An expired domain is a domain name that has been registered by an individual, company, or organization, but is no longer being used. Expired domains are often auctioned off by domain registrars, with the winning bidder assuming ownership of the domain.
The benefits of acquiring an expired domain are many. For starters, an expired domain usually comes with an established backlink profile. Expired domains often come with a history of traffic, which can be helpful in boosting your SEO efforts.
Keep in mind not all expired domains are created equal. In order to avoid wasting time and money on a worthless domain, it’s important to know how to find quality expired domains. This guide will provide you with everything you need to know in order to find quality expired domains that will help boost your business.
Why are Expired Domains Important?
The acquisition of an expired domain can be a great asset to any business. First and foremost, an expired domain typically comes with an existing backlink profile that can be beneficial for SEO. An expired domain can often come with a history of existing traffic, which can help to boost website visibility and organic reach.
Another benefit of acquiring expired domains is the potential to use them as 301 redirects. By redirecting visitors from an expired domain to the active website, website owners can ensure that the visitors will be directed to the intended page. This can be especially useful for websites that have recently gone through a rebranding process or have changed their URLs.
When it comes to SEO and visibility benefits, expired domains can help to establish a brand’s credibility. There is an increased likelihood that a domain that has been in active use for some time will be more popular, credible, and trustworthy than a new domain. This can help to give your brand a boost in the eyes of potential customers.
How to Find Quality Expired Domain?
There are many different sources for locating quality expired domains. Some of the most popular include:
Domain registrars: Most domain registrars will display a list of expired domains at competitive pricing.
Domain auctions: Popular domain hosting such as SeekaHost, GoDaddy and expireddomains.net often display expired domains with bids that reflect the domain’s estimated market value. Visit these platforms and search for expired domains based on your preferences. Here we used expireddomains.net to find the expired domains.
Set search filters: Utilize the search filters provided by the marketplace or registrar to narrow down your results. These filters may include domain extension, price range, keyword inclusion, and domain authority.
Check domain history: Once you find a potential expired domain, examine its history using tools like Archive.org’s Wayback Machine (web.archive.org) to see how the website used to look and what content it had. This step helps ensure the domain doesn’t have a problematic past.
Bid or purchase the domain: If you’re satisfied with the domain and its value aligns with your budget, you can place a bid or make a purchase through the marketplace or registrar. Follow the specific instructions on the platform to complete the transaction.
Transfer the domain: After successfully acquiring the domain, you’ll need to transfer it to your preferred domain registrar. Each domain marketplace or registrar will have specific procedures for transferring domains, so refer to their guidelines for detailed instructions.
Renew the domain: Keep in mind that expired domains may have been unused for a while, so it’s crucial to promptly renew the domain registration to secure it. Failure to do so might result in losing the domain to someone else.
Important Metrics for a Quality Expired Domain?
Finding a quality expired domain can be a challenge. When it comes to selecting the right expired domain, there are five key metrics to consider: authority, trust, link profile, age, and relevance.
- Authority: Expired domains with a high domain authority (DA) will give your own website more of a boost. This metric measures the power of a given domain and shows its ability to rank in search results.
- Trust: Trustworthiness is another crucial metric to consider when selecting an expired domain. You want to ensure the domain isn’t associated with any negative press or spammy content.
- Link profile: You should also consider the link profile of any expired domain you’re considering. This indicates the number of external websites linking to the domain, which can give you more of an indication of the quality of the domain.
- Age: The age of any expired domain is also important to consider in your selection process. Older domains tend to carry more weight with search engine algorithms.
- Relevance: You also want to make sure the expired domain is relevant to your industry. This increases the chances of the domain helping you rank higher in search engine results.
Inspecting an Expired Domain
Once you’ve identified the expired domains you’re interested in, inspecting them is the next step. There several things to look for when inspecting an expired domain.
- Previous owners: The first thing to look at is who owned the domain before. Do your own research to determine if the previous owner had any negative history attached to the domain. Knowing who owned it can help you know what type of content is likely to be associated with the domain.
- URL structure: Checking the URL structure is the next step. The URL should be easy to read and make sense given the type of content the domain is associated with. It should also contain relevant keywords and phrases to ensure it’s able to be found in search engine queries.
- Page speed: You’ll also want to make sure the URL loads quickly, so you may want to check the page speed of the domain.
- Backlinks: You’ll want to check if the domain has any active backlinks from other sources. If the domain has a significant number of backlinks from sources like blogs, websites, and social media accounts, it can indicate the domain has a good foundation.
- Age of domain: The age of the domain also matters. Old domains tend to be more reputable and trusted by users.
Wrapping Things Up
Research for the perfect expired domain involves several steps. Start by making sure you have all the essential information that you need. Make sure your list includes domain authority, trust, link profile, age, and relevance.
Once you have your list of domains that fit your criteria, create a spreadsheet to compare the metrics and narrow your list down.
The next step is to research the domain further and check for any potential reputation issues. You may want to run the domain through a few online tools to make sure no malicious activity is associated with it.
Make sure the domain is within your budget. You can find domains in all price ranges, so make sure to find one that fits your budget.
