In today’s How to Find Domain Owners post, I’m going to share ways in which you can find domain owners if you want to contact the owner for a particular reason.
For example, it may be that you want a specific domain name for your business, but that domain is owned by someone else. Once you know how to find the domain owners details you can contact them and ask if they’d be willing to sell it to you.
There are many benefits to finding a domain owner. Here are just a few of them:
1. Hundreds of domains are sold every day. Identifying the contact details of the domain owner is the obvious first step if you’re interested in buying an existing one. Once you’ve done this you can easily contact them to talk over the details and discuss the possibility of a sale.
2. The age of a domain can be calculated online. Prior to negotiating the purchase of a domain, you can easily check the renewal date. This will allow you to see how long it’s been owned by that person or company. However, if you can’t find a live website associated with the domain it’s likely the owner has purchased it with the intention of selling it. If they’ve had the domain for a long time and have done nothing with it, then you’ve a better opportunity of getting a good deal.
3. When you look up the specifics of a domain, for example, its age, links, and owner details, you can acquire a lot of data about the website. You can then compare it to your own. This enables you to carry out important competitive analysis.
4. It may be that you plan to sell your products or services to the domain owner.
Finding a Domain Owner
There are numerous resources out there that can prove useful in finding domain name owners, for example:
Who.is
This is a first-rate tool and super easy to use. Just type the domain name in the search bar and the owner’s details will be visible to you. In addition, a comprehensive list of information about the domain itself is displayed, including:
- registrar of the domain
- owner’s contact details
- owner’s email address
- domain status
- date of creation
- date of last update
- period of domain registration expiration
Note: You may find that for some sites part of the information has been redacted for privacy.
All this data is important as it will give you an indication as to whether you should purchase the domain based on the creation and expiration date.
For instance, you may want to purchase a domain that was created 15+ years ago. Now, in this case there’s probably little chance that the owner will sell it to you. Why? Because it’s a well-established domain. However, if the owner was willing to sell it to you, they’d probably ask for a considerable amount of money.
Who.is supplies sufficient data about a domain and its owner. However, some other resources are available that can give even more comprehensive information about domains that you’re interested in.
DomainTools
DomainTools is another useful resource. You’ll find that their website has many of its own original and special features along with those provided by Who.is. Furthermore, you can view other information about the site structure itself. For example, response code, the type of server it uses, the number of images displayed on the website, links, and their types, and even its SEO score.
When you’re setting up a similar website to your competitors this information is an essential component. It’s easy to check their details and plan your marketing strategies accordingly. In addition, you can also evaluate your own website quickly and easily and make any necessary modifications for improvement.
What to do Next
So, if you’ve found the owner you want to buy a domain from you can get in touch with them via a formal email and ask if they would consider selling you the domain for an appropriate price. An alternative option is to hire a domain name broker who will manage the negotiations and transfer process for you. Sedo and HostGator are just two of the many popular ones.
However, it may be that you offer a reasonable price for a domain and the owner refuses to sell even though the domain is inactive. Or they may say they’ll sell it to you for an outrageously high price. This happened to me. So, what I did was watch to see if the owner renewed the domain the following year and even the year after that and when eventually they lapsed on the renewal, I snapped it up. This does take patience and won’t work if you need to acquire a domain quickly for a particular project or business venture.
Remember, if you want to sell your products or services to a domain owner you can contact them directly with a detailed offer. Now, it may be that someone is interested but they don’t respond immediately. Make sure you give them time to get back to you. You could always send a couple of follow up emails to give them a nudge. Don’t keep pestering them with a barrage of emails.
Help is Out There
I hope you found value in my How to Find Domain Owners. Remember there is software out there that can help you obtain information fast on domains and websites. Lead generation software like Domain Lead Pro helps you get new leads from new domain owners.
Moreover, it can automate, simplify, and significantly speed up the process. I’d suggest watching the free webinar to learn how to tap into thousands of untapped leads and get noticed!
To Your Success!
