How to use domain tools: availability, privacy, typosquat and subdomain checks

Domain checks are not just "is it free?" — they tell you how exposed a brand is and what someone else could register to impersonate it. Here is what each free tool does and when to reach for it.

Availability check

The domain availability checker queries registry data to see whether a name is registered. Use it when:

• Choosing a name — check the .com first; a name whose .com is taken is usually someone else's brand, and traffic will leak to them.

• Before committing to a brand — confirm the name is free across the TLDs you care about.

• Planning a launch — availability can change overnight; re-check before you announce.

WHOIS privacy check

The domain privacy checker shows whether registrant details are exposed or hidden behind privacy protection. When you register a personal or small-business domain, enable WHOIS privacy — otherwise your name, address and phone are public and get scraped for spam. (Note that many registries redact by default now, but not all.)

Typosquat check

The typosquat checker generates common misspellings and look-alikes of your domain (letters swapped, missing, doubled, hyphens, homoglyphs) and checks whether they are registered. Use it to:

• Assess impersonation risk — phishing sites often live on near-miss domains.

• Decide what to defensively register — for a real brand, registering the obvious typos may be worth it.

• Monitor over time — a new registration next to your brand can signal an attack in preparation.

Subdomain finder

The subdomain finder enumerates subdomains via certificate transparency logs and DNS. Legitimate uses:

• Auditing your own footprint — find forgotten admin panels, staging sites and old services that should be closed. (An abandoned staging. subdomain is a classic breach entry point.)

• Verifying DNS — confirm the hostnames you intended to publish are the ones that resolve.

Always only scan domains you own or are authorised to assess.

The brand-protection workflow

1. Before registering: availability + a quick typosquat scan to pick a name that is not already a battleground.

2. At registration: turn on WHOIS privacy and, if you can, DNSSEC.

3. After launching: periodically run the typosquat and subdomain checks to catch impersonation and forgotten hostnames.

4. Then: clean up DNS with the DNS lookup tool so nothing dangling points at an old provider.

To register or transfer, see Register and transfer domains; to run the zone on our servers, see the Domains service.