Expired Domains

[cxworld]

Re buying of domains to be used for posting of contextual backlinks, i have some questions on what to do with them:

Before buying the expired domain:
- is it necessary to check whether it is still indexed by google by checking 'site:expireddomain.com'?
- if it is no longer indexed, is it ok to buy?
- if the expired domains already has lots of 301 redirects before it was abandoned by the ex-ownef, is it good to buy?
(by checking archive.org)


After bought the expired domains:
- is it necessary to recreate old contents in those the indexed old pages?

- How to decide whether we should use redirect the whole domains or individual pages by 301?

 

[Nargil]

- is it necessary to check whether it is still indexed by google by checking 'site:expireddomain.com'?

No, domain doesn't have to be indexed to be clean. Just as the fact that the domain is indexed doesn't mean that the domain isn't penalized.

- if it is no longer indexed, is it ok to buy?

If other stuff checks out, yes.

- if the expired domains already has lots of 301 redirects before it was abandoned by the ex-ownef, is it good to buy?

Every expired domain is "abandoned by ex owner". Number of 301 redirects doesn't mean anything, but if the redirects were pointing to some sketchy sites, it's better to stay away as there might have been some bad SEO done to the site domain itself.

- is it necessary to recreate old contents in those the indexed old pages?

It's not necessary, but it's a good idea to do so. If you have no idea what you are doing, then recreate the content and move on from there to minimize chance of making mistakes along the way.

- How to decide whether we should use redirect the whole domains or individual pages by 301?

if it's relevant, it can be redirected.

Go through these posts below:
https://www.blackhatworld.com/seo/how-to-301-an-expired-domain-guide.1358904/
https://www.blackhatworld.com/seo/guide-how-to-use-expired-domains-effectively.1223248/
https://www.blackhatworld.com/seo/c...nderstanding-lost-link-juice-forever.1254870/
https://www.blackhatworld.com/seo/what-is-your-checklist-for-domains-for-pbn.1342695/#post-14514468

 

[RoyRoyan]

> - is it necessary to check whether it is still indexed by google by checking 'site:expireddomain.com'?
> - if it is no longer indexed, is it ok to buy?

Having pages indexed by Google is a good sign, but it’s not mandatory. It also doesn’t rule out other hidden issues with the domain.

> - if the expired domains already has lots of 301 redirects before it was abandoned by the ex-ownef, is it good to buy?

It’s very important to pay attention to where the redirects are pointing and how natural they appear. Often, there are alias domains or old domains after a move (like “the company changed its name and moved to a new domain”). These cases are normal. However, if the redirects were pointing to various “strange” sites over several years, the domain was likely used for black SEO. In that case, it’s probably not worth buying.

> - is it necessary to recreate old contents in those the indexed old pages?

Recreating content is considered a good practice by many.

> - How to decide whether we should use redirect the whole domains or individual pages by 301?

You need to analyze which specific pages the domain’s backlinks are pointing to. If most are pointing to the homepage, you can simply redirect all pages to the new domain’s homepage. If you’re doing page-by-page redirects, they should match similar pages, like olddomain/about-us -> newdomain/about/

 

[MajestySEO]

1. Is it necessary to check whether it is still indexed by Google (using site:expireddomain.com)?
Yes, it’s a good practice. If the domain is indexed, it’s a positive sign. However, if it’s not indexed, it doesn’t always mean a penalty, it could have been deindexed due to inactivity.

2. If it is no longer indexed, is it okay to buy?
It depends. Analyse the domain’s history using tools like the Wayback Machine or Ahrefs. If the domain had a clean history and wasn’t used for spam or blackhat activities, it may still be worth buying.

3. If the expired domain already has lots of 301 redirects before it was abandoned by the ex-owner, is it good to buy?
Be cautious. Too many 301 redirects, especially to irrelevant or spammy sites, can indicate a risky domain. This could negatively impact your SEO efforts. Always analyze the redirects and ensure they align with your goals.

 

[kaizer]

Re buying of domains to be used for posting of contextual backlinks, i have some questions on what to do with them:

Before buying the expired domain:
- is it necessary to check whether it is still indexed by google by checking 'site:expireddomain.com'?
- if it is no longer indexed, is it ok to buy?
- if the expired domains already has lots of 301 redirects before it was abandoned by the ex-ownef, is it good to buy?
(by checking archive.org)


After bought the expired domains:
- is it necessary to recreate old contents in those the indexed old pages?

- How to decide whether we should use redirect the whole domains or individual pages by 301?

Yes, checking if the expired domain is indexed with site:expireddomain.com helps assess its SEO potential and avoid penalties.

If the expired domain is no longer indexed, it might still be okay to buy, but you should carefully evaluate its history for potential penalties or spam issues before proceeding.

If an expired domain has many 301 redirects, it can indicate a strong link profile or previous relevance, but you should check archive.org for potential spammy redirects or low-quality sites to ensure it won't negatively affect your SEO.

Recreating old content on indexed pages can help restore the domain's relevance and traffic, but it’s not strictly necessary. You should focus on ensuring the content is high-quality, relevant, and aligned with current SEO practices to improve the domain's performance.

Redirect the whole domain if it had overall strong reputation, or individual pages if specific pages had high-quality content or backlinks to preserve value.

 

[GeeLark AI]

is it necessary to check whether it is still indexed by google by checking 'site:expireddomain.com'?

It would be better if its still have some pages indexed, expired domain that have no indexed pages can also mean that the domain already expired pretty long time (imo 3 years+) so it get deindexed.

 

[domainmadness]

No, domain doesn't have to be indexed to be clean. Just as the fact that the domain is indexed doesn't mean that the domain isn't penalized.



If other stuff checks out, yes.



Every expired domain is "abandoned by ex owner". Number of 301 redirects doesn't mean anything, but if the redirects were pointing to some sketchy sites, it's better to stay away as there might have been some bad SEO done to the site domain itself.



It's not necessary, but it's a good idea to do so. If you have no idea what you are doing, then recreate the content and move on from there to minimize chance of making mistakes along the way.



if it's relevant, it can be redirected.

Go through these posts below:
https://www.blackhatworld.com/seo/how-to-301-an-expired-domain-guide.1358904/
https://www.blackhatworld.com/seo/guide-how-to-use-expired-domains-effectively.1223248/
https://www.blackhatworld.com/seo/c...nderstanding-lost-link-juice-forever.1254870/
https://www.blackhatworld.com/seo/what-is-your-checklist-for-domains-for-pbn.1342695/#post-14514468

@Nargil, how about if you can't recover the site/use archived content for legal reasons and you would still like to (slowly) change the niche?

Is it impossible to do?

Like for example if you get lets say old government website (politics/transportation related), but can't use their content due to legal wprries. Then you want to use the domain to create brand / service in finance niche - is this 100% failing plan or is there a way?

 

[Nargil]

@Nargil, how about if you can't recover the site/use archived content for legal reasons and you would still like to (slowly) change the niche?

Is it impossible to do?

Like for example if you get lets say old government website (politics/transportation related), but can't use their content due to legal wprries. Then you want to use the domain to create brand / service in finance niche - is this 100% failing plan or is there a way?

To be honest with you, I really wouldn't bother much with legal implications. I doubt anyone will notice anything in those 3 or maybe 6 months during which you want that old content there. And if yes, you just take it down. Internet marketing is not exactly made for lawful good law abiding paladins.

But if that is still an issue, I would get a complete list of URLs on that website, picked the ones that had traffic or have backlinks and write a new content about the same topic and in same length as there was previously. This is however much more expensive and chance of it working is lower. If the domain simply doesn't get traffic no matter what you do, you have wasted a few hundred bucks on content and got fuckall as a result.

BuT muH cHatGpT - If you can be bothered to completely rewrite whatever ChatGPT vomits, be my guest, but that's another corner being cut when you could have just recreated the site instead.

 

[domainmadness]

To be honest with you, I really wouldn't bother much with legal implications. I doubt anyone will notice anything in those 3 or maybe 6 months during which you want that old content there. And if yes, you just take it down. Internet marketing is not exactly made for lawful good law abiding paladins.

But if that is still an issue, I would get a complete list of URLs on that website, picked the ones that had traffic or have backlinks and write a new content about the same topic and in same length as there was previously. This is however much more expensive and chance of it working is lower. If the domain simply doesn't get traffic no matter what you do, you have wasted a few hundred bucks on content and got fuckall as a result.

BuT muH cHatGpT - If you can be bothered to completely rewrite whatever ChatGPT vomits, be my guest, but that's another corner being cut when you could have just recreated the site instead.

Thanks, I'll consider it.

Regarding the niche change, what's your process and timeline for it?

1. Recover old site or thematically similar content and wait until re-indexation
2. Reindex the old links (optional)
3. ?
4. ?

Mainly I'm just figuring out how exactly do the niche change, should I just keep the old content and add new niche related content on same indexed pages and keep adding it while confirming those keywords start ranking? And then once they do, remove the old niche related content fully?

 

[Nargil]

Regarding the niche change, what's your process and timeline for it?

I would never change niche. What I outlined above is what I would do if I could not retain the old content, but I would never change the niche.

3. Get a new hobby for the next 6 months
4. Profit

If you rewrite the old content, then I would just keep it where it is. It would be a shame to delete it and might bring in some extra traffic.
Simply just keep adding new content.

 

[domainmadness]

I would never change niche. What I outlined above is what I would do if I could not retain the old content, but I would never change the niche.

3. Get a new hobby for the next 6 months
4. Profit

If you rewrite the old content, then I would just keep it where it is. It would be a shame to delete it and might bring in some extra traffic.
Simply just keep adding new content.

Time is not an issue here, but the niche is. I could of course use this domain as PBN and just try to connect new niche with the old one, but would really prefer to use it as money site.

What would you try if you absolutely had to change the niche?

 

[Nargil]

What would you try if you absolutely had to change the niche?

I just wouldn't mate. I don't know where I would start and I think it's a waste of a domain. The chance of it working is really reduced. A lot.

 

[lienhevkt]

If the domain is still indexed, that’s a good sign. If not, it might have been penalized, so check carefully. A deindexed domain with strong backlinks can be revived with a clean rebuild, but if it was removed due to spam, it’s best to avoid.

 

[LondonLife]

Expired domains work only if the backlinks are clean and the new site matches the old site's niche. otherwise they're useless.