A domain has a direct impact on your brand visibility and customer acquisition. With over 628.5 million registered domains on the web, it’s a lot of pressure for website owners to choose a domain that stands out.
And even after a lot of brainstorming and research, you may come across an unfortunate news: your ideal domain name is unavailable.
The solution? You can either move on and buy another domain name. Or don’t give up just yet and take the process further. You can contact the domain owner and purchase the domain from them. So, how do you know the domain owner in the first place?
In this blog, we’ll share the different ways to find a domain owner and the instances why this step is necessary.
Reasons to Get to Know the Domain Name Owner
Here are some reasons why you might want to find out who possesses a domain name:
- Intent to purchase: Domain purchase is the top reason why you need to reach out to a domain owner. The WHOIS directory provides public access to every domain owner’s contact information and email address.
- Security concerns: If you’re receiving phishing or spam emails from a specific domain name, you can look up the domain owner and report them to the right authorities.
- Legal issues: You might want to sue a domain owner for violating your business trademark or intellectual property. For instance, someone might be intentionally using a similar domain to confuse your customers and overtake your business.
How to Find Out Who Owns the Domain Name
Here are different ways to determine the owner of a particular domain name:
Go to the website
If you find out that a particular domain name is already taken, see if the associated website is already live.
Often, businesses buy a particular domain name to resell it at a higher price and make profits. If this is the case, the existing website will show the domain name availability status and provide the domain owner’s contact information immediately.
You can then contact them or fill out a form (if there’s any) to show your interest in purchasing the domain name.
Use the WHOIS database
The WHOIS database is a publicly accessible repository of domain name registration information. It helps identify and verify the individuals or organizations associated with a particular domain name.
You can find the following information about the domain name owners in the WHOIS database:
- The registrant’s or the domain owner’s name and contact information
- The registrar’s name and contact details (where the domain name is registered)
- Nameservers
- Domain name registration and domain expiration dates
- The domain name’s current status (active or inactive)
Simply visit the ICANN domain name registration data lookup website, enter the domain name in the search bar, and click the ‘Lookup’ button.
With their information on public access, the WHOIS lookup is naturally a cause of privacy concern. It puts them vulnerable to unwanted solicitations, spam, identity theft, and potential security risks associated with publicly available data.
This is why domain owners employ a domain privacy service. This replaces the owner’s personal information with generic contact details provided by the privacy service, shielding the owner’s identity. The next tips will show you what to do if your target domain’s owner information is hidden on WHOIS.
Contact the domain registrar
If the registrant’s name and contact is unavailable on WHOIS, look for the domain registrar’s details instead. Contact them to ask them about the ownership of your desired domain name.
Some domain registrars offer backorder services or reservations for a fee. This ensures that you get top priority once the domain becomes available.
Make use of social media
Granted that you have zero ideas who the owner is, find the individuals, organisations, and businesses related to your target domain name.
Leverage platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, or other social media channels. If you come across a suitable social profile associated with the domain, let them know about your interest and offers. While you may not be able to get in touch with the domain owner directly, the right people can pass your message.
Explore the WHOIS protection
As discussed earlier, domain owners and businesses prefer hiding their information using domain ownership protection services. These services protect and secure the client’s privacy by displaying their identity and contact information instead.
An ideal solution to go around this is to tap the third-party organisation and request them to pass on and forward your email to the respective domain name owner. While this method doesn’t guarantee a hundred percent success, it’s worth giving it a shot if you don’t have any other options.
Contact a domain broker
If nothing works, you can always rely on and hire a domain broker for your business. One such domain broker service is Sedo. They offer professional and paid services of selling and buying domain names on your behalf.
While this service will increase your business spending, it’ll save you valuable energy and time, eliminating the hassle of finding and reaching out to a domain name owner.
You Found the Domain Name Owner. What’s Next?
Kudos! You found the owner. The best way to reach out to them is via email. Here are a few tips to increase the likelihood of the domain name owner opening your email and accepting your offer:
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- Use a professional email address: You must use a professional email ID with your business name to make your email more credible. If you don’t own a branded email address yet, make sure your email displays your full name so it looks more personal and trustworthy to the recipient.
- Communicate your offering clearly: Write a clear and concise subject line and ensure that your email’s body conveys the right and accurate message. Express why you want the domain and what you’re willing to offer for it.
- Make it easy for them to contact you: You won’t always get a response right away. Besides opening your inbox for them, leave your contact number so they have a more convenient mode to get back to you.
What to Do if You Don’t Secure the Domain Name Ownership?
If you can’t secure the domain name owner or negotiate the pricing successfully, move on to other domain name ideas. Try these tips to brainstorm a new domain name effectively:
- Opt for a different Top-Level Domain: You can use the same domain name with a different TLD. For instance, if yourbusiness.com is already taken, go for yourbusiness.store, yourbusiness.biz, yourbusiness.shop, etc.
- Use a domain name generator: You can also seek help from free online domain name generators, like Instant Search Domain’s Domain Generator. Simply input keywords and ideas relevant to your business and they’ll give you great suggestions that fit your business.
- Insert relevant words to your domain name: Include niche and relevant to your domain name and check their availability. For instance, if flowers.org isn’t available, tweak it to buyflowers.org or getflowers.org.
Conclusion
It’s a bummer to find the perfect domain name only to find out that someone already got dibs on them. But don’t give up just yet. Reaching out to the owner might help you get your ideal domain.
And even if contacting the owner fails, don’t lose hope. You still have a wide range of options. You’ll surely find the right domain that resonates with your brand and elevates your online presence.
Let us help you find your perfect domain! Freeparking is a trusted domain registrar in New Zealand. We provide you with seamless domain management and auto-renewal of the domain name at budget-friendly prices. Get in touch with us for all your domain needs today!
