Finding and Buying an Expired Domain on Namecheap: Here’s What You Need to Know

Expired domains offer people the chance to own a valuable digital asset, often at a fee that is a bit cheaper than premium domains. 

Learn how to find and buy expired domains on Namecheap. Use this information to guide you in what to look for and how to transfer domains after the transaction is complete. 

The Life Cycle of an Expired Domain at Namecheap

Namecheap is a web hosting service and domain registrar that sells expired domains for affordable prices. 

As a registrar, it manages domains from registration until expiration. Domain names on Namecheap follow this life cycle. 

1. The domain name is registered. Its validity lasts for one to ten years.
2. The domain name expires but can still be renewed.
3. The Namecheap Domain Registry marks the domain expired at midnight, the last day before the expiration date.
4. The domain’s nameservers are changed to Namecheap parking nameservers. Which is the reason why the website and email service stop working. 
5. The expired domain remains in the owner’s Namecheap account for 30 days. 
6. It is transferred from the Domain List to the Redemption Grace Period if not there is no renewal or it's not reactivated. 
7. The Namecheap parking page is displayed after the expiration date.
8. The domain owner’s contact details are no longer displayed in the WHOIS database.

Benefits of Buying an Expired Domain

Owning expired, aged domains from Namecheap has many benefits. Let’s examine what makes them valuable and why domain investors buy a domain. 

Good domain names

Expired domains often come with popular top-level domain (TLD) extensions like .com, .net, and .org. Good domain names with pronounceable keywords on a trending topic can also be found in auctions.

SEO benefits

Since they already have a history behind them, expired domain names can help a site’s search engine optimization (SEO). A domain that has been around for years tends to rank higher in search engine results.

Redirects

Since an expired domain already has organic traffic, it can be used to redirect traffic to a new site. This is done through a 301 redirect in the hopes that search engines will transfer the old page’s ranking to the new one. Just make sure that the topics on the two sites are relevant to each other.

Private Blog Networks (PBNs)

A private blog network (PBN) is a collection of blogs on domains with good backlinks. PBNs are created to boost the main site’s backlink profile and SEO metrics. Expired domains are sometimes bought and developed to be part of a PBN. 

Existing traffic and user base

A business will find an expired domain’s existing traffic and user base useful when building its online presence. It won’t have to start from scratch, saving time and money on marketing efforts. 

Who's Buying Expired Domains?

Anyone can buy expired domains on Namecheap. However, most purchasers will fall into one of these three categories.

• Domain flippers 
• Domain parkers
• SEO professionals

How to Find Expired Domains

Millions of domains expire every day. Snap up the best among the bunch by monitoring a variety of platforms to see which ones are worth scooping up.

Flippers and investors should use these tools and services to search the expired domain markets.

• Domain auctions and marketplaces
• Backorder services
• Expired domain search tools and checkers

Key Things to Check Before Buying an Expired Domain

 Not all expired domains are worth buying as a piece of digital real estate. Before investing in one, make sure to do these checks first. 

1. Check for topical relevancy. 

See if the expired domain’s past content is relevant to the new site’s niche. Topic relevancy is key to SEO success.

2. Check for spam history. 

A domain with a history of spamming isn’t a good investment. Web tools like the Wayback Machine can be used to investigate a domain’s past content.

Here are indicators of past spam activities:

• Non-English language
• Keyword stuffing
• Duplicate content

3. Check brandability.

Brandability is essential if a purchaser intends to use an expired business or high-quality blog domain. However, it might not be a factor if a site will be used for 301 redirects and PBNs. 

4. Check for manual penalties.

Verify with Google Search Console if the expired old domain or domain owners have incurred manual penalties in the past.

5. Check Google index.

Type this search query: site:example.com. Use the name of the deleted domain and see if Google has indexed it.  

6. Check for trademark and copyright issues.

Before purchasing expired domains, you'll need to know if there are any copyright infringement issues. Then, use the domain name to search the US Trademark Search Engine quickly.

How to Reserve an Expiring Domain

Once buyers have their eyes on certain older domains, they can place a reservation. The backorder service will then attempt to register the newly expired domain for the buyer. A domain broker also offers the same service.

 It's worth noting that by cutting out the middleman, the buyer can contact the current owner. If the owner accepts the offer for your favorite domain, you can renew it, and it will be reserved.

Recovering Your Expired Domain with Namecheap

Most expiring top-class domains on Namecheap can be recovered during the renewal grace period, which lasts 30 days. 

Navigate these steps to recover and renew an expired domain on Namecheap.

1. Sign in to the user account and go to the Expiring/Expired section.
2. Find the domain contact information that needs renewal and add it to the cart. Proceed to view the cart.
3. Click the Confirm Order link and complete the expired domain name checkout process. 

Transferring and Registering Your Expired Domain

After purchasing an expired domain from a marketplace, it’s time to transfer it to a registrar. Pick a trusted service and follow the instructions on the registrar’s site.  

Transferring and registering the good expired domain you're wanting means accessing services like website hosting, security, and other tools.