How to check a website’s age and who owns it
Updated September 30, 2026 · by the IsLegitOrNot team
How long a website has existed is one of the strongest signs of whether it is legit. Scam shops are usually registered only weeks before they start selling, and disappear a few months later. Here is how to check a website's age and find out who owns it.
The quick way: use a website age checker
Enter the address in our website checker. The report shows the date the domain was registered, how old it is, when the registration expires, the registrar, and the company name where one is published. It also flags domains that were registered very recently.
What domain age tells you
- Less than 6 months old: be careful, especially if the site sells well-known brands at big discounts.
- 6 to 12 months: neutral. Many real small businesses are new, so check the other signals.
- Several years old: a good sign, although an old domain can still be sold or taken over.
How to look up the owner of a website
Domain registration details are published in public registration records, known as WHOIS and its newer version RDAP. Most owners now use privacy protection, so you will often see the registrar rather than a name. That is normal and not a warning sign by itself.
Better clues about ownership are usually on the website itself:
- A company name and registration number in the footer or on the legal notice page.
- A physical address you can look up on a map.
- An organisation-validated security certificate, which names the company that requested it.
- The same company name in your country's official business register.
Check the expiry date too
Scammers usually register a domain for the minimum of one year. Established businesses often renew for several years at a time. A domain that expires in a few months is not proof of anything, but it adds to other warning signs.
When an old domain is still risky
Expired domains are sometimes bought and reused by scammers because they look trustworthy. If an old domain suddenly sells completely different products, or its reviews change tone overnight, treat it as new.
Related checks
Pair the age check with our full checklist and the website authenticity checker.