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Ultimate Guide to Expired Domains for Blogging Success
Julia McCoy
Tuesday, 25th Apr 2023There are over 660 million registered domain names. While that may seem a LOT, thousands of domain names expire every day:
Some people just forgot to renew their domain name, while other owners don’t want them anymore or have moved on to offline projects.
For marketers who know SEO and the value of good backlinks, expired domain names are hidden gems. The key is knowing how to find expired domains with plenty of existing authority backlinks.
In this guide to expired domains for blogging, you will learn:
- The potential benefits of expired domains.
- How to find valuable domain names that have expired.
- Factors to consider when buying expired domains.
- How to invest in aged domains so you can reap maximum rewards.
Let’s begin finding expired domains with high-quality traffic.
Table of Contents
What is an Expired Domain?
An expired domain is a web address that has been previously registered but is now available to acquire again. Expired domains can be an excellent source of high-quality backlinks. You can benefit from their existing reputation, authority, and search engine rankings to give your blog a jumpstart in organic traffic.
You ever had that sinking feeling when you realize you've forgotten something important? Maybe it's your keys, your phone, or your wallet. It's an awful feeling, isn't it? Now imagine that feeling x1000 that's what it feels like when you realize your domain name has expired
— DomainDing (@domainding) April 4, 2023
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Benefits of Buying an Expired Domain
Acquiring an expired domain name can be an excellent strategy for jumpstarting your website or blog. An expired domain is one that was previously registered but has since been released back into the market, often due to its previous owner not renewing its registration.
While there are some risks associated with purchasing an expired domain, there are also several benefits that make it worth considering for any serious blogger or webmaster.
- You get access to existing SEO value and traffic from search engines. Existing search engine indexing and a good reputation with Google’s algorithm which the previous owner had built can lead to higher SERP rankings for an expired domain than a new one. This means more organic traffic and better visibility for your site without having to spend time building up its authority from scratch.
- You can get valuable backlinks that have been acquired by its former owners – links that may take months or years to build on a new blog. These links can provide instant credibility and trustworthiness in the eyes of both human readers and search engine bots — leading to improved click-through rates (CTRs) and higher conversion rates.
Now that you know the benefits of buying an expired domain, let’s start looking for expired domains with high value.
How to Find the Right Expired Domain
When finding expired domains, it’s important to look at current and past activity.
First and foremost, you’ll want to ensure that the domain is still active. Check if the domain has been used in the past or if it’s currently being used by someone else. Be sure to verify if any material connected to the domain might be infringing on copyright laws.
You should also consider how relevant and valuable an expired domain is to your particular niche or industry. Is this something that will help boost SEO rankings? Will it attract more visitors?
Research any previous owners of an expired domain as well as their track record in terms of web traffic and search engine optimization (SEO). This will give you an idea of what kind of success they had with their website before letting go of their ownership rights. You can use tools such as Ahrefs Domain Rating (DR) score or Moz’s Domain Authority (DA) score to get insights into these metrics.
Finally, pay attention to the URL structure and age of an expired domain. Search engines tend to trust older URLs more than newer ones, and this could benefit your website ranking significantly. Look for redirects that may indicate spammy activity in the domain’s past life which could damage your own reputation.
There are various tools available online such as Domain Hunter Gatherer and Filter Domains that enable you to quickly find expired domains based on criteria such as keyword relevance, page rank score, and Alexa ranking. These are some of the important factors you need to consider before you buy expired domains.
You can find expired domains through an auction
Guide to Expired Domains for Blogging: Things to Consider
Before investing in an expired domain, it’s prudent to conduct due diligence and assess the domain’s age, authority (PageRank score), number of outbound links, hosting company, anchor text diversity, and reputation. To get a better sense of any potential baggage that could come with purchasing the domain name, take time to research any negative publicity associated with it.
Here are some of the things you should consider before you buy an expired domain for your blog.
1. Domain Age
One of the most important things to consider when buying an expired domain is its age. Older domains tend to have more trust and authority with search engines, making them more attractive options for SEO purposes. Additionally, older domains often come with a better backlink profile than newer ones.
2. Domain Authority
Another factor to look at when considering an expired domain is its domain authority (DA). DA measures how well a website ranks on search engine result pages (SERPs). Generally speaking, higher DA means better rankings and thus more traffic potential from organic sources. It’s also worth noting that some expired domains may already have existing backlinks which can boost their DA score quickly after purchase.
3. Spam Score
Before purchasing any domain, it’s important to check its spam score to see if the site has been involved in any shady practices such as link farming or other black hat SEO tactics that could get you penalized by search engines. The lower the spam score of a given website, the less likely it will cause problems for your blog.
4. Link Quality
When looking into an expired domain’s link profile, pay attention to both the quantity and quality of links pointing back to your blog. Having too many low-quality links pointing to your content could potentially lead to penalties from search engines if they deem them unnatural or manipulative in nature.
Conversely, having low or no external links pointing at all can be just as detrimental due to the lack of exposure opportunities via third-party websites. Thus, it is wise to assess both the positive and negative implications of obtaining external links before committing to any expired domain.
Double-check any potential penalties associated with an expired domain — nobody wants to flush their hard-earned cash down the drain.
Lastly, don’t forget about technical considerations such as hosting requirements. Many aged domains require different server configurations so check these details beforehand.
Investing in aged domains can be beneficial if done correctly. Just remember to do your research before committing financially.
How to Buy Expired Domains
An expired domain marketplace is a website that specializes in the buying and selling of domains that have already been registered but are no longer being used. There are several well-known marketplaces such as NameJet, GoDaddy Auctions, Flippa, Sedo, and DropCatch. Each marketplace offers its own unique set of features and benefits to buyers and sellers alike.
Here are a few things to consider when choosing where to buy an expired domain.
- Cost: How much will I pay for the expired domain?
- Reputation: Is this marketplace reliable?
- Selection: What kind of domains do they offer?
- Customer service: Are they available when I need them?
Best Aged Domain Marketplaces
Where can you buy an expired or aged domain? That’s the last part of our guide to expired domains for blogging.
Odys
Odys is a marketplace with over 1,000 aged domains for sale. They provide brandable and high-quality domains that come with a free logo design. Prices range from $750 to over $50,000, making them perfect for any budget. Plus, they have a barebones live version of the website to keep the pages indexed while it’s available on their marketplace.
SerpDomains
SerpDomains is another great option when looking for an aged domain marketplace. It has thousands of members and offers premium domains in highly profitable niches at affordable prices. The team behind this site are seasoned veterans in the industry so you can be sure that you’re getting quality service every time you make a purchase here.
SerpNames
SerpNames provides aged domains specifically tailored towards affiliate marketers and bloggers who want to scale their existing or new websites quickly by gaining faster rankings and traffic. All of their inventory consists of high-quality niche domains so there’s no need to worry about wasting your money on low-quality ones.
GoDaddy Auctions
If you don’t mind spending some extra time searching and bidding on expired domains, then GoDaddy Auctions may be right up your alley. Here you can find great deals without having to pay reseller prices which makes it perfect if you’re working with limited funds but still want good-quality domain names for your blogs or websites.
Use This Guide to Expired Domains to Get Strategic
Buying an expired domain can be a great way to start your blog with some existing authority and traffic. With the right guide to expired domains for blogging, you will be able to invest in a highly valuable aged domain.
Make sure that you research thoroughly before making any decisions and consider all of the factors mentioned above when looking into purchasing an aged or expired domain.
Once you have chosen and purchased an expired domain, start filling it with great content using BrandWell’s RankWell long-form SEO writer.
Watch this video to learn how Marcus Campbell, a.k.a. The Affiliate Marketing Dude, uses BrandWell to power his expired domains to the top of Google.
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