How to Check Your Domain Name Availability?

Checking domain availability is one of the most important steps to setting up a website.

Your domain is your business’s name, the name search engines will know you by and the name that all of your readers will recognize you as.

If you want a successful website, you have to check your domain for availability, otherwise you may end with a terrible domain full of hyphens and over 30 characters long that no one will be able to remember.

However, despite its important, it is very easy to check your domain.

What the domain name is consist of?

There are two portions of the domain to look into when you check your domain.

First, and perhaps most important, is the section between the www. and the end portion of the domain. This is the main meat of your domain, and it is what you should really be checking for when looking into your domain’s availability.

For example, if your domain is www.website.com, then you are primarily looking for “website”.

After that is the top-level domain (TLD). Most people look for .com, and .com has long been a staple of the Internet, but there are many different TLDs. Other common ones are .net, .org and .info, and all of these good for your purposes.

If you cannot get the .com, then picking up another TLD is a fine alternative.

Checking the Domain Name

There are many ways of checking domains, but the easiest way is to go to a domain registrar and type in your desired domain name.

Most registrars only allow one search at a time, which can be difficult if you are looking for a lot of domains, but some have a “Bulk Search” function that allows you to search many domains at once.

If you are new to the world of buying domains, then you may not know where to go to register your domain.

According to my experiences, three of the best registrars online are: GoDaddy, Netfirms and NameCheap.

They

• have very inexpensive domain names when compared to other registrars
• have fine hosting solutions if you decide to host with them
• are reliable and secure when purchasing your domain

Below you can try your domain search to see how it works.

Domain Alternatives

Chances are that your first domain choice isn’t going to be available, because many of the best domains are taken up. However, there are ways around this to ensure you still get a great domain.

First, try using a different TLD. If that doesn’t work, try changing part of your domain.

For example, if the word “best” is in your desired domain, try “great”.

You can also use one or two hyphens if need be to separate the domain, just try not to go crazy with them.

In Conclusion…

When you need to check your domain, you will find that the work is very simple. Just go to the right registrar and plug in your domain or its alternatives until you find a great match.

What do you do when your first domain choice is taken up? And who is your preferred domain registrar?

Share your experience and leave a comment below.