How to check if a domain name is available

To check if a domain name is available, type it into the search box of a well-known registrar, the kind of company that sells domains, such as Squarespace, GoDaddy, Namecheap or Cloudflare. It will say straight away whether you can register it and at what yearly price. To double-check, look the name up at lookup.icann.org: if it shows no registration record, nobody holds it. If it shows a record, it is taken, though not always for good.

Where to search

You have two good options, and it is worth using both.

Every registrar has a search box on its home page. It does three things at once: tells you whether the name is free, shows the price for the first year and for renewals, and offers the same name with other endings (.net, .co, .us and many more).

Stick to a registrar you have heard of or already use. If you have a domain somewhere already, searching there keeps everything in one account.

ICANN's lookup

Go to lookup.icann.org.
Type the full name, including the ending, for example bluefinchbakery.com, and click Lookup.
If the result says no record was found, the name is not registered.
If it shows a registrar, dates and status lines, someone holds it.

The lookup sells nothing and keeps no basket, which makes it a calm place to check an idea before you go shopping. It also shows the expiration date of a taken name, which matters later.

What the answers mean

Available

The registrar offers it at its normal price. You can buy it on the spot. Check the renewal price, not just the first-year offer, because many registrars discount the first year.

Taken, with a real website

Somebody is using it. Visit the address to see. If it is a business like yours in another town, choose a different name; trading under a near-copy of their name confuses customers and can lead to legal trouble. If in doubt about names and trademarks, ask an attorney.

Taken and parked

The domain shows a page of ads or links and no real content. The owner may be holding it to sell or may have forgotten about it. It might become available later, or you might be able to buy it. What if the domain name I want is taken covers both routes.

Taken and for sale

The page says "This domain is for sale" or the registrar's search shows a price through a marketplace. You can buy it from the owner, usually for much more than a new registration. Decide your honest top price before you click anything.

Premium

Sometimes the search says the name is available but at a far higher price than normal, labelled "premium". These are names the registry that runs the ending has priced higher because they are short or common words. The renewal can be premium too, so read the yearly price carefully before buying.

Checking a name before you fall for it

Availability is only the first test. Before you buy, ask:

Can you say it on the phone without spelling it? "Blue Finch Bakery dot com" passes; a name with a hyphen or a number usually needs explaining.
Is it short enough for a van, a card and an email address?
Does it read well in lower case? Run the words together and check they do not form something odd.
Are similar names held by competitors nearby? Search your town and trade too.

How to choose a domain name for your business has a fuller list, and .com, .net or .biz: which domain ending to choose helps if the .com is gone.

What to do the moment you find one free

A free name can be taken by someone else at any time, so do not leave it in a basket overnight.

Register it in your own name, or your business's, with an email address you will always have. Not a designer's account and not a soon-to-close work email.
Turn on auto-renew and check the card on file.
Turn on two-step sign-in for the registrar account.
Skip the extras you do not need yet. Registrars often offer website builders, email plans and add-ons at checkout. Domain privacy is usually worth keeping, and many registrars include it at no charge; the rest can wait until you know what you want.
Write down the registrar, the login email and the renewal date.

If the matching .com and a close variation are both free, some owners buy both and point the spare at the main one. That is a choice, not a must.

If the name you want is taken

Do not panic or overpay. Try:

adding your town or trade (bluefinchbakeryportland.com, bluefinchcakes.com);
a different ending if it reads naturally and customers will remember it;
checking the expiry date of the taken name and watching whether it lapses.

If you decide to approach the current owner, how to contact the owner of a domain name explains how when their details are hidden.

What to do this week

Write down three name ideas.
Check each at lookup.icann.org, then at one trusted registrar.
Read the renewal price, not only the first-year price.
Register your favorite in your own name, with auto-renew and two-step sign-in on.
Note the registrar and renewal date with your business records.

Once the name is yours, you can see a first website for your business before you decide where it should point.