The publisher is usually listed at the bottom of the page or in the "About" section

The publisher of a website is the person, company, or organization that owns and maintains it. Finding them is straightforward most of the time — scroll to the very bottom of any page and look for a footer with a company name, copyright notice, or "About Us" link. That footer almost always names who runs the site.

If the footer is blank or unhelpful, click the "About Us" or "Contact" link near the top or bottom of the page. These pages exist specifically to tell you who is behind the website. You will usually find the publisher's name, sometimes their address, and often an email address or phone number.

When neither of those works, the publisher information is stored in the domain registration records — a public database that anyone can search. This method takes a few extra steps but works even when a website deliberately hides its ownership.

Key Takeaways

  • The website footer — the section at the very bottom of the page — almost always shows the publisher's name and copyright year.
  • An "About Us" or "Contact" page will name the publisher and often provide their location and email address.
  • If a website hides its ownership, you can search the domain registration records using a WHOIS lookup tool to find the registered owner.
  • Some websites use privacy services to hide their real owner in the registration records, so the WHOIS result may show a proxy company instead.

Check the footer and "About" pages first

Start at the bottom of the website's home page. Look for a footer — a band of text or links that runs across the bottom. Most footers include the publisher's name, the year the site was created, and sometimes a copyright symbol (©). You might see something like "© 2024 Smith Family Dental" or "Published by Community News Network."

If the footer does not name the publisher clearly, look for an "About Us," "About," or "Who We Are" link. These are usually at the top of the page in a navigation menu, or at the bottom near other links. Click it and read the first paragraph or two — the publisher's name and what they do will be right there.

A "Contact Us" page works the same way. It will show you the publisher's name, their address, phone number, and email. This is often the fastest way to confirm who you are dealing with, especially for small businesses or local organizations.

Use a WHOIS lookup when the website hides its information

If a website does not list its publisher anywhere on the pages themselves, the information is stored in a public database called WHOIS. This database records who registered each website's domain name (the part after the www, like "example.com"). You can search it for free using a WHOIS lookup tool.

Go to a WHOIS search site like whois.com, whois.net, or icann.org/whois. Type the website's domain name into the search box — just the domain, not the full web address. For example, if the website is www.example.com, search for "example.com." The results will show you the registered owner's name, address, and sometimes phone number and email.

Keep in mind that some website owners use privacy protection services when they register their domain. These services hide the real owner's information and show the privacy company's details instead. In that case, you will see a company name like "Privacy Guard" or "Domain Privacy Services" rather than the actual publisher. This does not mean the information is unavailable — it means the owner chose to keep it private.

Understand what the WHOIS results actually tell you

A WHOIS lookup shows you the person or company that registered the domain name, which is usually the publisher — but not always. Sometimes a web designer registers the domain on behalf of a client, or a company registers it for a subsidiary. The registered owner might not be the person who writes the content or makes decisions about the site.

If the WHOIS result does not match what you expected, go back to the website itself and look more carefully at the footer and About page. The actual publisher often identifies themselves there even if they did not register the domain. You can also try emailing the contact address listed in WHOIS and asking who currently owns and operates the website.

Why you might need to know the publisher

Knowing who publishes a website matters for several reasons. If you are reading news or health information, the publisher's identity helps you judge whether they have informed or bias. A health article published by a hospital is different from one published by a supplement company. A news story from a major newspaper is different from one from a blog with no editorial standards.

If you are considering buying something from a website, the publisher's information tells you whether you are dealing with an established business or a brand new operation. It also gives you a way to contact them if something goes wrong with your order. If you are concerned about a website's accuracy or practices, knowing who publishes it tells you who to contact with complaints.

What to do if you still cannot find the publisher

Some websites deliberately make themselves hard to identify. They might have no footer, no About page, and a WHOIS lookup might show privacy protection. This is a red flag. Legitimate businesses and organizations want you to know who they are.

If you cannot find the publisher after checking the footer, About page, Contact page, and WHOIS records, be cautious about trusting the site. You can try emailing the domain's administrative contact (listed in WHOIS) and asking directly who owns the website. You can also search the domain name in Google along with words like "owner," "publisher," or "who runs" — sometimes other websites mention the publisher's identity.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the WHOIS information always accurate?

WHOIS information is only as accurate as what the domain owner entered when they registered. Some people enter fake names or outdated addresses. However, the registrar (the company that sold the domain) has the real information on file. If you need accurate contact details, you can contact the registrar directly — their name appears in the WHOIS results.

Can I find out who publishes a website if they use a privacy service?

Not from WHOIS alone — that is the whole point of privacy services. But you can often find the real publisher by looking at the website itself: the footer, About page, or Contact page usually names them. You can also try contacting the privacy service's listed email address and asking them to forward your message to the actual owner.

What if the website is from another country?

WHOIS works the same way for international domains. The process is identical — search the domain name in any WHOIS tool and you will see the registered owner. Some countries have their own WHOIS systems, but most international domains use the same global database.

Does the copyright year in the footer tell me when the website was published?

The copyright year usually shows when the site was first created, but many websites do not update it. A footer that says "© 2015" does not necessarily mean the site has not been updated since 2015 — it might just mean nobody changed the footer. Check the publication dates on individual articles or posts to see how current the content actually is.