WHOIS / Domain age lookup
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WHOIS lookup and domain age
Our WHOIS lookup returns the public information about any domain: registrar, original registration date, expiry date, last update date, and name servers. Domain age is one of the signals Google considers — a domain registered 10 years ago typically gets more trust than one registered last month, regardless of content. In SEO, this is especially relevant when buying a second-hand domain or vetting competitors.
When to run it
Before buying a second-hand domain — to see when it was registered and who owned it. Before migrating to a new domain — to understand the current domain's age and ensure expiry is not approaching. On competitor sites — to see their domain age and DNS provider. And when Search Console alerts or traffic disappears suddenly — to confirm the registration has not lapsed.
What to look for
A registration date older than 3 years is a positive signal for SEO. Make sure the expiry date is at least a year out and on auto-renew. The "last updated" date reflects any field change (usually fine). Name servers should match your provider — if they show a different provider, you may have a config issue. Some TLDs (.co.il, .org.il) require querying a separate registry.
Common problems
Domains with privacy protection do not show ownership — that is fine, but makes verification harder. Domains hosted with cheap providers sometimes get free name servers that inject ads — bad for SEO. Expiry dates within a month — major red flag: if it lapses, the site disappears from Google within days. Registration of less than a year — a red flag to competitors that the brand is very new.
After the lookup
If expiry is near, renew immediately — ideally for 3+ years (also a trust signal to Google). If name servers are wrong, fix them at the registrar. If buying a second-hand domain, use the Wayback Machine to view the historical content on it — a domain previously used for spam may carry a Manual Action penalty that does not show in WHOIS but exists in Google.
Examples from the field
Example 1 — buyer of a second-hand domain at $2,400. WHOIS revealed the domain was from 2009 (15 years — excellent). A Wayback check showed that during 2017–2019 it was a gambling site — red flag. A Search Console check after purchase confirmed an active Manual Action. The buyer canceled the purchase. Example 2 — a corporate site Google suddenly stopped indexing. WHOIS revealed the expiry date was three days ago. The domain was in "redemptionPeriod" status. A quick renewal at $90 extra restored the site within 24 hours. Example 3 — a competitor check: we discovered they register fresh domains every year for various categories — a sign of a wide micro-site strategy.