In the previous article in this Domain Name series, we discussed the ins and outs of choosing a good domain name. In this article, we'll find out how to use a WHOIS service to find out if the domain name(s) you've chosen is available.
Find a WHOIS lookup service
Most web hosting companies will provide you with a WHOIS lookup service. You can also use the two mentioned below. weare.ie maintains the WHOIS for the .ie domain. For other top level domains, including .ie, you can use whois.domaintools.com.
WHOIS for the .ie domain
Go to https://www.weare.ie
WHOIS for everything
Note that you can only search for the .ie domain on the weare.ie WHOIS. On domaintools.com you can search for .ie and all the rest. When you're using WHOIS lookups, you'll never type in the www - because you're searching for a domain name, not a website address. Also, use lowercase - there is no uppercase in domain names.
Enter the Domain Name into the WHOIS
WHOIS for the .ie domain
Enter the domain name to see if it's available
- this is only for .ie
WHOIS for everything
Enter the domain name to see if it's available
- this will look up all the domain names
Get the Results
The results will tell you whether or not the domain name is available.
WHOIS for the .ie domain
webmentor.ie is not available.
WHOIS for all the rest
naoinra.org is available!
Hold it Right There
Don't Buy Anything Yet!
weare.ie and domaintools.com are WHOIS lookup tools, so we are only using them for lookup. We'll do the actual purchase from an IE Accredited Registrar for the .ie domain and an ICANN Accredited Registrar for all the rest. The best plan is to purchase from an Accredited Registrar that will give you a dedicated account to manage your Domain Name(s).
The Domain Name Account
Before you buy, read the next article in the series that explains the basics of managing a domain name account so that you retain control and legal rights of the domain name.