Look up registration data for any domain. See registrar, creation date, expiry, nameservers, status codes, and contact details.
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Get StartedWHOIS is a query-and-response protocol that provides publicly accessible registration information about domain names. Every time a domain is registered, updated, or transferred, the registrar submits the relevant data to the domain registry, which is then queryable through the WHOIS system. This data includes the domain creation date, last modification date, expiry date, registrar name, nameservers, domain status codes, and optionally the registrant's contact information.
For SEO professionals, WHOIS data is an essential research tool. It reveals domain age (a trust correlating factor), identifies website ownership for outreach and competitive analysis, exposes domain expiry dates for acquisition opportunities, and shows nameserver configurations that indicate hosting infrastructure. Whether you are auditing a client's domain portfolio, researching competitors, or hunting for expired domains with existing authority, WHOIS data provides the foundational intelligence you need.
Domain status codes, also known as EPP (Extensible Provisioning Protocol) status codes, communicate the current administrative state of a domain. A well-maintained, active domain typically shows clientTransferProhibited (locked against unauthorized transfers) and clientDeleteProhibited (locked against accidental deletion). These are protective locks set by the domain registrar at the request of the domain owner.
Problematic status codes to watch for include serverHold (the registry has suspended the domain, usually for non-payment or policy violations), redemptionPeriod (the domain has been deleted but is in a grace period where it can be restored for a fee), and pendingDelete (the domain will be released back to the public pool imminently). Understanding these codes helps you assess domain health and identify acquisition opportunities.
A WHOIS lookup queries the public registration database to retrieve information about a domain name, including who registered it, when it was created, when it expires, the registrar, nameservers, and status codes. WHOIS data is maintained by domain registries and is publicly accessible for most domain extensions.
WHOIS data reveals competitive intelligence for SEO strategy: domain age for trust assessment, ownership information for outreach, expiry dates for domain acquisition, and nameserver data that reveals hosting infrastructure. It is essential for competitive research, link building outreach, and domain portfolio management.
WHOIS privacy replaces the registrant's personal contact info (name, email, phone, address) with the privacy service's details. However, registration dates, expiry date, registrar, nameservers, and domain status codes remain publicly visible even with privacy enabled.
EPP codes indicate a domain's administrative state. Common ones: clientTransferProhibited (locked against transfers), clientDeleteProhibited (locked against deletion), serverHold (suspended by registry), redemptionPeriod (recently deleted, in grace period), and pendingDelete (about to be released). A healthy domain usually shows clientTransferProhibited at minimum.