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Tool

The username checker

The best business handle is the same one everywhere — ideally matching your domain name. Type a name once and check every major platform in one click each. If a link lands on a "page not found", no one is publicly using the name there.

Checking: —

How to read the results

  • "Page not found" / "couldn't find this account" → no public profile uses that name. That's a good sign, not a guarantee: platforms also hold back reserved, suspended, and recently deleted names, so the only proof is registering it. Grab it.
  • "Not allowed" → that platform's rules reject this handle (too long, or a character it doesn't accept). Pick a variant that works everywhere, or one fallback you use on every platform.
  • A profile loads → it's taken. Try adding your trade or city (smithelectricottawa) — and use the same fallback everywhere so customers never guess.
  • A login wall appears (Instagram sometimes does this) → open the link in a private/incognito window, or search the name inside the app.

Three rules for picking well

  1. Match your domain. If mikesplumbing.ca is your website, @mikesplumbing is your handle. One name, said once over the phone, findable everywhere.
  2. Claim it everywhere, even platforms you'll never post on. Empty profiles are cheap insurance against competitors and impersonators, as long as you log in now and then, because some platforms reclaim inactive accounts. Our social media guide covers the 30-minute defence.
  3. Check the domain at the same time. A perfect handle whose .ca/.com is taken isn't perfect. Search it at Spaceship (or see our registrar comparison) before you commit.