What are expired domains? And why does everybody seem to want one? This article will give you all the information you need to understand what makes good expired domains, what’s advantageous about them, and why people should be cautious about spending money to register them.
When an owner registers a domain name, the registration comes with a contract that dictates when the domain will expire. When the period is over, the domain returns to the market and becomes available for re-registration by someone else.
An expired domain is a domain that wasn’t renewed before expiration or was deliberately terminated. Domains sometimes become free when they encounter trademark infringement issues.
An expiring domain is the same as an expired domain. Note that domain ownership isn’t permanent. A domain, which is also a website’s address on the Internet, is rented for a set amount of time and needs to be renewed.
Meanwhile, dropped domains are also expired domains that have gone unregistered after the grace phase and left unsold after being put up for auction.
Now that the question “What are expired domains?” is out of the way let’s focus on what makes them tick. High-quality expired domains come with many benefits. But by far, an expired domain’s biggest draw is the search engine optimization (SEO) boost it can give a website.
Unlike new domains, expired domain names already have SEO value, so you don’t have to start from zero when building a website. An expired domain can also be used for a variety of purposes, like redirecting traffic through 301 redirects, setting up a private blog network (PBN), and being sold later for a profit.
An expired domain’s SEO value primarily derives from the quality of its backlink data profile. So, those who are looking to buy one should know how to assess if a domain’s backlinks are of good quality.
Let’s look more into what makes an expired domain valuable.
Backlinks are the incoming links that a domain has built over time. Unlike website content, these links remain when an expired domain is re-registered. The number of backlinks matters, along with the quality of each link. Note that some domains might have been previously used as a link farm and have a bad backlink profile.
SEO experts have identified the following characteristics to help people determine the quality of inbound links.
Domain names containing relevant keywords bode well for a site’s search engine rankings. Keyword domains are deemed to be more trustworthy. So, make sure to buy expired domains that have a name that’s related to the products or services that will be offered at those addresses.
Another thing to watch out for is if a domain name infringes on trademark registrations. To avoid future issues, search the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) database before purchasing.
Depending on factors like the quality of a domain’s backlink profile, an expired domain can work for or against its owner over time. Here’s a rundown of the advantages and disadvantages that come with expired domains.
Pro tip: Use The Wayback Machine to see if a domain produced good content in the past. This kind of content leaves a good impression on search engines.
Looking for expired domains online can be overwhelming. To make it easier for customers to find the perfect domain, it’s a good idea to rely on professional domain traders who have compiled deletion lists. Do note that some of these datasets are behind a paywall.
Another way to find expired domains is through backorder services. These companies monitor domains in various end stages, such as the pending delete stage. When an expired domain name becomes available, the service registers it for the customer.
After knowing where to find expired domains, let’s learn how to buy and own one.
1. Get to know the domain expiration timeline.
The timeline will depend on the domain registrar. Most will have a grace period of 30 days after the domain expires. After this, ownership of the domain may be forfeited. At this point, backorders can be made, and the domain is put up for auction.
2. Find out which registrar lists the desired expired domain.
Use a WHOIS lookup tool to refer to where a domain is listed and its availability. Here are some of the popular registrars and auction houses where buyers can go to bid.
3. Bid on the domain name or place an order for it.
However, this service doesn’t guarantee a buyer will get a domain name, especially if it goes to auction. For many reasons, some domains cannot be backordered because of their domain extension, quality, and other characteristics.
The highest bidder wins an auctioned domain.
4. Buy the domain.
The last step to acquiring an expired domain is to pay for it, whether the user got it through a backorder or an auction.
Knowing how to use an expired domain can help a business generate its online audience. Services like Mailchimp have a dedicated set of marketing and email campaign tools that can help domain owners create and optimize a site.
ExpiredDomains.net is a site that offers a database of expired domains available for backorder or registration. It supports 585 top-level domains (TLDs), including popular ones like .com, .net, and .org.
Here are some of the other generic TLDs available on ExpiredDomains.net.
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