A DNS lookup is always a good idea when you are preparing to launch a new web site with a new name. Here are a couple of reasons why you want to go with the DNS lookup before you try to upload your web site materials.
First, you have to own the domain name before you can ever upload your content for hosting. A DNS lookup will help you find out if the domain name you have in mind is currently contracted out to someone else and thus not available. Often, as part of this check for availability, the DNS lookup will also advise you of any similar domain names that may still be available for you to use. As an example, you may perform a DNS search and find out that “iwantaburger.com” is not available, but that you could secure and use “iwantaburger.org” or “iwantaburger.us” with not problem.
Just because someone has secured a domain name does not necessarily mean it is currently in use. You can perform what is known as a reverse DNS lookup and often find out who is currently owns the rights to the domain name that you crave. The result of this DNS reverse lookup is that you can get in touch with the owner of the domain name and see if he or she would be interested in selling the domain name to you for the remainder of the time they have allotted to ownership. This will allow you the chance to possibly work out something so you can have the exact domain name you want.
In the event that the lookup does not yield any contact information, you can try a DNS error Google search, which could possibly provide you with some details on the owner of the domain name. While this is a long shot, it is worth trying if you really want the exact domain name, and will only take a few moments in any case.
A DNS lookup will need to be performed whenever you want to secure a new domain name for a new web site, or just obtain additional domain names that will be allow for redirecting to an existing web site that you already have up and running. Just remember that you may or may not be able to obtain exactly what you want, so be sure to have several alternatives in mind, just in case. The extra effort before you begin the DNIS lookup process will save you a lot of frustration later on.