Google Gets Whois Answers In Search Results

By Danny Sullivan

Published: April 18, 2008 at 6:26 pm

Looks like Google’s gained a new direct answer service, whois information for
domains. Enter a query like
whois
searchengineland.com, and you’ll be told when the domain was registered and
expires, along with a link to more information from the
Domain Tools site. Here’s a
screenshot:

Google’s not done a formal announcement, but Matt Cutts just noted it on his
blog here.

As Google Operating System

notes, back in 2004 Google

rolled out a somewhat similar service that was quickly ended after Network
Solutions

blocked Google’s requests.

Postscript: Note, some people aren’t seeing this feature. It might still be buggy, while there also seems to be some availability issues, too.

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About the author

Danny Sullivan

Danny Sullivan was a journalist and analyst who covered the digital and search marketing space from 1996 through 2017. He was also a cofounder of Third Door Media, which publishes Search Engine Land and MarTech, and produces the SMX: Search Marketing Expo and MarTech events. He retired from journalism and Third Door Media in June 2017. You can learn more about him on his personal site & blog He can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.