Tuesday, March 26, 2024

How To See If A Domain Name Is Taken

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Change Your Domain Name In Your Database

How to Find Out Who Owns a Domain – HostGator

To change your domain name inside your database, go to the control panel of your web hosting account and search for phpMyAdmin.

Once you log in, youll see a huge database that holds the core data for your website.

On the left-hand sidebar, click on the options table. Itll look something like wp_options.

Select this tab and change all references of the old domain name to your new one.

Now, in a new tab, search for your new domain, and if you did it correctly, youd see that most buttons and pages link to your new domain name. However, some wont change, and thats why youll need to install a WordPress plugin called Better Search Replace.

This plugin will search for all references and change them to another.

Once the plugin is installed, head over to the Search For tab and enter your old domain name. Next, enter your new domain name in the Replace With section.

But before you search and replace old references, remember to select all tables. Youll now see that all old references are replaced with new ones, and if you click on View Tables, you can see the before and after results.

Last, go back to the account of your old domain inside the control panel, and make your new website the primary domain.

Now weve changed our domain name, but all our backlinks are still pointing to the old website.

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:

  • Purchase the domain from its current owner.
  • Consider a similar domain name.
  • Try using another TLD.
  • Read Also: Io Domain Registrar

    Stick With Your First Choice

    Stuck on your favourite name? These may be your only options for landing it. It might not be possible, but itâs worth a shot.

    Try to buy itYou can always offer to purchase the name you want from the current owner. If theWhoisinformation is public, you can reach out to the domain owner directly and see if theyâre interested in selling. If the info is private, you can see if they have contact information listed on their website. Keep in mind: Itâs pretty unlikely the owner will want to sell, or they may demand a steep price.

    Legal actionIf you own the trademark to the name used in the domain, you may have an option to take legal action to claim the domain name. This generally applies only if someone is offering goods or services similar to yours, and if they began using the name after you. The first thing to do if you believe your trademark is being infringed upon is to discuss the issue with your lawyer or legal team.

    Recommended Reading: When Does A Domain Become Available

    Why Cant I Transfer A Domain Name I Just Registered To Another Registrar

    There are certain situations that can prevent a domain name from being transferred to a different registrar, such as a new registration. Your registrar may deny a transfer request if the domain name is within 60 days of initial registration. Another situation is if the domain name is subject to a 60-day Change of Registrant lock. You cannot transfer a domain name to a different registrar within 60 days of making changes to the registrant name, organization or email address . At their discretion, some registrars may provide an option for you to opt-out of this 60-day lock period. However, this rule is in place for your protection against unauthorized transfers and the registrar does not have to offer this option. If your ultimate goal is to transfer the domain name, you may want to consider completing the transfer process before changing your contact information.

    Registrars also have the option of denying a transfer request within 60 days from when you last transferred the domain name to a different registrar. You may have the option to change web-hosting providers instead of registrars to avoid the inter-registrar transfer process altogether. You may also update your domain names nameservers or change the hosting IP address assigned to your domain name. Check with your registrar and/or hosting provider to see what options you have.

    Doing a full rebrand requires updates of:

    There you have it. Good luck with your domain name makeover!

    Can I Have The Same Business Name As Someone Else

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    Two businesses that carry the same name might run the risk of being confused for one another. Technically, you can use the same business name as someone else so long as its not protected by a trademark but it might still carry some legal consequences.

    If someone files a lawsuit in the future against you or your company for using the same or a very similar name, they would first need to prove that the two businesses can indeed create confusion for the customer. This usually means that the two names are the same or almost the same, they share a geographical market or audience, and they sell similar services.

    If thats the case, you would need to prove that your business started commercial activity under that business name first with any record that has a clear date of publication . If you cant prove this, you might need to stop all business activity under that name. Renaming your business is usually a costly procedure and youll likely lose a great chunk of your audience in the process.

    This is why trademarks exist as protection for business names, logos, and slogans. Note that even if you use the exact same business name as another company but they can be clearly differentiated due to a difference in location and business activity from you, you can keep using that name regardless of whether you have a trademark or not.

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    Using Your Domain Name As A Competitive Advantage

    A domain name isnt just a web address in someones browser. Its how to position your brand and present yourself to the digital world, whether youre blogging or selling products online.

    Your domain name doesnt need to be overly clever for it to be perfect. Instead, choose one that is simple, memorable, and has a nice ring to it. Youll look more professional and gain instant credibility with your shoppers, which will likely lead to more awareness and sales for your business.

    Look At Alternative Tlds

    In most cases, if your domain name is taken, it means the .com is taken. Often, the other TLDs arent taken, so you could technically opt for one of those.

    But wait! Dont rush off and buy whatever TLD you can find.

    This is a complicated decision.

    Here are some of the factors to keep in mind.

    First,people trust .com URLs more than any other TLD.

    The .com extension has a lot on its side. Its familiar, its been around for a while, and its been the gold standard of TLDs for years.

    Second, many people think some TLDs are spammy. People tend to think of .com URLs as safe and other TLDs as unsafe or untrustworthy.

    Obviously, thats not always the case, but some people will think that no matter what. They cant get their heads around the idea of a trustworthy site that doesnt end in .com.

    Third, alternative TLDs have no SEO advantage. No TLD is inherently better than any other.

    That information :

    So what does this mean for you?

    If you want to use a TLD thats not .com, you can do so without losing any SEO power.

    However, your audience might not trust it.

    It helps if the TLD is directly related to your business or niche. Twitch, a site that broadcasts users playing video games in real time, smartly uses the .tv TLD:

    In the end, you have to consider how easy its going to be for your users to remember your URL and whether or not theyll trust a domain thats not a .com.

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

    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.

    Use An Escrow Service To Pay For The Domain

    How to Point Domain Name to Web Hosting

    Buying a domain name isnt as simple as purchasing a product in a store. You have to pay the current owner, and they have to transfer the domain to you.

    But who goes first?

    Should you pay first and trust, the owner will transfer the domain? Or does the owner transfer the domain and hope you pay the agreed amount.

    Theres no guarantee that the owner will transfer the domain after they receive your payment. Thats why you should always use an escrow service to manage domain sales.

    An escrow serviceis a third party that ensures everyone sticks to the agreed transaction.

    You pay the escrow service, and they hold on to your money until the domain transfer is complete. Then, the escrow service gives your money to the original owner.

    If a domain seller doesnt want to use an escrow service, this could indicate a scam. You shouldnt agree to buy a domain if this is the case.

    Also Check: How To Buy Domain Name That Is Taken

    What If The Right Name Isnt Available

    If the domain name you want is already in use, most name search tools also provide multiple alternatives to choose from, using different word combinations, spellings, or extensions. Your ideal name may already be in use with .com, the webs most recognizable extension, but it might be available with another less familiar one such as .net, .org, or any of the many new TDL extensions that are now available, like .me, .photo, or .us.it might also be available with a slight change in phrasing or spelling.

    If none of these alternatives sound appealing, you can brainstorm a new name, or search for name variants using a variety of online name generator tools. These tools typically generate domain names based on the keywords or phrases you provide. If you decide to try one of these generated names, its important to run it through a domain name checker before you register it to be sure that it is actually available.

    What Is A Domain Transfer

    A domain transfer is the process of switching your domain name from one registrar to another. To be eligible for a transfer, you must have been with your current registrar for at least 60 days, since ICANN enforces a 60-day Change of Registrant lock.

    You might want to initiate a domain transfer for a number of reasons. Maybe your current registrar has suddenly increased their prices, or your site is taking more time to load. Maybe youve found a better deal somewhere else and prefer to consolidate multiple domains under a single DNS registrar.

    Whatever the reason, weve got you covered. Heres a step-by-step guide on how to transfer a domain.

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    Available Domain: How To Register It

    If the domain you have chosen is one of the available domains, you can register it.

    First, click on the Add to Cart button as you see in this screenshot.

    Immediately after, click on Checkout to proceed.

    At this point, you just have to fill in the necessary information for the domain registration. You will have to specify whether you want to register the domain as an individual or as a company and enter your tax code or VAT number.

    From this section onwards you can add additional services. By registering a new domain with SupportHost you have DNS management and free email forwarding.

    Remember that during registration you can also choose to hide your personal data in the WhoIS, just check the box Hide data in the WHOIS before proceeding.

    Domain for free with SupportHost

    With all our hosting plans, starting from and semi-dedicated hosting to dedicated solutions like VPS cloud hosting and dedicated servers, the domain is always free. Just order the domain along with your hosting plan and get the domain included in the price at every renewal. Not sure which plan best suits your needs? Check out our guide on how to choose a hosting or simply contact us.

    Check For Available Domains

    Choosing a Domain Name for Your Private Practice Website

    You can check the availability of a domain directly from our domain registration page. In order to find available domains just complete three simple steps:

  • enter the name of the domain you have chosen
  • choose the extension
  • Click on Check to know if the domain is among the available domains.
  • You will be redirected to a new page where you will be shown if the domain is available or taken. Lets see what to do in both cases.

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    How To Buy Your New Domain

    Now that you know how to decide on a new domain name, youre less likely to change a purchased domain name later on down the line. So, lets move on to registering your domain!

    Get started and search for your domain name right here at Namecheap. And, if youre looking to purchase website hosting and domain together, we offer an all-in-one package deal where you can save money.

    Discover our dedicated page on the price of domain names, where you can take a look at our best prices for up to ten years.

    Once you have your sparkly new domain name, its time to make sure that youre ready to prepare all the content youd like to take from your old website to your new one.

    Change The Name Slightly

    A domain name is reported as not available only if the exact name is already taken. For instance, if an availability search tells you that madprophet.com is already taken, you may find that “mad-prophet.com” or “madprophets.com” is available. If you are not wed to the exact form of your first proposed domain name, you can experiment with minor variations until you find an acceptable name that is available. But read the warning just below for reasons to use caution when taking this approach.

    Slight Changes to a Name Can Spell Trouble

    The fact that a slightly different name is available, or that a name is not available as .com, but is available as .net, .biz, .info or .org, doesn’t necessarily mean that you can or should use it. Using a domain name very similar to an existing one may result in trademark infringement — the violation of someone’s trademark rights. If you infringe someone’s trademark, a court might order you to stop using the name and pay money damages to the other domain name owner. For more, see Avoid Trademark Infringement When You Choose a Domain Name.

    Also Check: How Do You Transfer A Domain

    The Domain Name Is Available What To Do Next

    If the domain name hasnt been taken yet, then congratulations! The next step usually involves registering the domain name under a domain registrar or a web hosting platform. While both get the job done, there are a few differences in how they operate.

    Domain registrars usually charge less because you are basically just getting the domain name to yourself and nothing else. Meanwhile, registering to a domain hosting platform usually gets you a free domain name but at a higher price because you are also paying for their hosting solutions on top of other services.

    The price of a domain usually varies depending on several factors. The more popular domain extension like .com and .net are more expensive than lesser-used ones like .shop and .xyz. On average, a domain name can cost you anywhere between $1 to $20, depending on the keywords and the platform you used to purchase it.

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    Find Out Who Owns The Domain Name

    How to Register a Domain Name ( simple tip to get it for FREE)

    Suppose you notice that the website is not updated, and if you wonder what to do when your domain name is taken, you may think about looking up the owner details of the domain name. This is where the WHOIS service can assist you. It is a perfect and reliable method available for anyone to know about information related to domain owners. When you enter the domain and hit enter, you will be able to figure out the name, contact details, expiry date, and the registered date of the domain name. However, it will not be possible for you to see the details of people who have made their domain name registrations private.

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