Not available. Ok, try dogcity.com. I’ll wait…

Not available either. Well how about dogcentral.com? I’ll wait…

Not available either, huh? Ok well try ilovedogs.com. I’ll wait…

Get the picture? There’s a lot of waiting involved when trying to find an available domain name using DomainSearch.com; which is why I don’t use them! In the 1-2 minutes it took you to check the availability of those four domain names, I can check them in under 15 seconds. Want to know how? Because I use instant domain checkers and bulk domain checkers.

Instant domain checkers enable you to check the availability of a domain without having to load another page, like you had to do when using DomainSearch.com. With an instant domain checker, you can see whether a domain name is available instantly and on the same page. You can also check multiple extensions (.com, .net, .org) of a domain name all at the same time.

A bulk domain checker is a tool that enables you to check the availability of multiple domain names at once, unlike how when using DomainSearch.com, you could check only one domain at a time. You can also check multiple domain extensions for multiple domain names all at once.

So now that we’ve established what instant domain checkers and bulk domain checkers are, I’m going to share two instant checkers and one bulk checker that I personally use.

Instant Domain Checkers

Instant Domain Search – Instant Domain Search allows you to instantly check the availability of a domain name with the top three most popular domain extensions (.com, .net, and .org). When a domain name is available, Instant Domain Search provides one click access to register the domain name. When a domain name is not available, Instant Domain Search provides one click access to the WHOIS record for the domain, similar domain suggestions, check to see if the domain is being auctioned at GoDaddy, domain hacks, the Compete rank for the domain, or visit the domain directly. Instant Domain Search also has an iGoogle gagdet that I use on a daily basis.

BustAName – BustAName has a wealth of options to take advantage of when searching for a domain name. When using BustAName’s “Quick Domain Check”, if a domain name is available, you have one click access to register the domain. If a domain name isn’t available, you have one click access to check the WHOIS record for the domain or backorder the domain. But, what makes BustAName such a useful tool is its Word Combiner function. You can create a list of multiple words and BustAName will output combinations of available domain names using words from the list you created. You can also select certain criteria for the domains, such as including only two word combinations and applying prefixes and suffixes to the resulting combinations.

Bulk Domain Checkers

Moniker – Moniker’s batch registration tool is the first bulk domain checker I ever used and continue to use today. With Moniker’s batch registration tool, you can check up to 500 domains at once. You can also check domains using over 140 different extensions. Moniker will then list all of the domains from your list that are available, then list the ones that are not. You can then register all of the available domains at once. I usually use this tool when I have a huge list of domain name ideas I’d like to check all at once.

Here are some other instant domain checkers and bulk domain checkers that I don’t use, but are worth mentioning.

Instant Domain Checkers:

Domize
Ajax Domain Search
Ajax WHOIS
Live Domain Search

Bulk Domain Checkers:

Domain Tools
DynaDot
NameCheap

First, you’ll want to find a site that will allow you to search the WHOIS database. There are many sites that will allow you to this, but for this example, I will be using WHOIS.net (I will discuss more sites that allow you to search the WHOIS database later). So you’ll type in whois.net in your browser, and you’ll arrive to a page with four input boxes. You’ll want to use the first input box labeled “WHOIS Lookup”. Type in the domain (minus the extension) that you’d like to see the WHOIS record for, select the extension of the domain from the drop-down menu next to the input box, and click “Go!”.

You’ll now be presented with the WHOIS record of the website you entered. Included in the record will be the owner’s name, address, phone number, amongst other details such as:

Registrant – This is the name and address of the owner of the domain name.
Administrative Contact – This is the person that handles the administrative duties of the domain name.
Billing Contact – This is the person that handles the billing duties of the domain name, such as paying the registration fees for renewing the domain.
Technical Contact – This is the person that handles the technical duties of the domain name.

Unless the domain name is owned by a company, each of the above will most likely list the same person.

Record Expiration Date – This is the date that the domain will expire if it doesn’t get renewed.
Record Creation Date – This is the date that the domain was first registered by the current registrant.

Other websites that allow you search the WHOIS database:

Domain Tools – Displays a wealth of extra information, such as link information, DMOZ and Yahoo Directory listings, Alexa rank, and much more.
Network Solutions – Also lets you search by IP address, and displays whether the domain is included in DMOZ or the Yahoo Directory.
Internic – Lets you search by registrar or nameserver.