Have you ever wanted to use a whois lookup service?If so, there are a number of services out there that will be able to meet those needs. However, before you do this type of lookup, you will need to understand what the results mean. Depending on the whois lookup service you use, you may get some, but not all of the following results:
Before You Look at Your Results
When you choose to use this type of lookup service, you will find that the search itself is very easy but the results may be difficult to understand. When you do a search, you will be presented with a type of report that will have many terms and values that may seem overwhelming. However, all of these terms have meaning and by understanding what they mean, you will be able to use the information to your advantage.
The Terms You May See When Performing a Search
As mentioned, when you do this type of search, you will see a number of terms, all of which have a certain meaning. For instance, you may see the term ACTIVE. This means that the domain is an active domain and can renewed or modified by the registrar. These are the domains that most people will be looking for when they search. Another term that you may see is REGISTRY-LOCK. When you see this term it will indicate that the domain cannot be modified at all, even by the registrar. The domain can be removed, it just cannot be changed.
Like registries being locked, they can also be put on hold. In this case, you may see the term REGISTRY-HOLD. This is a hold that is set by the registry and will mean that the domain cannot be modified or even deleted by the registrar. It can, however, be renewed. Similarly, you may see the term REGISTRAR-HOLD. In this case, the registrar has put a hold on the domain, not the registry. Though it can be renewed, it cannot be modified or deleted.
These are just a few of the terms that you will likely see when you perform a whois search. By understanding the terms you see, you will be able to gain a lot of information about the domain, including if it may be available for purchase.
