Using the GoDaddy WHOIS Domain Database - A Beginner’s Guide

Finding the right domain for your website is crucial. It’ll appear in all of your marketing efforts and serve as the digital face your business presents to the world. If you’ve come up with the perfect domain name and only to find it’s already taken, you may be able to purchase the domain name from the current owner.

Tracking down a domain owner isn’t that difficult. In fact, GoDaddy will do the detective work for you. This guide explains what the GoDaddy WHOIS database is and provides step-by-step instructions for finding and purchasing a domain name owned by someone else.

If you decided on a new domain and want to see if it's available, check out GoDaddy's domain search.

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What Is the WHOIS Database?

The WHOIS domain database on GoDaddy is a tool you can use to find the owners of registered domain names. It provides information about a domain’s availability, who owns it if it’s already claimed, when that individual registered the domain, and when that registration will expire.

This information can prove highly useful for pursuing a specific domain name. If someone already registered it, the owner may be willing to sell it to you. If the domain’s registration will expire soon, the owner may allow their ownership to lapse — creating an opportunity for you to snatch it up.

How To Use the WHOIS Database

It’s extremely easy to use the WHOIS domain database on GoDaddy. Just following these simple steps:

Go to GoDaddy’s WHOIS page.
In the search bar, enter your desired domain name and wait a few seconds for the tool to process your search.
A block of information will then appear beneath the search bar, including:
- The Domain Name
- The Registry Domain ID
- The Updated Date
- The Creation Date
Under that block of information, you’ll see the text: “Want to buy this domain? Get it with our Domain Broker Service.” Click on the “Go” button beneath this text.
By paying the broker service fee, you can attempt to purchase the domain name from its current owner. Click on the “Add to Cart” button and check out. (GoDaddy charges a $119 broker service fee per domain plus a 20 percent commission fee on successful purchases.)