How to go after a domain name when the whois info is incorrect.
-
I found a domain that I'd really like to buy. It's currently active but has just a single image on it (that links to an affiliate product). I'd like to see if the owner would like to sell it to me. But, when I emailed the address that's listed with the whois info it bounced back.
Any ideas on how else I can buy this domain?
-
I looked at the source code and it redirected to another domain. The whois for that domain had the same invalid email. However, I searched that domain and found a "contact us" page. So, hopefully I've tracked him down!
-
Oooh. You are a very smart man.
-
Get the affiliate code... search google for the code string... might surface other sites.
-
Go to a busy domainer forum and post...
Willing to pay $1,000,000 for WTFRU.com
Should get results fast!
-
Look at what the name servers are pointed to, that should give you their host. If the host is a business you can call them and find out who the administrative contact is if they are feeling generous.
All domains are required to have an active contact on the WHOIS info so you might be able to work that angle with the host as well. In a worst case scenario the host might be willing to relay a message as a professional courtesy.
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
How can I outrank a website whose brand is named specifically after a product / service (and mine is not!) ?
Hi everyone, I've been working hard on my on-page SEO lately so I can gain visibility for my website. The results have been great and I am now on top of the SERP for the services I propose. I think that my content is almost fully optimize and** I've respected all the best practices (both on-page and technical SEO)**. However, there is one problem I just can't deal with for I don't have the knowledge, hence this post. I'm pretty sure that this issue is quite common for SEO experts. Here the thing: I offer dental emergency services, which is my core business. I'm ranked 4th for that request in my area, which is good, but I'd like to rank 1st as** I have a better DA and content than the 3 websites outranking me**. Also, I'm the first result for any other related services such as "dental services" or "dentist". However, when it comes to the theme "dental emergency", I'm constantly outranked by the same 3 websites. I ran an audit on their website but **my content and technical SEO is way better **than theirs. I suppose that the only reason I'm behind them is because they used "dental emergency" in their **Brand name **and, therefore, in the Home page URL. Every time someone is looking up online for "dental emergency", these websites will be on top of the SERP as I think that Google is unable to know whether the users are specifically looking for their websites (aka Brand) or for "dental emergency" services. Here is an example of a competitor: https://www.urgencedentairedemontreal.com/ (urgence meaning emergency in French). His whole Brand name and URL have been built after the "dental emergency." service. On the contrary, **my Brand name does not mention "urgence". ** I see that as a trick that is confusing Google. The fact that my competitors named their Brand after a specific service I also offer is real pain for my SEO. I also think it's really unfair as I've put a lot of effort in designing a nice website with great UX and content. This is the kind of practice that should be penalized in my opinion. Please, does anyone know any way to resolve this issue?
On-Page Optimization | | AlexTL0 -
Product names are defacto identical - How can I modify Title?
Hi! Our site http://www.metecoparts.gr/ help our customers search our inventory of cars for used parts. The way the titles of product pages are structured is: Car Parts – Make Model Year – Brand Name. So for instance this page http://www.metecoparts.gr/car/4074-alfa-romeo-156-1997 have the title "Car Parts Alfa Romeo 156 1997 – Meteco SA" (I have translated Greek words to English) So as you can imagine we end up with a bunch of duplicate titles pages. I’m trying to diversify the titles but the problem is that there aren’t many product identifiers other than body configuration, car color, fuel, engine capacity and engine code. But only color and year of production is partly unique as most Alfa Romeo 156 are 4 door saloons, with 1600cc petrol engine. The only thing that is unique for every product page is the page ID. So should I use it in the page title? Its the only unique identificator but on ther other hand it has no use for our customers. Or is there any other way of having unique titles that I am missing? Please note that in our industry on-page optimization is crucial since there is no social sharing and much link building (who wants to share an old car that is being sold for parts?) Thank you
On-Page Optimization | | Johnlock10 -
Why is Google replacing my meta title with the business name on home page?
For all queries that return the home page, Google is not showing my meta title. Instead it replaced it with the official business name which of course makes it harder to rank for key terms since they don't exist now in the meta title. You can see this is you search on "mt view estate planning attorney". The site in question is dureelaw.com and the title showing is "The Law Office of Daniel L. DuRee." View the source and you'll see my meta title. Why is Google substituting it?
On-Page Optimization | | katandmouse0 -
Does name of town in title tag help if queries don't include the town name?
Hi. Wanted to know if targeting local traffic online and the search volume of KWs in the area do not include the local names (according to KW planner) does it still help to keep the town names in the title tag? does google deliver local results based on location names in title tag if query didn't mention it?
On-Page Optimization | | Morris770 -
Exact Match Domain + shorter permalink vs. longer permalink?
So here's the scenario... You own the exact match domain for "Acupuncture Intake Form" and want to create a page that targets the phrase, "Acupuncture Intake Form Template"... In terms of SEO, which of the following permalinks does a better job targeting the term "Acupuncture Intake Form Template" : A) www.acupunctureintakeform.com/template/ B) www.acupunctureintakeform.com/acupuncture-intake-form-template/ From a user-friendliness perspective, I can definitely see why the /template/ is more ideal. It's more memorable, easier to link to, and logical. I'm just wondering whether there is some edge that the /acupuncture-intake-form-template/ has that I'm not aware of, or if there's some gray area. I can also think of scenarios where the longer version might be better. For example, if there were several different kinds of acupuncture intake form templates. If that were the case, then /template/ might be too vague (e.g. is it the normal "acupuncture intake form template" or is it the "acupuncture intake form template with diagram"). So in that respect, the longer one might be less concise in certain situations, but in others provide more clarity. (Note: I'm looking for answers to this situation as it applies to any website. I just chose this extremely small niche exact match domain because it's an example that illustrate my questions). Thanks in advance for any answers, insights, or comments! I'm not sure if there's a specific answer, but I'm sure there are some key points to discuss. Michael
On-Page Optimization | | InRakeLLC0 -
Title tag best practices when domain and brand are the same
I know the old standard for title tag optimization is to use your brand name in the title for a multitude of reasons, all of which are indisputable The most important reason being any strength and awareness can aid in click-thru. But does this hold true for exact match domains? Considering the way a search result is displayed, any awareness and strength derived from using the brand in the title is automatically included in the search result of an exact match domain without having to sacrifice valuable characters in the title. The organic value (or value beyond simply seeing the brand displayed and nothing else) can't have that much of an impact, can it? For Example, given the result attached, is it worth it to repeat dog.com in the title if it is already showing in the result? dog.png
On-Page Optimization | | NextGenEDU0 -
Subfolder v Root Domain for attaining ranking
Hi, We are working with a site that we can refer to as: www.clientsbrand.com.au It has a subsection of our clients services at www.clientsbrand.com.au/keyword The client has now decided that this subsection is in fact the most important thing they should be trying to rank for. A large amount of the content that is already existing under clientsbrand.com.au/topic1 /topic2 /topic3 etc would fit naturally under clientsbrand.com.au/keyword/topic1 etc The root domain is currently not ranking for the keyword they wish to target. I am planning on moving a lot of this content to the subfolder to try and boost that silo and get things going for that keyword. As long as we 301 the old URL's to their corresponding new position are there any issues any of you see with doing this? I am worried there may be some traps for young players I have not considered. Thanks in advance for any responses.
On-Page Optimization | | MrPaulB0
