About Domain Checker Tool

Your domain is your first impression in the internet world. Instantly check for your desired domain. Enter the domain name in the domain checker search bar and generate the domain names that best fit your idea.

What is a domain?

The domain name is like a physical address. The people used to find you on the World Wide Web.

If the domain name is like a physical address, the server is like a physical building. When you purchase a domain name, you direct it to the webserver. So the people who type your domain in the browser's address bar can find your website on World Wide Web.

In simple words, the domain name is the human-readable form of an IP address. Instead of a domain name, people can also enter the webserver's IP address.

Since the browser needs an IP address to communicate, the Domain Name System (DNS) was created to translate the human-readable domain name to a computer-readable IP address. The DNS helps the browser locate the domain name and display the requested content.

For example, Google.com is a domain name. If we split the domain name, it splits into two parts: label (i.e., 'Google') and the top-level domain TLD (i.e., '.com').

Many top-level domain extensions are available, from country codes (i.e., .co, .uk or .us) to specific codes for institutions like .edu for educational organizations and for sectors like .gov for government organizations.

Why do you need a domain name?

The most obvious and simple reason is that domain name helps in branding. Suppose you have a reputable brand name. Does it look unprofessional when you host your brand name on social networking site or some blogging platform? Because it's a simple rule, having the domain name means you are more reputable and well established.

The second point is, your domain name gives you more control over your website. With a domain name, you have complete control over it.

You can use associated email addresses, direct the domain name to your desired server, and even sell or transfer the ownership if you want to do that.

The domain age is directly proportional to your website's ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs). Having an older domain means more websites are connecting with your domain. That increases your domain authority for search engines. Almost every search engine follows a citation model. All the links you earn will value someone else if you do not own a domain name.

How does a domain name work?

When you register a domain name, you secure the right to use it for your purposes. After registering the domain name, the next step is to direct it to your website's server. Note, it takes up to 72 hours for the DNS records to propagate fully.

Owning the domain name also gives the right to use the services associated with it, such as email addresses. You can also create a subdomain and create redirects and forwards.

You can also buy multiple domain names and redirect them to your primary domain. This strategy is usually adopted by SEOs, in which they buy an expired domain with good domain authority and direct it to the primary domain.

How to pick the best domain name for your website?

Choosing the domain name for your business is a crucial step. Because as discussed earlier, your domain name is your first impression on the internet world. It defines your brand and expresses what people should expect from you. Therefore, consider the following points while choosing the best domain name for your website.

• Choose a domain name that is unique and creative and stands out among your competitors.
• Try to add your primary keyword in your domain name because your domain name says all about your brand.
• Your domain name should be short, and avoid adding special characters, numbers, or hyphens as you are allowed to do so. But try to choose the easily memorizable and spellable domain name.
• You can choose a domain name with a length ranging from 1 to 63 characters.
• Do not go after a registered trademark or any Copywrite related issue.
• Try to go for a domain name readily available as a username on top social media sites.
• If you are targeting the local market, try adding the region in your domain name to improve your search visibility in that area or region.
• Purchasing a domain name is not enough. Try to buy different variants of your domain. That is helpful if you are unsure whether to go after '.com' or '.us.' If you are worried that people can misspell it, try to be creative. Because when you get famous, various copycats are there to buy similar variants to steal your traffic.

How do you use a website domain search tool?

The domain checker works best if you have a list of potential domains to check. If you have, then there are a few steps to follow.

• Open the Domain Checker.
• Think about the domain name that represents your business or any specialty.
• Enter the domain name in the space provided for that section and click on the search icon.
• The site will show you whether your entered domain is available or not. It also shows others you may like better.
• Pick the domain name and then follow the steps to complete the domain registration process.

What if the domain that you want is already taken?

That usually happens. You can use the WHOIS information to know who owns that domain. You may get the domain owner's contact details and negotiate the buyout from that information.

What is a custom domain?

Imagine, every time, instead of writing the domain name, you have to type its IP address in the address bar. For example, for Google.com, you have to type 209.85.231.104. Same with Twitter with 128.242.245.116 and Wikipedia.com with 208.80.152.2.

Seriously, if I asked you to close your eyes and repeat those IP addresses, I bet you would not. However, If I asked you to repeat their domain names, you could easily do that. And that's the beauty of domain names.

A custom domain name is a branded domain name unique to your website. For example, your company name was ABC Limited, and you purchased the domain abc.com. Using the custom domain helps in branding, building customer trust, and making discoverability easy for your customers. For example, if you use a website builder like WordPress or Blogger, you will get a subdomain; the URL looks abc.wordpress.com. However, your domain authority will reset to zero when you go for a custom domain. Therefore, it's advised to use the custom domain from the start. Because the more your domain gets older, the more authority it will gain because of quality content, strong backlinks, and customers' trust.

How long does a domain name registration last?

Once you register a domain name, you can hold it for the period you paid for it. That is typically between one to ten years. Suppose you want to continue with the domain name or any service associated with it. You can renew the domain registration before its expiration.

Once I register a domain name, can I change it?

Once you register a domain name, you own the right to use it for the specific duration you registered it. However, you can sell that domain if you want during that time. But do not make it a habit. Because the more you use your domain, the more powerful it becomes. And you will lose that value if you change your domain.

Does a user 'own' a domain name?

When people buy a domain name, they generally think they now own it. But the truth is that the registries are the ones that 'own' the domain name. The customer only acquired the right to use that domain name for a limited time. The user never truly 'owns' the domain name. They lease it.

Will there be domains available in languages other than English?

The answer is a big YES. These domains are known as Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs).

Today, the domains are available in three dozens of languages spoken globally. These domain names are helpful for the companies that want to operate their business in those regions where these languages are spoken.

What is a TLD?

TLD stands for top-level domain and is the part of the domain name that comes after the final dot, like '.com,' '.org,' '.gov,' and '.edu' etc.

For example, the domain name Facebook.com contains the label 'Facebook' and the TLD' .com.' The important part about the TLD is that it tells you about the site it points to. For example, '.org' represents the organization, '.edu' represents the educational institution, and '.gov' represents the government-owned sectors. Here is an exception in the '.com' case, as it represents the 'commercial' sector but is now widely used by almost everyone.

The TLD plays an essential role in the DNS resolution process. Suppose when the user enters Google.com in its browser address bar, the DNS resolver first communicates with the '.com' TLD DNS server, which will provide the resolver with an IP address of the Google origin server.

The TLDs are further split into two categories.

1. Generic top-level domains (gTLDs)
2. Country-code top-level domains (ccTLDs)

What is gTLD?

Generic top-level domains (gTLDs) are the sub-categories of TLDs that are most commonly used. Example includes .com, .org, .net, .edu, .gov and .mil.

gTLDs have more registrations than all of the ccTLDs combined. Currently leading new gTLD is .xyz, with a total of 3.6 million domains.

In simple words, the entire group of domains other than geographic or country-oriented comes in gTLDs. Get the complete list of gTLDs from here.

What is ccTLD?

Country-code top-level domains (ccTLDs) are the sub-categories of TLDs that identify a particular country. It signals to users and the search engine that a specific website is designed for that region or country. For example, google.co.uk is for United Kingdom visitors, and google.co.in for Indian visitors. At the same time, Google has google.com as its generic site.

What's the difference between .com, .net, .org and .info?

These all are Generic top-level domains (gTLDs) and are available to the public for registration. That means you can register the domain name with any extension as long as it's available for registration.

However, there is a slight difference among them concerning their meaning and use. For example, '.com' is the most commonly used gTLD, and everyone prioritizes it while registering. '.com' represents the commercial intent and is widely used by online stores or business sites.

'.org' represents the organization used by charities, communities, and local organizations. Similarly, '.net' represents networking and is used by networking companies. '.info' is used by information-based websites such as wikis and tutorial sites.

What are the five most common domain extensions?

According to Verisign, in 2019 the most common domain extensions were .com, .tk, .cn, .de, and .net. Where .com was the most used and adopted one.

Which TLDs are restricted for use?

Some TLDs are for limited use and are not available to the general public for registration. These TLDs are .invalid, .example, .localhost, and .test and are reserved by Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) for testing or documentation purposes.

What is the pre-delegation process?

You can call a pre-delegation a testing phase where the registry has to prove that it can house a TLD and fulfill all ICANN's technical and financial requirements.

What is delegation?

Once you know that TLD is delegated, it will soon be launched. It means that ICANN has approved, published, and handed over the TLD to the registry. It's now in the root DNS zone, and you can put the DNS query like WHOIS lookup against that TLD. But one thing to note, getting the delegation status does not mean that TLD is available for registration.

Who is responsible for managing TLDs?

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) manages the TLDs via its Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA).

The ICANN further delegates that responsibility to different organizations. For example, a U.S. company called VeriSign manages all '.com' and '.net' TLDs.

Do TLDs matter in SEO?

There is a big NO. According to Google, their main focus is content and user satisfaction.

Although, it's advised to use the TLD, known to the audience, because it helps them quickly memorize the web address. Otherwise, it may result in lower CTR. Because the users may be less like to click on your website in search engine search results (SERPs) because of the perception of spam.

What is the difference between a registry, registrar, and registrant?

There are three prominent roles in the domain registration process.

• Registry: It's an organization that manages the TLDs. It's the one that creates new extensions and defines the rules for that domain. For example, VeriSign manages the registration of .com and .net domain names and their domain name system. The registry also contains the record of which individual domains belong to which people or organization.
• Registrar: It's the one that facilitates the registration of the domain, like GoDaddy, and name.com, etc. The registries delegate the power of commercial sale of domain name registrations to registrars. The registry is like a manufacturer, and the registrar is a dealer.
• Registrant: It's the person or organization that registers the domain.

The registry works with the registrar to sell the domains to the public (registrants).

What's the difference between a domain and hosting?

A domain name is the website's physical address, and web hosting is like the house where that website lives in. You need both the domain name and web hosting to make your website run.

The domain name is like an alias of your webserver's IP address. You need a domain name for finding out and a web host to store your website.

It's just like software and hardware like a relationship. That's why many domain registrars in parallel offer web hosting services, and several web hosting services also provide domain registration services.