How to Use WHOIS to Check Domain Age (Fast & Free) (2025)

Look, you want to know how old a domain is, right?

Simple.

So, let’s get straight to it.

Why Domain Age Matters (and Why You Should Care)

First off, why even bother checking a domain’s age?

Here’s the deal:

SEO Authority: Older domains often have more established backlink profiles and content history. This can give them a boost in search engine rankings.
Due Diligence: Knowing a domain’s age is crucial if you’re buying it. You don’t want to inherit a domain with a shady past or penalties.
Competitive Analysis: Checking competitor domain ages can give you insights into their SEO strategy and how long they’ve been playing the game.

Basically, age is a factor. Not the only factor, but a factor.

Don’t ignore it.

Now, the meat of the matter.

WHOIS is your go-to tool.

It’s a public database that provides information about registered domain names.

Here’s how to use it:

Find a WHOIS Lookup Tool:
- There are tons of free WHOIS lookup tools online.
- Examples include:
  - ICANN Lookup (official): https://lookup.icann.org/
  - Whois.is: https://whois.is/
  - DomainTools https://whois.domaintools.com/
Enter the Domain Name:
- Type the domain name you want to check into the search bar.
- Hit “Search” or “Lookup.”
Find the “Creation Date” or “Registered On” Field:
- The WHOIS results will display various information about the domain.
- Look for the “Creation Date,” “Registered On,” or similar field.
- This date tells you when the domain was first registered.
Calculate the Domain Age:
- Subtract the creation date from the current date.
- That’s your domain age.

Example:

Let’s say the creation date is “2010-05-15.”

Today’s date is “2024-10-26”.

The domain age is roughly 14 years.

Simple math.

Look, while you’re there, don’t just grab the age and run.

Take a few extra seconds to look for these details.

Registrar: Who registered the domain. This can tell you about the domain’s history.
Name Servers: These indicate where the domain’s DNS is hosted.
Contact Information: While often masked for privacy, sometimes you’ll find contact info.

Here’s where it clicks for your business.

Acquiring Domains: Before buying a domain, check its age and history. You don’t want a domain with a bad reputation.
Building Backlinks: Older domains are often seen as more authoritative. Target them for backlink opportunities.
Content Strategy: If your competitors have older domains, you might need a more aggressive content strategy to catch up.
Expired Domains: Use WHOIS to find expired domains, then analyze age and backlink profiles. You can often buy them and redirect them to your site for a boost.

Actionable Steps

Check Your Own Domain Age: Know where you stand.
Analyze Competitor Domains: See how you stack up.
Use WHOIS for Due Diligence: Before buying any domain, check the age and history.
Incorporate Domain Age Into Your SEO Strategy: It’s one piece of the puzzle.

Tools Recommendation

Ahrefs: For in depth backlink analysis and domain metrics.
SEMrush: For comprehensive SEO analysis, including domain age and authority.
Google Search Console: For monitoring your own website’s performance and identifying potential issues.

Don’t overthink it.

Checking domain age is a simple process.

But it can give you valuable insights.

Use WHOIS.

Do your homework.

And keep grinding.

That’s how you win.