Expired domain 301 redirects can still leverage the power of expired domains in interesting ways. It’s one way of boosting SEO that works, as long as you approach it in the correct way. It would redirect a backlink via the expired domain to your website, giving it extra help when it comes to SEO and ranking higher on Google. Of course, this is not without risk because it brings you a greater chance of being penalised by Google in some instances if not done correctly.
It all comes down to knowing when and when not to take this approach. For example, it should only ever be a small part of a wider approach to SEO because if it’s more than that, it really isn’t viable in 2018. To help you learn more about how to use 301 redirects for expired domains, as well as when not to, read on now.
When it is Viable
If you’re going for a permanent redirect, 301 is still the best way to do it. If you are permanently moving traffic from one website to another, 301 redirects offer you the best and move effective solutions. Thanks to changes made by Google, you can still pass an SEO benefit with a 301 redirect so you shouldn’t need to worry about that.
Other platforms like Bing also prefer you to use 301 redirects for permanent moves from expired domains, so you can definitely use these in confidence because these are the two biggest search engines you’ll need to worry about. When deciding which kind of redirect to use, the search engine platforms that are most commonly used in the location you’re optimising for should always be taken into account.
It’s all about making sure that the old content is equivalent to the new content because when that’s the case, and you’re able to use them, 301 redirects are the best option, as long as that old content on the old domain is not coming back. Expired domains used for SEO purposes will usually suit 301 redirects if that’s the technique you want to employ, but not always. Read on to find out about when they’re not viable.
When it’s not Viable
You need to be aware that all redirects carry risk and could result in a drop in search rankings. If that’s something that you’re not prepared for, you could end up losing out and feeling regretful about the whole decision. If the content that you’re moving is coming back on the previous domain at some point, it doesn’t make sense to use a 301 redirect; a 302 redirect would be preferable in this instance.
If the old content is not similar and highly related to the new content you also should probably avoid using 301 redirects because this could cause unnecessary problems. For this kind of situation, it makes more sense for you to make the most of a 404 redirect to the homepage or search page, which signals new content on a new domain. You can find out about these different redirects pretty easily by doing basic research.
If for whatever reason you can’t use a 301 redirect but you are moving equivalent content that won’t be moving back to the old domain in the future, you should use a 302 redirect. That’s the case unless you’re optimising for China. Google has a tiny market share in China, so you’ll need to focus on platforms like Shenma and Baidu instead.
Tread Carefully
It’s important to be careful when using any redirects. There’s no way to use them completely safely because you’re always taking a risk whenever you decide to redirect traffic and that’s something that you can’t get away from. In the past, redirecting traffic via a 301 redirect led to a 15% PageRank (still used internally in Google despite it’s retraction from public use) loss, but that’s something that’s been changed by Google now, so things are moving in the right direction.
However, you still do need to tread carefully and think logically about what you’re trying to achieve and how you can clinch the outcomes that you required. 301 redirects can be viable for expired domains but you need to keep all of the things discussed above in mind when making that decision for yourself. You don’t want to rush into anything without thinking clearly about what the best way forward should be.
301 redirects certainly can be of use in certain situations, but you need to make sure you use them in the right ways and in the right scenarios. If you rush into things and make poor decisions regarding when and how to use 301 redirects, you probably won’t achieve the outcomes you’re looking for.