How Can You Protect Your Information
To combat the negative things that can happen when your private information is published, registrars usually offer an optional WHOIS privacy service. Such services allow the registrar to act as a proxy of the registrant. They publish the proxy contact information on the WHOIS directory, and keep the registrants information private.
Ideally, you should purchase this kind of service when you register your domain. This prevents the information from getting indexed or cached by WHOIS look-up websites and search engines. However, it can be purchased any time after the domain is registered. The service GoDaddy offers is called Private Registration.
Its also important to note that not every type of domain is eligible for this privacy service. Some domain extensions dont allow registrants to use a proxy. Others provide their own privacy service. A good rule of thumb is if privacy isnt offered when you purchase the domain, it will either not allow a proxy or will have an alternative service.
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Perform A Whois Search
The WHOIS service offered by NETIM and the access to the records in the WHOIS database are provided for information purposes only. It allows the public to check whether a specific domain name is still available or not and to obtain information related to the registration records of existing domain names. NETIM cannot, under any circumstances, be held liable in case the stored information would prove to be wrong, incomplete or not accurate in any sense. By submitting a query you agree not to use the information made available to: * allow, enable or otherwise support the transmission of unsolicited, commercial advertising or other solicitations whether via email or otherwise * target advertising in any possible way * to cause nuisance in any possible way to the registrants by sending messages to them.
Choose The Right Domain Extension
When picking the extension or TLD for your domain name, .com is still the best choice unless you have a reason to choose something else.
While Google confirms that your choice of TLD will not impact rankings, it does affect consumer perception. Many people view other TLDs as less trustworthy.
That said, .net or .org extensions are not uncommon, so they can be good secondary options if you find the perfect name and the coveted .com isnt available.
But if you do decide to go with an extension other than a .com, make sure you take a look at what type of website is currently on the .com extension. Someone is bound to go there accidentally while looking for your brand. If the site holds fishy or offensive content, you might want to steer clear of that name altogether.
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How To Secure Domain Privacy
If youve managed to secure a domain name, but havent registered it for domain privacy, your private information will be available to anyone who conducts a WHOIS database search. If youre not comfortable with having your information so readily accessible, but are set on domain ownership, Domain.com offers Domain Privacy registration for several TLD domain extensions.
If you register for Domain privacy, a WHOIS database search for your domain will report Domain.coms information instead of your personal information. In effect, Domain.com will mask all of the personal details that you dont want to be shared with the public. Registering for Domain Privacy does not mean that you sacrifice any control over your domainyou retain total ownership.
Unfortunately, not all TLDs qualify for Domain Extension privacy. Domain Privacy is only available to .com, .co, .net, .org, .tv, .info, and .mobi domain extensions.
How To Check Who Owns A Domain Name
Every domain name name must be registered with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers . This organization is responsible for maintaining a global Internet and ensuring that domain names are owned by a single entity. They maintain the WHOIS database which contains the contact information for every domain. You can use the WHOIS database to obtain the name, address, telephone number of both the owner and the administrator of the site.
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You Found The Domain Name Owner Whats Next
When you want a domain name thats taken by someone else, you have to consider what a domain owner will expect in return. Use domain aftermarket sites like SnapNames.com, NameJet.com and the Network Solutions Domain Taken Center to compare prices of domain names for sale.
You should also consider your own reputation before you approach someone about purchasing their domain name. If you already have a following, the owner of the domain may learn how valuable the name is to you, turning a thousand-dollar transaction into one worth tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars. Consider making a Certified Offer with Network Solutions or employing a domain broker to maintain anonymity when you make an offer to buy a domain name. It could give you an edge in the negotiation process.
Should all else fail, you can always register another domain name. There are several hundred million domain names registered at the time of this articles publishing, and there are billions of other combinations that are not registered. With enough creativity and research, you can find the alternative thats perfect for you.
Make Sure The Domain Is Registered
You wont know for sure if the domain youre interested in is registered until you check for yourself. The easiest way to check is to search for the domain name at a registrar like Name.com. That way, if the domain is available, or being resold as Premium Domain, you can easily purchase it directly from the registrar. If the domain is listed as unavailable, it is likely already registered and youll need to turn elsewhere for more details.
But before you resort to trying to buy a domain that is already registered , its worth looking into alternative options for domain names. You might find that by using a different or new domain extension, you can get the SLD you want for a fraction of the price.
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How To Find A Domain Name Owner
1. Visit the Website
When you want to know who owns a domain name, your first step should be visiting their domain. You will immediately learn if someone is hosting a website with it or not, and you may even find contact information or links to it on the landing page.
In many instances, you will land on a page with no information at all. You could skip straight to the next step, but it may be worth checking public archives such as The Wayback Machine to see if the domain has ever hosted a website before. Its a long shot, but a quick search could yield contact information or other breadcrumbs.
2. Check If The Domain Name Is Listed in the WhoIs Directory
Did you know that all domain name registrations are regulated by The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers ? They require a registrant, administrator and technical contact for every domain name, which can be the same person or corporation. Each contact must provide a name, mailing address, phone number and email address. This information is stored in the WhoIs directory and made available to the public.
You can look up who owns a domain name in WhoIs at NetworkSolutions.com/WhoIs.
Unfortunately , domain name owners can choose to keep their information private, including Network Solutions customers who opt for Perfect Privacy. Private registration services like this replace registration contact information with that of the registrars or the registrars private registration service provider.
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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Is A Registered Domain Still Available
Registered domain names are sometimes still available if 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,
Search The Whois Directory
Whenever a new domain is registered, the registrar is required to collect some basic contact information. This information is then submitted to the WHOIS directory, creating a large database of who runs each website on the net.
Therefore, searching the WHOIS directory should be the next step on the list if the first method did not work. Simply visit the ICANN lookup subdomain and enter the desired domain name in the search bar. Click Lookup and scroll down. Here you will find all the WHOIS data on the domain name.
If the domain owner did not pick WHOIS Protection, also known as Domain Privacy Protection option when registering the domain, his or her contact information will be seen there.
Of course, in most cases, people opt-in for domain privacy protection, thus you will only see the original domain registrar and the expiration date. In this case, you will know if the domain will be available again soon .
Even if that is not the case, knowing the domain registrar is also a plus because then you can do the following.
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Domain Name Investigation: How To Find Out Who Owns A Domain Name
How do you find out who owns a domain name? Aside from the obvious answer, which is use a Whois tool, such as Whois.net, through years of experience, hours of research, and some creative guesswork, we are often able to identify the likely owner of a domain name, even when the domain name is hidden through privacy protection.
For particularly tough domain name investigations, I will even engage a domain name investigator on my clients behalf. The investigator will employ various tools and methods that are not readily available or obvious to the layman, and will often come up with excellent results. On occasion however, it is simply impossible to find the identity of a particular domain name owner, except by obtaining a court order.
Once we identify the domain name owner, we are then able to make contact with the hidden domain name owner on your behalf. Sometimes it is to make an offer to purchase the domain name, and sometimes it is in order to send a cease and desist letter to the domain name owner. At other times, it is crucial to identify the domain name owner so that we can prepare a comprehensive and specific set of allegations about the cybersquatters history of bad faith domain name registrations and cybersquatting. We use this information for a very powerful UDRP complaint. Accordingly, a solid domain name investigation is the key to a successful domain name acquisition or trademark enforcement procedure.
Use Domain Name Registrars
This method can be hit or miss since domain registrars pull their information from ICANN. That means domain owners who wish to keep their contact information private will still have their mailing addresses and phone numbers redacted.
You can still attempt to contact the domain owner using all the other information provided by the WhoIs database.
So why use a domain name registrar to look up domain names?
Heres why:
Registrars do so much more than show you domain availability and provide web hosting. A registrar can also act as a domain broker. Not all registrars offer this service but the biggest ones do.
GoDaddy is just one of the companies that offer a domain broker service.
What does a domain broker do?
Say the domain name you want is taken. The broker will negotiate with the owner on your behalf. And there are several reasons why this might be good for you:
A domain registrar wont do this for free, of course. It will charge you an amount plus commission. To give you some idea of what this service might cost, GoDaddy Domain Broker charges $69.99 per domain plus a 20% commission.
Yes, its definitely not cheap, especially for startups and small-sized businesses. And just because you make an offer, it doesnt mean that the domain owner would bite.
But what if youre the kind of person whod rather take care of things yourself and your WhoIs search came up short? What else can you do?
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What Is Whois Privacy
To register a domain, you need to submit personal information, including your name, address, phone number, and email for verification.
This information is stored on the public WHOIS database as a listing that anyone can access using a WHOIS query. This doesnt include domains registered in the EU and protected by the GDPR, or that have their details hidden using the Domain Privacy Protection service.
WHOIS privacy protection secures registrants’ details by replacing them with the details of a proxy server. Hostinger users enjoy this perk for free. It is enabled for all recently purchased domains and can be turned on via hPanel.
Why Is Determining A Domain Name Registrant Important
Determining a domain name registrant is important for many reasons:
- The lookup can verify that the registrant details of your personal domains are properly entered. If they are not, you may miss renewal notices, purchase offers, partnership requests and the like.
- If you are interested in making an offer on an already registered domain name, you can easily lookup contact information, such as the owners name, mailing address, email address and telephone number.
- If you are tying to protect your personal information, a lookup can tell you if the privacy controls youve put in place are actually in effect.
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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.
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 To Find The Owner Of Your Ideal Domain
The right domain name enhances your visibility and promotes your brand, but that perfect name may belong to someone elseand locating that person can be the first step toward securing the domain for your own use. Checking ownership of a domain can help keep your own domain secure and up to date, as well. With the help of online search tools such as WHOIS and a little detective work, its possible to find any domains legal owneror to protect your own domains essential information.
Domain.com has the tools you need to continue building your business into a success.
Kristin Crabb
Content Marketing Strategist working in the digital marketing industry. Skilled in SEO-focused content creation, keyword research and competitive analysis, interactive content, web content optimization, and landing page creation.