webzelHave you ever come across an intriguing, funny, or confusing website and wondered – who owns this domain?
Uncovering ownership information is a common desire when discovering interesting sites across the internet.
Fortunately, there are a variety of straightforward techniques you can use to look up and reveal who owns a particular domain name.
Finding domain ownership details also has many practical applications for businesses and individuals. You may want to reach out to a website owner for marketing, partnership opportunities, or even to purchase their domain.
Verifying site ownership can help resolve technical issues or takeover inactive sites. Conducting ownership research is also advised before registering a similar domain to avoid conflicts.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore the topic in-depth – from explaining what domain names and registrations entail to the multitude of methods to find who owns a site. Let’s get started!
What is a Domain Name and Domain Registration
Before learning how to uncover site ownership details, it helps to understand what a domain name is and how website domains get registered and assigned to particular owners in the first place.
A domain name is the human-readable web address used to access a website, like example.com or mysite.org. This address makes it easy to identify and navigate to sites instead of needing to remember strings of numbers like IP addresses. Domains come in two main types:
1. Top Level Domains (TLDs) – The suffix at the end of a domain signaling the purpose or organization running it, such as .com, .org, .net, .gov, and new options like .blog, .tech, etc.
2. Second Level Domains – The main text labels before the TLD, like “example” in example.com. These create the unique identifier for sites.
In order for a domain name to work directing visitors to the correct site, it needs a binding domain name registration. Domain registration associates the chosen domain with the name servers, DNS records, IP addresses, and most importantly – the domain registrant.
The registrant, also called the domain owner or administrative contact, is the person or organization that registers and possesses legal ownership of the website domain. Registrant information includes full name, physical address, email, and phone number.
Records are also kept of the registrar used to register the domain. Registrars are domain name retailers accredited by ICANN to sell and manage website domains. Well-known registrars include GoDaddy, Namecheap, Bluehost, and more.
When you conduct ownership lookups, these registration details are what get revealed. So how do you access them to find who owns a domain? Keep reading!
How to Find Domain Ownership with a WHOIS Lookup
The fastest and most direct method to lookup domain name ownership is by using the WHOIS database system. WHOIS stores the registration information for all domains – including the all-important registrant (owner) data.
Here’s how WHOIS works and how to use it:
1. Navigate to any domain WHOIS lookup tool
There are many free public WHOIS search websites. Some popular options include:
- Godaddy’s WHOIS search
- Whois.net
- Whois.domaintools.com
- Whois lookup on Namecheap
- InterNIC’s WHOIS database
2. Enter the domain name
Type in the exact domain you want ownership details on (e.g. example.com). Make sure to include the TLD.
3. View WHOIS data
Within a second or two, you’ll see a wealth of information pulled from the WHOIS records, including:
- Registrant Name – The legal owner as listed during domain registration.
- Registrant Organization – Business or organization name if registered under a company.
- Registrant Address – Should list the registrant’s contact address.
- Registrant Email – Main email address used for domain management.
- Admin Contact Info – May show additional admin contacts besides registrant.
- Registrar – The domain retailer/register the domain was registered through.
- Creation/Expiry Dates – Shows length of ownership and when registration expires.
- Name Servers – Displays the DNS hosts facilitating domain resolution.
With WHOIS, determining the registered owner of a domain name is fast and simple. But what if WHOIS data doesn’t provide enough identifying owner information? Or you want supplemental confirmation? Read on for more domain owner lookup tactics.
Reverse IP Address Lookup
One method to complement a WHOIS search is to perform a reverse IP lookup. An IP address lookup can connect you with other websites and domains hosted on the same server as the one you’re investigating. Revealing these additional sites often indicates common ownership or relation.
Here is how to conduct a reverse IP address search:
1. Find the IP address
Use hostname lookup tools to retrieve the target domain’s IP address. For instance,hostname.example.com may link to IP 192.0.2.1.
Popular hostname/IP lookup tools:
- MxToolbox DNS Lookup
- WhatIsMyIPAddress DNS Lookup
- Kloth.net Hostname & IP Lookup
2. Perform reverse IP search
Take the IP address and plug it into a reverse IP lookup tool.
Recommended reverse IP tools
- YouGetSignal Reverse IP Lookup
- ViewDNS.info Reverse IP Lookup
- IPVoid Reverse IP Lookup
3. Identify associated domains
The reverse lookup results will display all other domains/hostnames hosted on the target IP address. Look for overlapping contact details, registrant names, or company/organization site connections among these additional sites. These associations may indicate common or related ownership.
For instance, a reverse IP search could show sites like companyX.com, companyXblog.com, and companyXjobs.com all hosted on 192.0.2.1. This would signify they are likely owned by the same organization – Company X.
Using reverse IP analysis combined with WHOIS data allows you to make educated guesses on the actual individuals or groups owning domains even when registration details are obscured or private.
Reverse DNS Lookups
Reverse DNS lookups function similarly to reverse IP lookups but use DNS servers rather than IP addresses during the search process.
Performing a reverse DNS lookup can also uncover extra domains managed by the same owner. Here’s how they work:
1. Find the target domain’s name servers
Name servers are the DNS hosts storing the domain’s IP address records that help route traffic. WHOIS results provide associated name servers.
You can also use tools like WhatIsMyDNS.com to discover a domain’s name servers.
2. Conduct reverse DNS lookup
Take those name servers and input them into reverse DNS tools like the following:
- ViewDNS.info Reverse DNS Lookup
- DNSLookup.io Reverse DNS Lookup
- Kloth Reverse DNS Lookup
3. Identify other domains using same name servers
The search results will pull up additional domains also relying on those identifying name servers for DNS. These commonly owned or managed sites can provide hints at the target’s real ownership.
So if the name servers ns1.hostsite.com and ns2.hostsite.com are tied to example.com and myblog.org – it’s likely example.com and myblog.org involve the same owner(s).
Domain Registration History Records
While WHOIS provides current domain owner data, it only shows the most recent registrant info. If ownership recently changed hands, historical records can help uncover previous domain name owners.
Here’s how to access historical registration details:
1. Use advanced domain timeline tools
Sites like Domaintools.com and WhoisHistory.com compile historical copies of WHOIS data dating back many years.
Both have timeline visualizations showing past and present owners and expiration/creation dates.
2. Search historical WHOIS databases
Organizations like DomainTools and DomainIndex archive WHOIS records from the past 15+ years.
Their advanced search features let you input a domain and specific time range to reveal registrant history.
Uncovering the full chronology of owners can provide unique insights, reveal expired domains for purchase, or substantiate current ownership claims.
Additional Domain Ownership Lookup Options
WHOIS, reverse lookups, and registration histories make up the core methods to investigate domain ownership. However, various supplementary options exist to aid your search.
Search Domain Name Forums
Domain and website investor forums like NamePros.com, Websites.org, or Reddit subgroups often openly discuss specific domains and speculation around their ownership.
Members with inside industry knowledge may reveal elusive owner details not apparent in standard records. Posting your domain investigation questions to forum communities can yield helpful responses.
Lookup Archived Website Copies
Services like Archive.org Wayback Machine store cached copies of websites from years past. Finding saved pages of a site from before current ownership may include old owner references.
However, archived sites only exist if the crawler previously accessed and saved the pages.
Examine Site Content Clues
Sometimes subtle information published on the website itself hints at ownership. An “About” page, staff listing, old blog posts, or contact page with employee names can provide clues.
A site’s social media links may also connect you with verified owners. Just beware content can easily be edited to obscure identity.
Get Information from Domain Sellers/Brokers
Major domain marketplaces like GoDaddy Auctions, Afternic, and Sedo publicize domains being sold including past sale records. The sellers may advertise previous ownership details as part of the domain’s history to push the value.
Frequently Asked Questions on How to Find the Owner of a Domain Name
How to find the owner of a domain name?
To find the owner of a domain name, you can use a WHOIS lookup tool. Simply navigate to a WHOIS database, search for the domain name, and you will be able to find the registrant contact information
Who owns a domain name?
A domain name can be legally owned or held by any person, entity, or organization, also known as the domain registrant. The ownership details are maintained in the WHOIS database
Domain name ownership lookup
You can perform a domain name ownership lookup by using WHOIS search tools available online. These tools allow you to trace the ownership and tenure of a domain name
Find out who owns a domain name
To find out who owns a domain name, you can use WHOIS search tools available on websites like GoDaddy and WHOIS.com. These tools allow you to trace the ownership and contact information of a domain name
