Ranking high on search engines like Google can be quite a struggle, especially for new websites (that doesn’t mean existing ones have it any easier) and that’s why we use expired domains.
Expired domains are previously owned website names that haven’t been renewed and you can find the best ones through Domain Hunter Gatherer.
Expired domains have been somewhat of a debated subject as Google has proclaimed them to be of little use in modern SEO but this flies in the face of what real SEOs and Internet Marketers see everyday. The truth is there is little more beneficial than starting a project on a solid foundation of a quality aged domain.
Expired domains have a built up history of content and backlink profile that will could really boost your website’s SEO big time. How? Read on to find out more.
Why Expired Domains are good for SEO
SEO is all about building trust and authority with search engines and expired domains come with pre-existing elements that boost this relationship. The following are the benefits of expired domains for SEO:
Established Backlink Profile
When you grab an expired domain, you also get its backlink profile.
But hold up, what are backlinks anyway? They’re links from other websites that point back to yours, and they’re a big deal for search engines
If you’re lucky, you could get links from reputable sites without lifting a finger.
And guess what? Search engines see those backlinks as a sign that your site is legit and trustworthy, which can bump up your ranking in search results. Servya’s online backlink checker tool can quickly show the backlink profile of any domain.
Aged Domain Trust
You’ve probably heard the phrase, “Respect your elders” before. Well, search engines might feel the same way about expired domains.
The age of a domain can play a role in how search engines see its trustworthiness.
Some SEO experts believe that older domains get a little extra love from search engines. So when you get an expired domain, you could boost your SEO efforts.
Targeted Traffic
What if you bought an expired domain, and suddenly, visitors start flocking to your site? Is it possible?
Yes. some expired domains come with established traffic. People were already visiting the site before it expired, and now they’re finding their way to your doorstep.
Some domains at auction can be purchased with existing traffic, so Domain Hunter Gatherer’s Domain Auction Hunter tools are ideal for this purpose.
One ranking factor for search engines is existing traffic so this is another factor that can also help out the SEO of a domain.
Branding and Brand Authority
When people see a domain that matches your brand name, they’re more likely to trust you. It’s like seeing a familiar face in a crowd of strangers.
So by using an expired domain with a relevant brand name, you’re not just building a website—you’re building a reputation.
With Domain Hunter Gatherer’s Expired Domain Finder tools you can quickly search a database of 10s of millions of available domains based on any keyword you want.
How to Use Expired Domains to Boost SEO
We have talked about how to monetize expired domains in the past but we will cover some of the more popular ways below:
301 Redirects
A 301 redirect is a permanent redirection code that tells search engines and visitors that a web page has been permanently moved to a new location.
It’s kinda like moving to a new house. You’d want to make sure all your mail is forwarded to the new address so you fill out a change of address form either online or at the local post office.
By properly redirecting the expired domain, you transfer the SEO value (link juice) from its backlinks to your existing website. You’ll improve your ranking for relevant keywords on search engines.
Anyone trying to visit the old domain will also end up at your new website instead. The traffic will keep coming and you won’t miss out on any visitors or potential customers.
These steps will help you leverage 301 redirects with expired domains:
- Find an expired domain with a strong backlink profile relevant to your existing website’s niche. Use a tool like Domain Hunter Gatherer (DHG) to search for domains looking out for what makes a good expired domain.
- Once you’ve got your expired domain, it’s time to set up the redirect. Most domain registrars offer tools or instructions for configuring 301 redirects to a different domain
- After you’ve set up the redirect, use tools like Google Search Console to monitor how search engines handle the transition. It can take some time for the full SEO value to transfer from the old domain to your new website but direct traffic should be more instantly noticeable.
Rebuilding Existing Content
Expired domains may still have valuable content related to your niche.
It might be outdated or incomplete, but with a little polishing, you can build something even better. Plus, you inherit the potential SEO value of the existing content and backlinks.
Rebuilding existing content is also faster and cheaper than starting from scratch, providing you have a legal right to use the content.
Here’s how to rebuild existing content on expired domains:
- Take a good look at the existing content. This can be seen on the wayback machine.
- Once you’ve sifted through everything, update any outdated info with fresh information, visuals, and internal linking to the right pages on your website.
- Add some fresh content too. There could be topics that haven’t been covered yet or some new insights you can share with your audience.
- Make sure all the revamped content has a consistent voice and tone with your brand. You want everything to feel cohesive and on-brand.
The above process could be sped up with a website recovery tool such as DomRecovery but often it is better to start with a template you are comfortable with and then bringing the existing content into the new theme. This approach makes future advancement of the content (perhaps selling guest posts) easier than purely sticking with the original design.
Building a Niche Website
Expired domains can help you start a sub-niche within your own niche to boost your SEO.
A niche website lets you connect with a smaller, more focused audience interested in your content. You can also target more specific keywords within your niche to get more visitor to your website.
You still need to the content on your niche site up to date and relevant. After all, nobody wants to hang out in a stale corner of the internet.
The following steps will help you build a niche website using expired domains:
- Research and identify a sub-niche within your broader niche that can benefit from a dedicated website.
- Find an expired domain using Domain Hunter Gatherer (DHG) with a name and backlink profile relevant to the chosen sub-niche.
- Now comes the fun part – creating content that speaks directly to your niche audience. These days there are a lot of options for having it written for you or by utilising AI. Do try to keep the majority of the main content, at least, human written.
- To tie everything together, make sure to link your niche website with your main one in a non obvious way. Linking from the most keyword relevant page(s) of your website may even be better than slapping an obvious link from the homepage to your money site.
Private Blog Networks (PBNs) for SEO
At some point of using expired domains to boost your SEO, you may come across Private Blog Networks (PBNs).
A Private Blog Network is simply a group of websites that you control. Generally there will be some linking from the PBN websites and a main money website with a view to improve the rankings of the money site. It is never a good idea to interlink the different sites in the PBN or from the money site to the PBN, it should be a one way street.
PBNs can be risky if not taken seriously so it is important to ensure that you are building a private blog network as safely as possible. Our previous post on this topic is quite exhaustive so we do advise giving it a thorough read.
PBNs are one of the most powerful aspects of expired domains. They don’t have to cost the earth and can really pay dividends in future. A smart PBN owner would treat their PBNs like money sites in their own right, this can be a great way to improve returns on investment and will also give more legitimacy to the websites in your network.
Find the Best Expired Domains for SEO
Before grabbing that expired domain you just found, make sure it has a clean backlink profile and content history. You don’t want to bring in any obviously spammed domains as that could devalue your work and reduce results.
Luckily there are ways to know how good an expired domain is before purchasing.
Follow this guide on what makes a good expired domain to see how to easily find the best expired domains.
Domain Hunter Gatherer (DHG)
Domain Hunter Gatherer is one of the most extensive tools to find expired and aged domains online. It has more tools than anything else in it’s class:
- Crawl websites in any niche to find available domains they link to
- Searching to find expired domains with links from ranking pages
- Search Keywords for brandable domains
- Search domain auctions for premium domains
- Multi threaded for fastest results
- Domain stats (Moz and Majestic stats via DomDetailer credits)
- much more
DHG offers one of a kind real-time searching and crawling capabilities. You can access recently expired domains right at your fingertips without waiting for new lists or sifting through outdated ones.
With DHG, you are not just searching the same database of domains as everyone else, as with other service, you are able to find domains with links from specific website in your niche and so much more.
DHG also comes with built-in analytics to help you make smart decisions. You’ll find all the important info you need to assess a domain’s SEO potential, like backlink profiles, historical data, and even potential spam indicators.
