Checking for Available Domain Names

2007-03-08 10:33:40

( Web Hosting-SEO-Web Design )



When establishing a web site, most people already have one or more domain names in mind during registration. In a sense, giving a web site a unique identity does not just involve looking up all available domain names, but also requires a sense of how the site is to be referenced.

Most domain providers work on what is known as a WHOIS lookup, which is a protocol that allows users to confirm if one or more domain names are already reserved or being used, as well as which entities have registered those URLs. In order to seach for any available domain names, you can use a provider's WHOIS service to check if any particular URLs are already taken; Even if your first choices with regards to the domain name of your web site are already reserved, these WHOIS services can usually suggest alternative titles.

With that said, it is usually best to search for a unique domain name in this regard. Even if a domain name is already available on its own, it may be detrimental to the success of your web site if it closely resembles another existing or more popular domain name. Despite the fact that a lot of the more straightforward domain names are likely to have been taken, it is still possible to establish a healthy identity for yourself through an available domain name, or an available URL.

As a final note, there currently exists an uncommon practice of users searching the Internet for domains available for registration - not to establish their own web sites, but to reserve these URLs for other peoples' purchase. This is commonly held to be an unethical practice known as cybersquatting, where domain names are held by these users and then sold for significantly higher amounts. While inconvenient for new domain registrars, this does not adversely affect the number of available domain names in the World Wide Web. With a little dedication and creativity, any person may be able to grant his or her web site its own unique address.


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