Do you know what an expired domain name is? Are you about to create a website and wondering if it is possible to find a domain name that will allow you to generate traffic quickly? .
The impact of an expired domain name in SEO
Do you already own one or more websites and are you looking for an effective SEO technique to boost your traffic and your positioning? We recommend you take an interest in the expired domain name.
What has been this very popular SEO technique for a few years? What are the advantages? What are its risks?
What is an expired domain name?
When browsing the Internet, there are many expired domains. These have simply not been renewed by their owner. If you are about to choose a domain name for your website, we recommend you look at these free domains before making your decision. Indeed, the referencing of a website on Google is complex and requires a very important investment: what if the expired domain was an opportunity to seize in SEO?
Why take back an expired domain name?
There are many reasons for choosing an expired domain name :
- Brand protection: some companies decide to reserve several domain names in order to prevent other companies from appropriating them. Here, we are talking about a portfolio of domains. The aim here is to avoid cyber-squatting and unfair competition.
- An expired domain name can also correspond to the activity of a new project.
- In natural referencing, the use of an expired domain allows above all the recovery and transfer of traffic. Indeed, it should be understood that an expired domain has a certain age and a history: its positioning in Google's SERPs and the power of its backlinks can be an asset to boost the natural referencing of its website, to condition of intelligently using 301 redirects.
- Reserving an expired domain name is also a very popular technique, with SEOs wishing to set up a network of sites.
Buying an expired domain: the importance of the evaluation stage
The purchase of a domain name expired interests you? This can be beneficial for your SEO as long as you take certain precautions. Indeed, some expired domains are not as interesting as they appear.
Some domain names are in high demand. Therefore, it is important to shoot. However, before buying an expired domain in a marketplace, it is preferable to take the time to evaluate it in order to avoid unpleasant surprises.
Here are the distinct elements we advise you to pay attention to:
- The age and history of the domain name: at first glance, it seems more interesting to go to a domain with age. However, this is not true. Indeed, with an expired domain, it is necessary to analyze the seniority from several angles: the content, the graphic charter, the technology, the hosting or the owner of the site. Have they regularly changed since its creation? More than seniority, we invite you to prioritize stability when you want to reserve an expired domain. Likewise, it is important to carry out a few checks so as not to buy an expired domain name with a liability that can be negative for your SEO.
- The number of backlinks and referring domains : marketplaces highlight many indicators in order to push webmasters to gain their expired domains. Among them, the number of backlinks and referring domains. We recommend you verify the numbers using your own tools, as those shown are not always correct.
- What about PageRank, Majestic Trust Flow or even Citation Flow promoted by marketplaces and other auction sites? It is important to remain cautious about these indicators offered by marketplaces. Indeed, we must not forget that the PageRank has not been updated since 2013: no need to take this metric into account when choosing your expired domain name. For other indicators, also know that the metrics are not always up to date on auction sites: take the time to carry out some checks.
Registering an expired domain name: what are the risks?
There are two major risks when deciding to gain an expired domain:
- Choose an expired domain name whose history is not clean. Your goal with an expired domain is to gain traffic, not lose traffic because of an old penalty.
- If you choose to redirect all of your expired domain names to your primary site using a 301 redirect, Google may penalize you. Indeed, we must be very careful with the networks of sites for a few years.
Finally, following a few tests, some SEOs have hypothesized that the 301 redirect from an expired domain name no longer brings the expected increase in traffic.
Are you going to reserve a domain name soon? Wondering about expired domains? Approach your SEO agency. Only linking professionals will tell you whether buying a domain name will be beneficial to the referencing of your website.