How To Find The Registrant Of A Domain Name

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

What Steps Can I Take To Ensure My Domain Privacy Is Protected

Some Registrars offer privacy protection services that allow their customers to mask their actual contact details in the Whois search result in order to prevent their private contact information falling into the hands of spammers and scammers. Get in touch with your Registrar to learn more about your options.

Are Registrars The Only Ones Who Can Sell Domain Name Registrations

Resellers are another type of organization that sell domain name registrations. These resellers sell domain names on behalf of a registrar in return for a finders fee. While these resellers are legitimate, they are usually operated as a side business, and can thus lack dedicated customer support.

Resellers websites rarely explicitly state that they are resellers, and it can be tricky to tell them apart from registrars. Fortunately theres an easy way to know if a company is a legitimate registrar: ICANN has a published list of every accredited and active domain name registrar on their website.

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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.

How We Choose Our Top Picks

Because there is a need for every website to have a domain, it should come as no surprise that there are a large number of domain registrars to choose from. During our hunt, we checked out several of them, using a strict criterion throughout our election that all those that made it to our list had to meet. These criteria included:

• Affordable pricing structures
• Registrars with bundles
• Lots of customer care options
• Advanced security features and privacy

As long as these key things were a part of their setup, we gave them a chance, going a few steps further and selecting those with a solid reputation and unique features made to suit any budget.

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Tips For Choosing A Registrar

Determine which services you require

You may want services like email hosting or support offered in French, so find out what each registrar offers. Remember, if you registered your .CA domain name as an individual you have free WHOIS privacy protection already included.

Check references

Seek out customer reviews and testimonials, and ask friends or colleagues for a recommendation. You may find that some registrars come highly recommended by your peers. If you make a mistake, you can always transfer your .CA domain to another registrar.

Shop around

Shop around to get a good understanding of how much your domain name, and additional services, will cost. Registrars may offer bundles, packages, or special promotions. Keep in mind that cheapest isnt always necessarily best.

What Is A Domain Registrar

Before we jump into the best domain registrars in Australia, letâs get to the bottom of domain registrars. A domain name is a name the surfers will use to access your site, making it a critical piece of your online space.

Domain registrars will connect you with your name and also give you an Ip address that will make your site accessible. Without domain registrars, the web might be filled with tons of repeats, which is why theyâre so critical to those who are looking to get their website up and running.

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Other Methods For Searching Domain Ownership

If you attempt to find a domain name owner through the WHOIS databases but fail to uncover the desired information, there are a few other research methods you should try before giving up.

Carefully inspect the website

Even if the domain name owner has hidden their information on the WHOIS database, the website itself might be able to furnish contact information. Scroll around, paying particular attention to the top and bottom of the page, searching for links that read contact information, or something similar. Even if it doesnt connect you directly to the owner, they might point you in the direction of someone who knows.

Social media

Scan any and all social media accounts associated with the domain name or website youre looking into. Consider resources like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Again, look for any reference to contact information or email addresses that might be visible.

I Can’t Access My Domain Name Or My Domain Name Management Account Because The Domain Name Was Registered By Someone Else Such As My Web Developer/administrative Contact

You may not be able to access the domain name if you are not the administrative contact/registrant of record of the domain name. You should contact the individual or entity who registered the domain name to obtain access credentials/details or update the domain name’s administrative contact/registrant of record.

You should contact your registrar right away if your domain name manager/administrative contact is unreachable, has gone out of business, etc. to update your information. Once you are able to become the administrative contact/registrant of record, this will ensure that you have full control of managing your domain name and allow you to find someone else to help you manage your domain name, if you so choose. It’s a good idea to keep a record of your domain name management credentials at all times, even if you choose to outsource some administrative/management duties to a third party.

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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.

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.

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How Do Domain Name Registrars Protect User Privacy

Everyone who reserves a top-level domain name must fill out WHOIS information for that domain. This is information about the person who registered the domain , including their name, email address, physical address, and phone number.

Many registrars provide the option of a private registration. In this arrangement, the registrars information is provided in the WHOIS listing for that domain, and the registrar acts as a proxy for the registrant. This private registration is only as secure as the registrar, since the actual registrants information is held in the registrars database.

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Note

Only domains ending in .COM, .NET, and .EDU work with this tool.

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How To Determine Who Owns A Domain Name

Naeem MobasharDecember 28, 2010 | Updated: December 9, 201570

The International Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers is the organization that authorizes registrars to issue or assign domain names to public. A registrant is the person or entity who is considered to be the domain name owner authorized to make or request for changes to be made in vital information related to domain name. It is, therefore, critically important to know the owner registrant of a domain name and also the person or entity having administrative, billing and technical rights related to domain.

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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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

Find Your Domain Name Registrar

Note

Only domains ending in .COM, .NET, and .EDU work with this tool.

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What Is The Wdrp

The WHOIS Data Reminder Policy is an ICANN policy designed to protect domain name registrants. The policy requires your registrar to formally remind you once a year to review and update your contact information. The reminder, which is also referred to as a WDRP Notice, is usually sent via email and asks you to review the WHOIS information, including contact information, associated with your domain name and make corrections or updates when necessary.

Choose A Domain Registrar

The first thing youll want to do is choose a name. Youll need to keep an open mind and not fret if your first choice is not available. Remember, there are a lot of websites out there, all of them with their own unique name. So, before settling on a name, choose your domain registrar.

To do so, take a look at our guide and start with our top 5, youâre sure to find one that fits your needs and has the features youâre looking for and then some.

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Bluehost Best Domain Registrar For WordPress

Key Features:

• In the business for 10+ years
• Plenty of customer care contact options

Cons

• Though they can register domains, their focus is on web hosting

Bluehost has years of experience under their belt, around for more than a decade. During that time, theyve made a name for themselves as one of the best web hosts, though they do offer other services as well. Among them is domain registration, which is why they made it on our list.

One of their main focuses in all branches is security, where the domain registrar will provide SSL certificates and lots of privacy options for all of their web pages. Another is their customer care, which Bluehost makes simple. They provide assistance 24/7 and even provide multiple contact options that include live chat, email, and social media.

Hosting packages are affordable and total just under $12 per year. Along with web hosting, members will score a free domain, using that to get started on the web. No matter what size of business or traffic, Bluehost has an option, and itâs likely to be highly affordable.

Getting Started With Your Website

Once youâre ready to get started with a website, youâll have to follow a few key steps.

Even if you have some of these done already, you may need to tweak them or ensure that they are solid and ready to go before you make your website live.

To get your website up and running quickly, follow these simple steps.

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