March spam update killed expired domain ?

[Le M Word]

Quick question for those dealing with recent Google spam updates

I run a few link-selling sites, and I had what I’d consider a pretty solid content process: real human input, external citations, UX-friendly structure, images, actual value — not just thin, rushed content.

Yet since the latest spam update, some of these sites got absolutely crushed (traffic divided by ~10).

So I’m trying to understand:

• Has anyone here actually managed to recover from a spam update hit like this?
• Or do you feel like these updates disproportionately hit sites built on expired domains, regardless of content quality?

Would really appreciate any feedback or similar experiences

 

[simobro]

You're right, the March update was truly a disaster for the tactic of using expired domains to leverage existing power. Google now considers buying old domains to push low quality content as domain abuse. In my opinion, you should try to recover by deleting all the junk content, rebuilding content that is truly useful and relevant to the original theme of that domain. Then request a review in Search Console

 

[Le M Word]

Yup make sense, but I mostly saw people poiting (as always) the regular patterns that are mentionned by google (low quality content, spammy content, or using spammy linkbuilding methods/ buying traffic...). but what seem to stand out (at least from my oown experience) is really the strike on expired domains.

 

[tiiberius]

Only few of the sites on my network got hit.

If it was really that strict, whole thing would be wiped out.

Pattern I’m seeing is using off topic content from the orginal website’s topic.

For example dogsite.com now talking about finance loans.

This has been the case for a while but now seems reenforced.

 

[MediaForgePR]

For example dogsite.com now talking about finance loans

Exactly that's the case here. We need to focus on own niche instead of everything else.

Google wants expert on one thing not all things.

Btw, did you notice traffic drops in dog niche particularly?

 

[Le M Word]

Only few of the sites on my network got hit.

If it was really that strict, whole thing would be wiped out.

Pattern I’m seeing is using off topic content from the orginal website’s topic.

For example dogsite.com now talking about finance loans.

This has been the case for a while but now seems reenforced.

Yeah, makes absolute sense.

However, in my case, one of my sites was a men’s fashion / masculinity blog. The topics covered included fashion, relationships, and lifestyle.

Do you think that’s too broad, and that I should narrow it down?

Some of the content might have been slightly off-topic, but it still felt legit — especially compared to other link-selling websites on the market.

P.S. My website wasn’t a link farm at all.

 

[Marko T]

First you say "I run a few link-selling sites," and then you say "My website wasn’t a link farm at all."

No update ever killed good expired domains. Hope it continues this way

 

[Le M Word]

First you say "I run a few link-selling sites," and then you say "My website wasn’t a link farm at all."

No update ever killed good expired domains. Hope it continues this way

got your point, but so far I got 150 articles posted over 4 months, 3 of them being a sponsored articles that I posted since beginning of the month. thats far from being a link farm imo but might be wrong

 

[Ben Arthur]

Yeah, a lot of people saw the same thing.

Spam updates hit expired domains pretty hard, especially if there’s a clear shift from the old site to something totally different. Even with good content, Google still looks at history and intent.

Recovery is possible, but slow. You usually need to clean up links, improve trust signals, and stay consistent for a few months.

Some sites bounce back, but honestly, many don’t fully recover. That’s the risk with expired domains now.

 

[laur.laurix]

The no brain PBNs will be hit.......you can't buy a high authority expired domain in the academic research and put content and links about casinos and expect things to last for you.

 

[Le M Word]

mine was a men accessories e-com, which became a men fashion blog

 

[tiiberius]

Yeah, makes absolute sense.

However, in my case, one of my sites was a men’s fashion / masculinity blog. The topics covered included fashion, relationships, and lifestyle.

Do you think that’s too broad, and that I should narrow it down?

Some of the content might have been slightly off-topic, but it still felt legit — especially compared to other link-selling websites on the market.

P.S. My website wasn’t a link farm at all.

I personally think that's too broad yes.
But I also don't think it's the sole reason for major hit like that.
There might be some else at play.

One simple thing that can happen is loss of power of the backlinks.
It's possible the backlinks were devalued so now there is no power behind the PBN unit.

 

[tazarbm]

But I also don't think it's the sole reason for major hit like that.

I was wondering, couldn't it be because of this:

mine was a men accessories e-com, which became a men fashion blog

I mean, changing the purpose of a website (ecom to blog in this case) could carry some penalties, no? I don't know, I'm just trying to figure out...

 

[Anumbano]

Seen this happen a lot with expired domains lately even with good content past signals can catch up recovery is possible but usually needs time rebuilding trust signals

 

[tiiberius]

I mean, changing the purpose of a website (ecom to blog in this case) could carry some penalties, no? I don't know, I'm just trying to figure out...

Yes definitely.
That is completely changing context and content type.

 

[Furious Man]

If your sites exist mainly to sell links, the update likely flagged that pattern recovery usually means removing those signals and rebuilding real, purpose driven authority.

 

[serpsystems]

The no brain PBNs will be hit.......you can't buy a high authority expired domain in the academic research and put content and links about casinos and expect things to last for you.

Well, it works. Not in the long-run but it works.

 

[SeoMaster12376]

Yes, recovery is possible but challenging. Updates often hit sites on expired domains harder, even with good content. Focus on rebuilding authority, removing risky backlinks, and improving trust signals to recover over time.

 

[tazarbm]

Yes definitely.
That is completely changing context and content type.

I had a suspicion this might be, but I wasn't sure. Thanks!

 

[WickednDivine]

Yes, recovery is possible but only after addressing core trust signals not just content quality. Most hits are tied to expired domain history, link patterns, and outbound linking (selling links) rather than on-page content.

We’ve seen better recovery by cleaning toxic backlinks, reducing aggressive outbound links, rebuilding topical authority, and adding genuine brand signals.

In many cases, expired domains are hit harder post-update, so sometimes rebuilding on a fresh domain performs faster than trying to revive a penalized one.