How to Find Expired Domains with High Value

If you’re into domain flipping or want to dive into it, finding expired domains with high value is like striking gold. These domains were once owned and used, so they often come with some SEO benefits, brand recognition, and traffic. In this guide, we’ll show you how to spot these valuable expired domains, step by step.

What Are Expired Domains?

When someone forgets or decides not to renew their domain registration, the domain expires and becomes available for others to register. These expired domains can still hold value because of their existing backlinks, SEO juice, and sometimes even direct traffic from their previous life.

Why Expired Domains Are Valuable

The very reason why expired domains are valuable should be the first thing to be understood in order to actually use this opportunity to one’s advantage. They really do hold special attributes, having big impacts on boosting your digital presence and business strategy.

SEO Power of Expired Domains

Established Backlinks

Expired domains often come with an established network of backlinks from other websites. Backlinks are crucial and creating them is a painful process;

• Boost SEO Value: Quality backlinks increase the domain’s authority and relevance in search engines, helping it rank higher.
• Give Instant Credibility: Quality backlinks in high numbers let search engines know that the domain is one worthy of trust. This may rank your site quicker when building from scratch.
• Enhance Link Profile: A diverse and authoritative backlink profile can improve overall SEO performance and domain strength.

Domain Authority

Websites that have been around for a while and have many strong links pointing to them usually have a higher domain authority (DA). A higher DA means search engines see your site as more reliable.

• Better Search Results: Websites with higher DA often rank higher in search engine results.
• SEO Benefit: Starting a new site with a domain that used to be popular and has a high DA can give you an instant edge over other sites in terms of SEO.
• Credibility: Both people and search engines tend to trust websites with high DA more because they seem more credible.

Traffic Potential

Leftover Traffic

Some old domains still get visits from when they were active. You can send this traffic to your site, giving you a quick increase in visitors.

• Quick Audience Growth: You can take advantage of the ongoing traffic to the domain, giving you a fast increase in your audience.
• Money-Making Chances: Sending this traffic to your site can bring quick money-making opportunities, especially if the traffic matches your niche.
• Better SEO: Constant traffic shows search engines that the domain is still active and important, which helps improve SEO.

Brand Recognition

Domains with easy-to-remember names or a known history sometimes draw visitors who recall the name.

• Quick Trust: A domain with a recognized brand can give your new project trust and recognition.
• Simpler Promotion: Easy-to-remember domain names are simpler to promote, making it easier for people to remember your brand.
• Customer Loyalty: Known brand names can attract visitors who were loyal to the original brand.

Extra Benefits from Expired Domains

Social Media Connections

Some old domains might already have social media profiles or be mentioned there, which can help bring more visitors and make your site seem more trustworthy.

• Instant Followers: The social media presence can give you a group of people ready to visit your new website.
• Better Promotion: You can use these social media pages to promote your new content or products well.

Email Lists and Subscribers

Sometimes, domains that are no longer used might have email lists or groups of people who signed up for updates that you could reach out to again.

• Quick Start for Marketing: Having an email list already set up can quickly boost your marketing.
• More Interaction: People who were subscribed before are more likely to interact with a domain they know.

Budget-Friendly SEO and Advertising

Cutting Costs on SEO and Advertising

Buying a valuable expired domain can help you save time and money on SEO and advertising.

• Lower Starting Costs: Older domains need less money upfront for SEO to begin ranking.
• Faster Outcomes: You’ll see results faster than with a new domain, speeding up your profits.

Finding Expired Domains with High Value

Now that you know why expired domains are worth it, let’s look at how to find them.

Using Domain Auction Sites

Domain auction sites are a great place to start. These platforms list domains that are about to expire or have just expired.

Well-Known Auction Sites

• GoDaddy Auctions: Has a big selection of domains, including those that have expired.
• NameJet: Famous for its good quality expired domains.
• SnapNames: Helps you get domains right before they expire.

Using Domain Marketplaces

Domain marketplaces let people buy and sell domains directly. These websites usually have a large number of domains, including those that have expired.

Best Marketplaces

• Sedo: A worldwide marketplace with many choices.
• Flippa: Perfect for buying and selling both domains and websites.
• Afternic: Provides a large number of high-quality domains.

Using Expired Domain Tools

There are many tools made to help you discover useful expired domains. These tools allow you to search using different rules and give you lots of information.

Suggested Tools

• ExpiredDomains.net: It’s free and has a lot of information.
• Domain Hunter Gatherer: Great for finding domains with good SEO scores.
• DomCop: Offers many ways to filter and gives very helpful information.

Assessing Valuable Domains

After finding possible domains, it’s important to check their worth carefully.

Analyzing Backlinks

A good backlink profile is the heart of any worthwhile domain. You can utilize Ahrefs, Moz, SEMrush, or other tools just to get an idea about the quality and amount of backlinks leading to the domain. Look for domains with links from reputable sites.

Checking Visitors and Domain Strength

It matters if the expired domain still gets visitors. Tools like SimilarWeb and Google Analytics can show you traffic and user activity. You can also use Moz to check the Domain Authority (DA). A higher DA means better SEO potential.

Checking Domain Past

Knowing a domain’s history is important. Use the Wayback Machine on Archive.org to see what the domain was used for before. Stay away from domains that were used for spam or bad actions.

Finding Niche-Specific Domains

If you target any specific niche, scout for expired domains that will suit your target market. You can start searching for domains that will match keywords from your niche with the help of keyword research tools. This can improve SEO and audience engagement.

Ways to Get Valuable Domain Names

Usually, the best domain names are already taken. Here are some clever ways to get them.

Using Services to Grab Expired Domains

Services that grab expired domains can help you register them as soon as they’re free. This gives you a good chance to get valuable domain names.

Popular Drop Catching Services

• Pool.com: Good at getting high-quality domains.
• NameJet: Strong services for grabbing domains.
• SnapNames: Dependable with lots of listings.

Getting Good Domains from Others

To get good domains that are already taken, try to talk about the price fairly. Look at what similar domains cost and make a fair offer. Always use Escrow.com to keep your money safe during the deal.

Checking for Old Domains

Keep an eye on lists of old domains that are no longer in use. Sometimes, you might find a good one. A website called ExpiredDomains.net updates its list every day. You can set up alerts to get a message when a domain you like becomes available.

Getting the Most Out of Your Newly Bought Domains

After you buy an old domain that someone else didn’t want anymore, do these things to make it more valuable.

Making Your Website Better for Search Engines

Make your website better for search engines by fixing things on your website, getting good links from other websites, and making useful content. Send people from the old domain to your main website using a special link called a 301 redirect, which also helps your main website get better in search results.

Building Your Brand

Old domains that were popular can help you make your brand better. Easy-to-remember domain names help people remember your brand and trust it more. You can use a good old domain to make your brand special.

Checking the Law

Make sure you know if there are any legal problems with buying an old domain. Don’t buy domain names that had issues with trademarks or were part of a legal fight. If you’re not sure, talk to a lawyer.

FAQs