Wednesday, April 24, 2024

How To See If A Domain Is Available

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What Can I Do With A Ca

How to check if a domain is available

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

Checking Domain Name Availability With Dns Records

How accurately can a domain name’s availibility be determined by checking for the existence of NS or SOA records?

If not, how can I determine this as accurately as possible without resorting to WHOIS? For example, is it worth checking for MX records if no NS records exist?

I am specifically interested in .co.za domains, but the only official, fool-proof way to check availability in the .co.za namespace is to use , which limits consecutive checking by IP address.

  • I know, I’m trying to estimate its availability without resorting to WHOIS.

The only 100% reliable way to check for domain availability is to query the registrar’s database. I wouldn’t trust whois.

You can use DNS to get an estimate. Instead of looking for an SOA record, I would just look to see if anything at all is listed with the TLD name server. dig is a good tool for this , although I guess you could use nslookup too. For example:

dig co.za. NS

will provide a list of the name servers for .co.za. One of those servers is ns0.is.co.za.

Next, query that server directly to see if they have anything listed for your domain of interest:


That query returns NS records, but no SOA record since SOA records are provided by the domain’s name server . The NS records indicate the domain name is in use.

The reason for going direct is that it’s usually much faster than relying on recursive queries from your local name server.

The exact arguments are adnshost -a -tns -f

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.

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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.

What If Your Desired Name Is Not Available

3 Ways to Check If a Domain Name Is Available

Here are few things you can do when your desired domain is taken.

1. Try to buy it: The very first thing you can do is, try to buy it from the original owner. You will be trying to buy the domain only if the domain doesnt have an active site. You can try to contact the owner directly, or you can use Domain Broker Service by GoDaddy.

2. Use another extension: If the .com extension is not available, you can go with an another extensions like .org, .net, .etc. You can also use the country extension if your site is based on your country. You can even consider using new TLDs like .tips, .xyz, .travel, .tech, etc.

3. Add prefix or suffix: The easiest way to get your desired name is, adding a prefix or suffix to the domain name. You can use prefixes like my, the, your, best, get, set, smart, cool, quick, etc. And suffixes like place, site, spot, web, net, portal, world, city, now, guide, cafe, etc.

4. Use hyphens: Using hyphens on the domain name is something that I never recommend. But if your brand name is tied up with the domain name, you can consider using hyphens on the domain name.

5. Come up with another name: Its always better to come up with another name.

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Keep The Character Count Low

As a general rule, the shorter the domain name, the better. It might be very difficult to find a shorter domain name as most of these were purchased a long time ago. But, you still might be able to find a unique word or combination of words that are still available. When in doubt, go for something memorable over something long.

Think about when youre telling your friend about a website. For example, theyre more likely to remember catgram.com over picturesthatiloveaboutcats.com.

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.

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How Can Ionos Help Me If My Desired Domain Name Is Taken

If you are having trouble choosing your perfect domain name, IONOS is here to help. There are a multitude of options available to you and workarounds for any problem all leading you to a fantastic domain name for your site.

The first thing you can do is think about changing the TLD. This is the part of the URL at the end: for example .com, .net, .org. So if your desired domain name was balletshoes.com and you find that this is already taken, you can try balletshoes.org or balletshoes.net. The IONOS domain check will automatically generate your desired domain name with new TLDs if your first choice is already taken.

If these are also not available, or you have your heart set on one particular TLD, then you can think about adapting your original domain name. Having to rethink your domain name shouldn’t be seen as a problem and, in fact, it may lead to a spark of inspiration that helps your chosen domain name to really stand out.

What To Do If Your Domain Name Isnt Available: 13 Strategies

How to Check to See if a Domain Name is Available

Its part of the struggle of running a business in the digital age.

You come up with the perfect business name.

You design business cards, start all of the official paperwork, and tell everyone about it.

But when you go online to register the domain name, you discover something horrible.

Your perfect domain name is taken.

What do you do?

Do you give up your perfect name? Do you modify it somehow? Add a couple random dashes or underscores? Choose a weird domain name ending ?

Its one of the toughest situations to face as a business owner. It can bring your progress to a screeching halt.

This situation makes you rethink your entire brand.

The question remains: What do you do when this happens?

Ive gotten this question hundreds of times before, and Ive also heard some solutions to this problem.

Quite frankly, not all of those solutions are good.

Your domain name is a big part of any SEO campaigns you run, and it will affect your performance.

If you make a misstep with your domain name, it can negatively impact your SEO in the long term.

A large amount of your traffic will come from users who search your brand name. Its called navigational search. Thats why its good to use your brand name as your URL.

But if you cant, dont worry. There are alternatives that will still work for you.

Over the years, Ive seen what works and what doesnt. I want to share what Ive learned so you dont have to make any mistakes.

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Add A Verb To Your Domain Name

This is a popular method of getting around a domain name thats already taken.

There are two big benefits to this technique.

First, you can still use your brand name in the URL itself. Second, you dont have to consider different TLDs.

Verbs like get and try are popular choices as additions to domain names.

For example, Pocket uses getpocket.com:

These also tend to look a lot nicer than some alternative TLDs, and theyre usually easier to remember.

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

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How Do I Choose A Domain Name

Choose a domain name that is simple, memorable and easy to type.

Visitors should not need to think twice about the wording or spelling of your domain name. It is also worth considering using it as an email address. Certain special characters may not be accepted by email protocols.

Choose a strategic domain name

The visitor should easily be able to understand what your main business is from it. You can explore all of the extensions in our catalogue, and find the best one for you.

Choose a domain name that optimises your organic SEO ranking

To get a high SEO ranking, use keywords associated with strategic extensions for your business.

How Do I Find The Best Available Domain Name

How to check domain name availability

If you have an idea for the name you want, start by searching for that. If the name isnt available, well show you our best recommendations for similar, available domain names. Or, if you dont have a specific domain name in mind, just type in keywords that describe your website or project, hit search, and check out the suggestions.

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How Do I Choose The Best Domain Name

Great question! Here’s a few core things to consider when choosing your new domain name:

  • Choose a name that’s creative and unique. This may be the differentiation needed to stand out amongst competitors. Take a domain name like BeanStreet.coffee, for example.
  • Keep your name easy to remember as well. The sweet spot is ideally one or two words that capture the essence of your website. CoffeeLove.club is easier to remember than CoffeeAndCaffeineAddicts.com, for example.
  • If you’re a local business, consider adding your region to your domain name, such as .nyc or .asia, to help your site’s visibility.
  • Consider buying more than one domain. As your site’s popularity increases, you don’t want copycats to purchase similar domains before you do.
  • And lastly, avoid numbers, hyphens, or symbols of any kind.
  • Whats A Domain Name Checker

    Domain name checkers are tools that help you to determine if a domain name is still available. Often, these tools can also suggest other related domain names, along with presenting other domain name extensions that might be available under your chosen domain name.

    There are also other related domain finder tools that are more focused on helping you generate unique domain names, while at the same time searching for availability.

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    Make Your Domain Easy To Pronounce

    Your domain name needs to be easy to remember, and part of that is making it easy to pronounce. When someone thinks about your domain name, they shouldnt have to look it up in a dictionary to get the spelling right.

    You want to make it easy for other people to pass on your domain name, whether thats written or spoken.

    How Is The Gdpr Applicable To Webnamesca

    How To Check If A Domain Name Is Available

    Under Recital 23 of the GDPR, Webnames.ca claims no nexus with the EU, EEA nor the citizens of either, and therefore claims non-applicability of the GDPR to any and all aspects of its business.

    Despite this, many of the domain Registries that Webnames is partnered with to provide domain extensions must comply fully with the GDPR. The changes to policies and procedures required of these partners will affect what information is collected, shared and displayed, and may result in changes to agreements and terms.

    Notwithstanding, many domain Registries with whom Webnames.ca contracts must fully comply with the GDPR, and therefore these Registries may implement policies or procedures relating to WHOIS data which result in changes. These changes may include, but are not limited to,?variations in what WHOIS data is included and how it is displayed via the Webnames’s WHOIS lookup page.

    Therefore, in regards to WHOIS output:

    Where the domain Registry is the sole source of Registrant WHOIS data for the queried domain, the WHOIS data will be displayed by Webnames in whatever form it is received from the Registry, without alteration of any kind. This may result in some fields, particularly those containing Personally Identifiable Information being absent, blank or redacted.

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    Check If Your Domain Is Still Available

    If you want to build up your owninternet presence, you have to work out a significant name for thisinternet presence at the beginning. First and foremost, attentionshould be paid to what content the presence should convey. After thedomain name has been determined, you should perform our Domaincheck tocheck whether the chosen name is registrable or occupied.

    Our professional Domaincheck offers you the uncomplicated tool tocheck your preferred domain. With a few entries you have found outwhether you can register the name you have chosen.

    More than 1000 domain extensions are available at checkdomain.de to check your domain name. Atthe beginning of 2014 new domain extensions were added – which can alsoregister with us or pre-order if they are not live yet.

    What To Do If Your Dream Domain Is Taken

    Sometimes you may want a specific domain, but you find out that its currently in use by someone else. When that happens, there are a few routes you can take.

    In some circumstances, you can still purchase the domain. If not, there are a variety of ways to get a domain thats similar and just as appropriate for your site. Lets look at four options that are available to you, so you can select the one that fits your situation.

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