Expired Domains for SEO: How to Find and Utilize Them for Maximum Impact

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Are you tired of searching for the perfect domain name for your business, only to find that all the best options are taken? Look no further than expired domains for SEO.

By purchasing an expired domain, you can inherit its established SEO value and enjoy the benefits of an established online presence.

With backlinks, traffic, and authority already in place, an expired domain can be the perfect solution for businesses looking to boost their SEO quickly and effectively.

‘Expired’ domains, also known as ‘dropped’ domains are websites that, for whatever reasons, were not renewed by their owners and became available for purchase.

Expired domains can still be profitable because some have many web pages that are still indexed in the search engines, and some may hold multiple rankings in the SERPs for a dozen relevant keywords to your business.

Aged domains with high Domain Authority (DA) and quality backlinks are gold nuggets but not impossible to find.

So if you’re thinking about buying a premium expired domain name, keep reading because I will explain what these types of websites have in store for SEO purposes and how to buy yours sooner than later.

First of all, brand-new isn’t always better: this is why you need an aged domain, titled Adrian Nita’s article for Entrepreneur.com. Inside, he explained to startup founders and business owners the benefits of leveraging expired domains.

For example, regarding:

Domain Authority vs. Age vs. Trustworthiness

Adrian says:

“Many online marketers falsely believe they can increase their domain authority by simply buying an older domain. However, this isn’t always the case because age doesn’t necessarily equal trustworthiness.

Some domains may have “aged” but still lack credibility and authority if they haven’t been updated or maintained over time. It’s important to remember that links and content  add value to a website, so even if you purchase an aged domain, it might not be worthy of being ranked higher just yet.”

Do Expired Domains Have Any Ranking Advantages?

You might want to read John Mueller, Google’s Webmaster Trends Analyst, explain how Google handles expired domains. You’ll learn the difference between a ‘parked’ and an ‘expired’ domain name and how Google had handled this issue since 2003 when they changed their algorithm to reset the PageRank of expired domains.

Expired Domains and SEO Scammers

Haje Jan Kamps wrote for Techcrunch a solid yet controversial piece on buying and selling expired domains; how SEO scammers buy expired domains, more precisely, vexing Google.

You’ll read what the spammers are doing, how they think, how they analyze an expired domain, the tools they’re using, and everything else.

Not Sure Where to Buy Expired Domains From?

Full-time blogger and SEO expert, Anil Agarwal, uncovered the top 9 expired domain marketplaces to help with that; Flippa is the first one listed inside, but not always the best choice.

However, if you’re just starting, you may not know what to look for when buying expired domains.

Thus, consider these three major things before buying any dropped domains:

1. Make sure to find out the DA and trust flow of the domain you buy.
2. Verify whether the domain you want to buy isn’t banned anywhere.
3. Check the number of backlinks of the domain you are interested in.

Pitfalls to Avoid Before Buying Expired Domains

You cannot just buy any expired domain name that these tools provide. You have to research and qualify these dropped domain names using specific criteria.

Due diligence is just as important to buying expired domains as it is to buy a car or an apartment because you’ll want to use and keep them for many years to come.

The following are some of the main things to avoid when buying a domain name for your website:

• Spammy Backlinks

Expired domains often have spammy backlinks because they were once used as spammy landing pages or affiliate sites. These links can hurt your search rankings, and Google will penalize your site if it finds them.

• Poor Domain Authority

Expired domains tend to have low domain authority because they’ve been off the market for so long, and no one has cared about them since then. That means it may take longer for your site to get ranked higher in search results compared to other sites with higher domain authority scores.

• Low Page Authority

If you’re not sure what page authority is, here’s a good guide from Moz that explains it and its comparison with domain authority.

You can use Ahrefs’ URL rating (UR) to check the page authority of any website page or blog post link. They’re taking into account both internal and external links.

(Source: Ahrefs)

• Lack of Quality Content

If the content on an expired domain is low quality or spammy, then you shouldn’t bother with it, especially if you plan on publishing new content on the site.

• No Relevance to Your Business

This one goes without saying: if there’s no connection between your business/niche and the content on an expired domain, then don’t buy it!

Closing Thoughts

Tapping into the potential of expired domains for SEO can be a game changer for your business. When you thoroughly assess the domains for their DA, backlinks, and relevance to your niche, you can successfully navigate the challenges that come with buying expired domains.

Keep in mind that age alone doesn’t guarantee success; it’s the value provided by links and content that truly matters. Invest the time to find the right expired domains for your business, and watch your SEO efforts soar. Additionally, prioritize internet security on Windows systems to safeguard your online activities.