Websites whose owners choose not to renew their domain names are known as expired domains. And these expired domains still retain old backlinks, so this can be a “shortcut” to help your website increase domain authority. If building links from the beginning will be time-consuming, using expired domains will speed up the process a lot.
However, taking advantage of links from expired domains is considered a gray-hat tactic; it must be done carefully to avoid detection and potential penalties from Google. So, how to use expired domains for link building? Jeenam will reveal everything about expired domains, from where to buy and how to use them to boost links for your website.
What are Expired Domains?
Before learning about how to use expired domains for link building, we need to know what expired domains are. Expired domains are understood as domains that the owner does not renew and will be sold to someone else. The special thing is that expired domains will still keep their history, which means keeping all the backlinks it own. Therefore, many people take advantage of expired domains to quickly increase their authority.
For example, the domain name “ella.co” has expired, but it still owns an impressive amount of backlinks, with 3.4 million links from 28,000 different domains and DR 83. Therefore, ella.co can be sought after by many people.
Simply put, when you buy an expired domain, you can transfer some of that built-in link equity to you. However, not all expired domains are beneficial, which is why we need to check them carefully later. And to effectively leverage expired domains, you will need to have the right strategy.
How to Use Expired Domains for Link Building?
Having an expired domain with an impressive number of backlinks will help you a lot in increasing your authority. However, you need to have the right outreach strategy to take advantage of that link “power”. Here are 3 strategies for using expired domains that you can refer to.
Redirect to Main Domain
Using a 301 redirect is the most straightforward method of taking advantage of an expired domain. You can either redirect the entire site (domain-level redirect) or specific pages (page-level redirect) to your site. Implementing a 301 redirect tells Google that the old URLs have permanently moved to you and that you will inherit their link equity.
With a domain-level redirect, Google will understand that any backlinks will now point back to you, providing an immediate authority boost. You may direct a particular page to a pertinent page on your website by using a page-level redirect.
It is important to remember that the topic of the expired domain and the topic of your site need to be relevant. If your site lacks original content, restore that content and redirect the page first. Because if the topic of your site and the domain are unrelated, Google will consider it spam.
Restore Old Site
The second way to use expired domains for link building is to rebuild the old site. Instead of redirecting immediately, you can restore the expired site itself. If the domain was used to attract traffic, rebuilding it can regain that audience and SEO value.
First, use the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine to retrieve the old content. Then, you need to recreate or update that content (make sure it is fresh and not duplicated) so that it SEOs like a real website. Once that website has some traffic and rankings, you can 301 redirect it to your website. Or you can also utilize this expired domain as a stand-alone project.
Build a PBN with Expired Domains
The last strategy, and also considered a rather “dangerous” strategy in how to use expired domains for link building, is to create PBNs or private blog networks from that domain. PBNs are understood as satellite website networks created to provide backlinks pointing to the main website you are doing business with.
PBNs are considered a black hat SEO tactic. If Google detects it, your website may be devalued or even penalized, and all rankings may be canceled. Therefore, you need to consider carefully if you intend to use this strategy.
How to Discover Expired Domains That Have Powerful Backlinks?
So, how do you get an expired domain with impressive backlinks? You can refer to the following 2 ways.
Join Domain Auctions
The first way is to participate in domain auctions. You can participate in expired domain auction platforms, such as GoDaddy Auctions, to buy suitable domain names. These platforms can also filter by relevant keywords, price, traffic, age, etc., to help you choose the right domain. You can make a bid, buy the domain for a fixed price, or even make an offer to the seller.
Buy from Domain Marketplaces
In addition to auction marketplaces, you can also buy expired domains at marketplaces like Odays. Global or SEO. Domains. These marketplaces will have fixed prices for each different domain name. Similar to auction marketplaces, you can also filter domains by criteria like DR/DA, category, etc. The advantage of domain marketplaces is that you can control the domain name purchasing process better and more securely. However, the prices in these marketplaces will often be higher than auctions.
Key Factors to Evaluate Before Purchasing Expired Domains
The most important thing when learning how to use expired domains for link building is that you need to choose a suitable and quality domain name. You need to check the following criteria before buying a domain name to make sure the domain name is beneficial to you.
Indexing
The first thing to look for is whether Google has indexed the domain. If it is not indexed, the domain has no SEO value and has no links to pass. You can check this by searching site:domain.com. The results will tell you how many pages are indexed and if there are any spam folders.
Domain History and Previous Use
Next, check the domain history and previous usage to avoid sensitive or irrelevant content. To view the earlier content, utilize the Wayback Machine.
Then, select a specific date in the past and view the snapshot of that day.
This will tell you what the content of that domain was. Consider choosing a domain with content related to your main website to avoid being penalized by Google.
Niche Relevance
The next criterion to check in how to use expired domains for link building is niche relevance. Relevance is very important to Google. Compared to a link from an irrelevant website, a backlink from a relevant website is far more beneficial. You should choose a domain with a similar topic to your website topic to make it easier to do 301 redirects or combine with PBNs.
Domain Age & Expiration Date
You will also want to check the age of the domain and its expiration date. Generally, the older the domain, the more links it is likely to have. Also, if the domain has expired for too long, it may have lost some of its authority and traffic. You should also check how often the domain changes hands. If it changes hands too often, it may be a form of affiliate marketing.
Backlink Profile Analysis
Of course, you also need to analyze the domain’s backlink profile. Check metrics like DR, DA, referring domains, outbound, inbound, and spam links. If the outbound/inbound ratio is too high, it could be a sign of link selling. If the domain has a lot of spam links, it could be used for affiliate programs.
Anchor Text Profile
You also need to check the anchor text when learning how to use expired domains for link building. The anchor text will tell you the specific topic and what tactics are used to secure links for that expired domain.
Traffic & Organic Rankings
Next, you should check the domain’s past traffic and rankings. If the traffic and rankings are good, the website will likely perform well for you. But of course, there will be a drop in traffic and rankings when the domain expires.
However, if you notice a sudden drop, it is possible that the website has been penalized in the past or has built unhealthy links that have been removed by Google. While evaluating the traffic, you also need to pay attention to the source of the traffic and whether it is suitable for your goals.
Viruses
Before you spend money on a domain, you need to check if it has been flagged for any illegal activity. To check if a domain is malware or phishing, you can use VirusTotal. This tool will help you check if the website has a virus. For example, if the date of the server change coincides with the date of the appearance of links to malicious files (.js, .pdf, .exe, etc.), or the website is rated by the anti-virus database as a spam site, the domain is likely infected with a virus.
Trademarks
Finally, check the domain name for trademarks to make sure that you won’t be reclaimed by the trademark owner later. Trademarked domains restrict what you can do with them, and you can’t use them for your business. To check if a domain name is trademarked, you can search databases such as the United States Trademark and Patent Office, European Union Intellectual Property Office, UK Gov Search for a trademark, or World Intellectual Property Office.
