Buying competitors domains that about to drop?

[jafooly]

My main business is in the software dev space.

I checked about 8 keywords that are very niche (local seo) and had a look thru all the results on page 1.

I found about 12 companies, the majority still in business (by the looks if it) but haven't published any blog posts since 2015. They could have gone bust but hard to tell.

All these 12 companies domain name is about to expire in the next 2-5 months. I know there is a chance some will renew it. I've just made a note of the domain and expiry.

Is it worth trying to register the domains when they drop and do a 301 redirect to my main site?

I know there are packages on here where they blast your site with links to rank etc. but thought its easier if these domains have the juice anyway.

 

[KHer0]

Is it worth buying them? Sure

Should you 301 redirect it? Its 50/50 game

Some domains gave me hige boost, others didn't give me anything although they had monstrous stats

I think sending backlinks from them is the safe bet now

 

[patriotnews]

I would 301 them, because it isn't just about the SERP assistance, but you'll also get the redirects from people trying to visit them directly. Hell, I would redirect it to a specific landing page for each company, explaining they are no longer in business and that you will be happy to assist them, while offering a 10% introductory discount(just raise your normal prices 15% before quoting discount).
Sometimes a 301 is about more than the backlink power, but also to help with traffic.

 

[jafooly]

I would 301 them, because it isn't just about the SERP assistance, but you'll also get the redirects from people trying to visit them directly. Hell, I would redirect it to a specific landing page for each company, explaining they are no longer in business and that you will be happy to assist them, while offering a 10% introductory discount(just raise your normal prices 15% before quoting discount).
Sometimes a 301 is about more than the backlink power, but also to help with traffic.

That is good advice, I never thought of that. A good way to get convert their potential customers into mine.

 

[patriotnews]

That is good advice, I never thought of that. A good way to get convert their potential customers into mine.

Yes, don't obsess over serps in a local market, sometimes it is better to find all potential traffic avenues.
Hell, for a local site I work on, I gave up monitoring the SERPs as the terms were weird and highly specialized and just started seeking traffic sources, like local flyers, local news boards, local forums, and all other different areas that are meaningless to the SERPs.

 

[jafooly]

Yes, don't obsess over serps in a local market, sometimes it is better to find all potential traffic avenues.
Hell, for a local site I work on, I gave up monitoring the SERPs as the terms were weird and highly specialized and just started seeking traffic sources, like local flyers, local news boards, local forums, and all other different areas that are meaningless to the SERPs.

I agree, I am going all out as per my budget, with different avenues and strategies, Bing and LinkedIn are working well.

I've just noticed these local businesses do get to work with some big clients purely because they show up page 1 for that location. If I can get myself up there, It could increase my revenue by 30% by getting just 1 project.

 

[ContentWriter]

Yes, don't obsess over serps in a local market, sometimes it is better to find all potential traffic avenues.
Hell, for a local site I work on, I gave up monitoring the SERPs as the terms were weird and highly specialized and just started seeking traffic sources, like local flyers, local news boards, local forums, and all other different areas that are meaningless to the SERPs.

Couldn't agree more with this one. Focus on your goal and not on the factors that you think control the results.

 

[blackbeans]

Is there a service that WAIT LISTS you for domains that are due to expire and notifies you if they drop?

 

[theRevolt]

Is there a service that WAIT LISTS you for domains that are due to expire and notifies you if they drop?

Different apps , or backorder on say some domain registrars (although those only have them if they are not great and already snatched up earlier)

 

[Mark Eternally]

Depending on how blatant you care to be, I recommend buying competitor domains, including their typo sites, whenever possible. Host them on separate servers than your primary site(s). If you would rather redirect them, as is mentioned above in this thread, redirect them to specific, or unique landing pages on your primary site. Maybe consider these landing pages as fertile ground for A/B testing.

I went to one of my competitor's typo sites, and someone had already beaten me to it. They took the page and put a liquidation looking site up that gave the impression the company was going out of business. That is pretty harsh, but again, how bold are you?