A domain is essential if you plan to create a new website. You don’t need to purchase a brand new domain each time you wish to create a new website. Expiring domains can be purchased at a lower price.
If you are lucky enough to get a good domain with traffic, you can start building your website. Domain authority can be inherited from domains that have been accessed with traffic.
It is up to you to identify the best expiring domains that have a strong link profile and a history of spam. You might find it helpful to read the entire article about expiring domains. This article will provide all the information you need about purchasing expiring domains.
What are the Expired Domains
Let’s distinguish a domain and a website first. A domain is a phone number that you can call to reach a website. If the domain is not maintained, it will take you to the website.
Multiple reasons can cause domains to expire. You could lose your domain or have unpaid billing.
These websites are valuable because they were legitimate businesses (more or less) before they went bankrupt. You can get these backlinks from the past without spending too much.
You must purchase a domain name from an auction to obtain it (more details later). You must also bid in order to purchase an expired domain. There are other ways to acquire a domain name than an auction. Even an expired domain can be reserved.
For SEO, Buy Expired Domains
As with buying links, you can also buy expired domains as an alternate strategy. However, it should not be the main strategy.
However, buying expired domains can still improve your site’s rankings if done correctly. For expired domains to be effective as SEO strategies, it is important to keep the site and expiring domain in sync.
Let’s take, for example, a furniture business and a website about it. It is not a good idea to purchase an old domain that has a gardening niche.
Imagine you are the user and you are searching for gardening tools. Click on the expired domain to get a redirect to furniture-related websites. This could be detrimental to your user experience as well as your SEO.
John Mueller, Google’s head of search engine optimization, said that the technique is difficult and that Google is monitoring it. Here is what he said during an interview at 40.05
“So, you have to look for situations in which people are trying to abuse it by picking up expired domains that don’t relate to their work and hoping to get them to rank high in search… that can sometimes be a little tricky.”
John Mueller
Google’s algorithm has some difficulties identifying spammy domains. Many expired domains that have been reregistered are legitimately used for business purposes. Google cannot simply point out malicious intent when someone is using expired domains.
1. Target Audience with Established Audience
You can take advantage of the existing audience by buying an expired domain. You can convert an audience of existing websites to your own audience by buying an old domain.
It’s much easier to get back the capital that you spent on the domain that is expired if you have traffic.
This can be used to target the right audience for your site. You can identify the right niche to target by analysing your market demographics. This will bring potential customers to your door.
2. Established Link Profile
If the domain’s previous owner is serious about organic traffic, there are good chances that the domain has an established link profile. These links can be used to simplify your link-building strategies.
Ahrefs’ Site Explorer Tool allows you to check backlink profiles.
You won’t have to start new link building efforts if you use the existing link profile from the expired domain. This will help you save valuable time and effort when building links.
3. Domain Age is a ranking factor
Although most people don’t know this, Google and other search engines consider domain age to be a ranking factor. The more trusted a domain is, the older it is. If your domain is old and expired, you have greater chances of ranking high on Google.
Search engines consider older domains more trustworthy. Spammy domains are not as long-lasting as older domains. These spammers often move from one site to the next to keep their security.
Your site’s rank can be greatly improved by adding useful content to old domains. You should also consider other factors that could impact your site’s ranking. Here is an example of an expired domain that you can purchase from Dropl.io.
The highlighted domain has excellent metrics and is among the oldest on our list.
The oldest domain farrix.com can be seen in the list. However, if you examine the backlink profile for the domain, it is clear that most of the backlinks to this website were generated by Chinese websites.
Ahrefs profile of the sample domain that has expired
You won’t get any benefit from purchasing this expired domain if your niche is not relevant to Chinese readers. If Google notices, this will hurt your SEO. When choosing domains to expire, consider other factors.
4. Additional Backlink to the Main Website
If you have an expired domain, it can link back to your main site. Higher rankings in the SERPs will be possible if you have more backlinks to your main website. A mini-website that links back to your main site can be very helpful.
This is possible by creating valuable content for your new website. You can then link to your original website from this high-quality content. You want to make sure your readers still find value from your website even if they are redirected.
There are some drawbacks to buying expired domains
1. Bidding can be too expensive
You can be sure that other people are interested in an attractive domain that has many potentials. Auctions can result in prices that are much higher than what was expected for the domain.
This can be costly, even more than buying a new domain. To avoid high prices, people often bid in the last minute. This can lead to a loss of time as you need to make sure it is not too high.
2. Vulnerability to Penalties
You are exposing yourself to many vulnerabilities when you purchase an expired domain. There are many penalties for buying expired domains. It is important to examine the profile of each site to determine if you are at risk.
Here are some things to watch out for:
- Keyword stuffing
- Keywords in anchor texts are too often used
- Duplicate content
- Black hat SEO techniques
- Site history (if it was a porn or malicious site)
- Hacking history
- Malicious backlinks
Don’t accept a backlink profile from an expired domain that contains any of these. The penalty will cost you more money and time.
3. Domain that is incompetent
Many domains are no longer in demand and are therefore not viable for their markets. It is likely that the previous owner had difficulty dealing with the market competition. It is important to compare the expertise of the domain’s current owner with its niche competitors.
Ranking would be easier if the domain was an old one that is competitive on low-competition keywords. Google will rank you higher if you focus on long-tail keywords that have high monthly searches volume.
Qualities of a Good Expired Domain
You should consider several factors before buying an expired domain. These domains are unique because they were created by people who have limited SEO knowledge.
An expired domain can be evaluated and separated from those that could harm or benefit your SEO. These are the qualities you should look for in expired domains:
1. Backlink Profile
The backlink profile for an expired domain can be used to determine the type of backlinks that are associated with it. Ahrefs Site Explorer Tool allows you to check the quality of backlinks.
Ahrefs Domain Rating is the reliable metric to assess the authority of domains.
LinkDoctor(tm) conducted a survey to determine which metrics are most effective in measuring authority. Ahrefs allows you to analyze your domain in detail. This will reduce the chance of negative SEO being applied to your newly acquired website.
2. Domain Authority (DA).
This Moz metric is second in popularity to determine the domain’s quality. This metric predicts domain ranking potential.
Moz calculates the domain’s DA by assessing the quality of its content and backlinks. Domains with higher DA are more valuable.
3. Domain History
It is important to understand the pitfalls and milestones of domain expiration. A domain history that is free from spam links and malicious use is a good one. Wayback Machine allows you to see the website’s activity over the years.
Enter the domain name and you’ll see a screenshot of the domain.
This tool allows you to check if the domain has been used for gambling, porn or other malicious content. You can also look at the domain to see if there are any signs of hacking.
Don’t purchase a domain that was expired if it has been used for any of the above. Multiple penalties will be imposed on your SEO that can be difficult to fix and could cause you to lose your rankings.
4. Page Speed and Responsiveness
Two factors that can impact a website’s search engine optimization are page speed and responsiveness. Your site’s user experience can be affected by this.
It will show on your website if the domain is slow in page speed and responsiveness. Websites can become slow and unresponsive due to plugins, images, image quality, and advertisements.
Google PageSpeed Insights can be used to assess the page speed and responsiveness for your domain. This tool can help you determine which domains you should keep. This tool also offers suggestions for optimising the page to improve its performance.
5. Traffic quality
You should also check the quality of traffic that your domain has been receiving. Do not be fooled with numbers as some bots may be obtaining this “traffic”.
These are some tips to determine if your domain has been flooded with bot traffic.
- Bots will be able to appear as direct traffic
- Bot traffic appears to be new visitors
- Bot traffic is indicated by a high bounce rate
- Bots view 1 page per session.
An authentic domain should have genuine traffic. Organic traffic is the best. This can be checked using Google Analytics.
Where to buy expired domains
Domains that are about to expire will be sold at an auction. Websites like NameJet and GoDaddy host these auctions. These websites offer a place for people to purchase expired domains.
It’s much easier to buy expired domains than in the past. These websites enable you to track every price change and bid on your target domain.
The Final Word
There are both benefits and drawbacks to using expired domains for SEO purposes. These drawbacks can be reduced by choosing the right expired domain to suit your needs. Your expired domain should be able to compete with other sites, whether it is a new site or a 301 redirect domain.
FAQ
1. What is the point of a domain name?
Your site visitors will remember your domain name. Geo-specific URLs are also helpful for users who live in a specific region.
2. What happens if I don’t get the domain I want?
You can always choose the domain name you prefer. If you are unable to find the domain name you desire, you can search for another URL that is similar. If the site is well-established, it could cause your site to be shadowed.