do this. What possible benefits can you gain from learning this information?
It can be beneficial even for several reasons. For example, domains are still up for sale, so you may want to purchase an existing domain name. In this case, you can find all their contact information by looking up who owns this website. Many people want to buy a domain name when they create a new website or brand and want a specific character to match perfectly with the site.
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After that, you get to see when the domain expires too. Again, if you want to buy one, this is good because you can see when it needs to be replaced and contact the owner at the optimal time to request a bid.
In addition, using a tool to look up who owns domain name, can also help with your websites. Of course, if you own a domain, you know who owns this website already thats obvious. However, you can obtain tons of more details when you look up this to cross-check it with your own. This includes the owner registration information you need to make sure is correct. If they are not, you should adjust them so that everything is as it should be, so you will not run into any problems. Plus, you will see when your domain expires, allowing you to re-buy it when the time is right.
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Check The Whois Directory
There is an organization called the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers or ICANN. This group is in charge of all domain name registrations. And it requires all registrants to enter their name, mailing address, phone number, and email address.
And the best part? The public can access all of that information. Or at least they should be able to .
But yeah if you go to ICANNs website, you can enter the domain name and find out who the owner is alongside other relevant information that you might need.
Heres what a WhoIs lookup search result would look like. You should find the name of the domain owner under Registrant.
Youll soon notice, however, that most sites dont display the name of the domain owner. How is that possible?
Most domain name registrars offer a service where they keep your contact information private. And a lot of domain owners opt for this service because they dont want to share their details with everyone.
After all, whod want to share their phone number and mailing address with the world?
So why even bother searching the WhoIs database? Is it even worth it?
Yes, it is.
Why? Because you can still find the email address of the domain owner. Even if you dont see the owners personal or business email, you should still be able to reach the owner through the email address provided by the domain registrar.
But WhoIs isnt the only option. There are other ways to get in touch with a website owner as youll see below.
My Information Doesn’t Match The Whois Results How Do I Change My Whois Information
According to the rules established by ICANN, Registrars are expected to maintain the accuracy of the domain name owner’s contact details in the Whois database. Most Registrars use the details provided by the buyer at the time the Domain was registered.
In case your information does not match the Whois results, you can change this information by getting in touch with your Registrar who will be able to assist you in updating your information. Once this information is updated, the Whois record will also update accordingly. On an average, it can take 24-24 hours for this change to reflect in the Whois database.
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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.
How To Use A Domain Name Efficiently
Your domain name is your online business card.You can define its uses to best benefit your business.For example, you can create a domain name to display:
- opening hours or menus, handy for shopkeepers and restaurant owners
- your art, if you want to put an online portfolio together
- any other information your customer base could benefit from having attheir fingertips!
You can even register a domain name to set up your own online shop.With our many web hosting packages including the most popular CMS on themarket, you will be able to create your website in a breeze!
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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.
Find The Previous Owner
This last method is probably a long shot but it could work under the right circumstances.
If the current owner of the domain name bought it from someone else, you can try asking the previous owner for the new owners contact details.
How would you know if the site had a previous owner?
You can look up the site on Wayback Machine and look for any sign that the site was once managed by a different person.
For those who have never heard of this tool before, Wayback Machine lets you see cached versions of a website. In simpler terms, it takes snapshots of websites every so often and adds them to its database. Users can then access these snapshots to see what a website looked like days, weeks, months, or years ago.
The idea is for you to enter the domain and go back to a point where the site made a major overhaul. Thats an indication that the site underwent new management. If the older design has an about page, theres a chance that it would show the contact details of the old owner instead of the new one.
If you find the name of the old owner, you can use some of the methods mentioned above to get in touch with the person.
This method is neither the most practical nor the most effective. But if youre really desperate, its worth a shot. Who knows? You might end up getting lucky.
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Negotiating With A Domain Name Owner
If youve consulted WHOIS databases or otherwise discovered the identity of the domain name owner, the next step for those looking to purchase a domain name is to negotiate with the owner.
Its important to remember that as long as an owners domain registration hasnt expired, they retain complete control over the name and can either sell it or keep it, as desired. Sometimes, even if youve discovered the perfect domain name, the owner might be unwilling to put it up for sale. Circumstances like these arise rather frequently for that reason, its important to keep an open mind and be willing to entertain the idea of registering an alternative name.
Send an email or otherwise get in contact with the owner by using the information youve acquired through research. Reach out with a positive attitude. Even if there wont be any face-to-face negotiations, its important to be friendly. Once you agree to the deal, exchange payment for ownership.
How To Find Out Who Owns A Domain
You can find out who owns a domain by searching the WHOIS database to find key information such as registrant name, address status and phone number. Note some domains employ a privacy shield to hide such information.
Simply enter the URL for the domain name in question here:
Click the green Search button to find out information about the domain and who owns it. First, WHOIS will show basic information, like the domain name, ID, domain registrar server and URL, and creation date. You can see below that shopify.com was created on March 11, 2003, and is currently registered with .
You can also click View more information to expand the window and see more data about the domain name.
Now, you might notice that this information doesnt exactly take you directly to the domain owner. In fact, the domain name service acts as a go-between, essentially protecting the domain owners identity. That means youll need to do some extra research and sleuthing to find out who really owns the domain.
If the domain owners identity is hidden, look up information about the company that owns the domain. You might find a Contact Us or About Us page that talks about the companys leadership, founders, owners, etc.
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Who Is The Owner Of The Domain
- Domain names are owned by whoever first registered the web address with an authorized registrar, such as Atakdomain.com. In order for this person to retain ownership, he / she must pay a registration fee and ensure that all contact details are updated.
- Once a person legally registers for a domain name, and provides all relevant personal information to a certified registrar, that individual owns the rights to that web address. They alone own this web address and reserve the right to sell it at any time. The owner can transfer ownership of the domain name to a new user if he cares about it.
- Domain ownership length
- Typically, the standard domain ownership period is 2 years. However, based on the extensions, it is possible to register a domain name for a period of up to 10 years. Renewal is also an option for people who dont want to stick to a multi-year deal.
- Domain owners pay an annual fee, which varies based on the TLD they choose. Since 2000, Atakdomain.com has offered some of the most affordable registration and renewal fees available in a TLD.
How Much Does A Domain Name Cost
Each Registry sets its own rules pertaining to the obtention of a domainname and how much it costs. Depending on the Registry, certain TLDs can gofor triple if not more the rate of other TLDs.To learn all about TLD pricing, you can check our extensive catalogue.We currently have 1,100+ TLDs available forregistration.You can click the Sales Only option on the catalogue to learn more about ongoing deals andthe conditions that may apply.
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Why It Can Sometimes Be Difficult To Identify A Domain’s Owner
These days, online privacy is an important topic, especially for domain owners. Registry services have reacted by offering privacy services to their clients . If someone opts for these, you won’t be able to find them directly via WHOIS lookup , since any emailed requests go first to the registry, and only then to the owner.
A few years ago, identifying the owners of websites based in the EU became much more difficult, owing almost entirely to something known as the GDPR.
GDPR refers to the General Data Protection Regulation, which is a series of laws that regulate how businesses and organizations handle personal data. As the GDPR entered into force, all domain providers and organizations in countries like Germany, such as DENIC the central registry for top-level domains ending with “.de” had to anonymize all domain owner data.
Accordingly, all that is legally required to be visible in publicly-accessible registries is information that doesn’t provide direct details about who the owner of a private domain is.