Many people are now buying expired domains based on the number of backlinks or the ranking of an expired domain, only to discover that these have mysteriously disappeared a month or so later. Is it that the search engines have black listed the domain, or could you have done something at the beginning to prevent this from happening?
There are several checks you should do before purchasing an expiring domain, to avoid losing all the value after you have purchased your expired domain.
One of the main reasons that an expiring domain can look attractive is the number of backlinks, but a word of warning - sometimes search engines can treat one domain exactly the same as another - same ranking, same backlinks, same everything. This can come about as a website based on a domain name can have several other domains pointing to this same website. For example, domain.com could be the main domain name, but domain.net may also be pointing at the same website. Depending on how the domains have been set up, some search engines will treat domain.net exactly the same as domain.com.
One way of finding the number of backlinks to a domain is by doing a search on a search engine using the word "link" followed by a colon and then the URL of the domain, eg link:http://www.domain.com
Using our example, if you were to check domain.net and found it had thousands of backlinks and soon to expire, then you may be tempted to purchase the domain name the second it expired. Once purchased you would then go about setting up a website on your new domain expecting the visitors to be pouring in. At this point, domain.net no longer points to domain.com and so any affiliation to domain.com stops. The search engines will no longer treat domain.net the same as domain.com, but will now treat it on its own merits. This normally results on zero backlinks and no ranking. You will have lost all the benefits you hoped to gain from the domain name and need to start promoting your new website from scratch.
To avoid this from happening, after you have done your link search on a search engine you should then visit several of the websites that are listed as linking to your domain and check the links are actually there. You will find that in a surprising high number of cases the links you expect to find are simply missing from these webpages. If this is the case with your chosen domain, then I would suggest ignoring this domain name and finding another.
I have conducted several experiments on expired domains. If the backlinks were real and existed prior to the domain expiring, then in most cases the domain would retain its original ranking. If the backlinks were fake then within a few weeks of obtaining the expired domain all rankings were lost.
There are several services on the internet that can provide data on expiring domains, and some of these include checking to see if search engine rankings are real or fake.
Related Articles
Website Promotion - The Easy Way
By: Dominic Dat | 08/11/2007 | Internet
Most website owners will tell you the hardest part of setting up a website is the website promotion. Without that you will find it hard to attract visitors and make a success of your website. There are millions of websites out there competing for visitors, so website promotion is a...
Earning Profits From Expired Domain Names
By: Edwin John | 18/06/2007 | Computers
A domain name identifies one or more IP addresses. For example, the domain name vohio.com embodies a number of IP addresses that is used in URLs to identify particular web pages. This would normally be made up of a designed website, links to search engines, business deals, related...
What Is An Expired Domain?
By: Dominic Dat | 29/09/2007 | Computers
To understand expired domains, and their significance, an understanding of the difference between a domain and a website is required.
A good analogy is to liken a domain to a company telephone number, and a website to a company office. People can use a telephone to enter a company telephone number...
Rewarding Expired Domains
By: Dominic Dat | 09/10/2007 | Computers
Reap the rewards from other people's hard work. Often a difficult goal, but this is exactly what you can achieve with expired domains.
Broadly speaking, the life cycle of an expired domain has been:
1 - the domain is registered
2 - a website is built on the domain
3 - the domain is...
Many Uses For Expired Domain Names
By: Dominic Dat | 16/10/2007 | Computers
With the recent decline of the U.S. economy many changes have come about with regards to business on the internet. One of these things is an upswing in the amount of expired domain names that are available to be re-registered to a new owner, once they have been determined to...
How to Benefit From Expiring Domains
By: Piter Gurski | 30/04/2008 | Domain Names
To be successful on the internet you must have a web site with a good amount of traffic. These days everybody knows that traffic is a king. So all search engines are queens. So who are you then? A princes or prince? Or you are someone forgotten on the side of the big money road? Just don’t get lost among the road signs and look for some right exit. And here I want to tell you about one of these exits which is about domains which are about to expire.
Get In On The Expired Domain Name Market
By: Dominic Dat | 24/10/2007 | Computers
The cat is out of the bag as more and more people are becoming aware of the profit making potential in the expired domain name market. The fact is that there are a lot of viable domain names that have expired and are available to be bought up and claimed...
How To Find A Good Domain Name
By: Piter Gurski | 11/05/2008 | Internet
I have got so many questions on how to and where to find a good domain name. I think many people may have their own strategy, but I would like to share my point of view on this subject.
At first I want to tell you that all good domain names...
Got a Question? Ask.
Ask the community a question about this article:
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do I Find Where my Domains Are Listed. It's ...
By: Stumpy | 10-07-2008
How Do I Find Where my Domains Are Listed. It's been 6 months and I can't find them. I have 5 different Domains. Can you help me out.Thank youSTUMPY
What are other country's domains like .ru is ...
By: tcraffs | 08-07-2008
what are other country's domains like .ru is russian.
By: Hammer | 07-07-2008
Use for an AOL myeaddress
By: Elle | 05-06-2008
I've had an AOL myeaddress for awhile now, and I'm wondering besides using it for email, what can I do with the domain name? Will I ever be able to use it for a home page?
Q&A Powered by:
Latest Computers Articles
Get the Most Out of Your Nanny Spy Cameras - Use Them For Other Purposes!
By: Nahshon Roberts | 25/07/2008
Lest you think that nanny spy cameras are only good for spying on the nanny, think again. The term is another designation for hidden surveillance cameras, supposedly because these are now more commonly used to monitor childcare providers in an increasingly nanny-paranoid society.
Nanny spy cameras are usually...
Analyzing Consumer Electronics Devices
By: James Brown | 24/07/2008
Many consumers are drawn to consumer electronics because of the technology that makes each device perform its mission. While many consumers might not have a technical degree, many have a working knowledge of what the device is equipped with and the selling points of the device after they enter a...
Types of Consumer Electronics
By: James Brown | 24/07/2008
With so many updates and changes made to consumer electronics lately, some consumers are having a difficult time understanding what types of consumer electronics are most popular among middle class Americans and those who live on limited incomes where budget cuts made most consumer electronics seem unaffordable. Families across the...
Benefits of Unlocked Cellular Phones
By: Abe S. | 24/07/2008
You may not know much about your cellular phone other than that you cannot live without it! Your cell phone is your connection to the rest of the world and is a very important tool. Many cell phones are made to use a SIM card - a Subscriber...
How to Start a Business Selling Cell Phones
By: Abe S. | 24/07/2008
In today's unstable economy with reduced income and rising prices, everyone wants to save money if they can. Even if the economy were booming, saving money is always a wise choice. There is no shame in wanting to save as much money as possible when it comes to...
How Can I Work With Sybase Database Tools?
By: Patricia Stevens | 23/07/2008
To use a Sybase server, you are should have Netscape Enterprise Server. You cannot get an access to Sybase from Netscape FastTrack Server. Sybase has both one-line, and multiline drivers on some Unix-platforms. If Sybase has the multiline driver for the concrete Unix-machine, you are obliged to use LiveWire for...
Baselining--Stress Testing--Performance Testing--Oh My--Part TWO-Testing
By: Barry Koplowitz | 23/07/2008
This article is also available as a Podcast on "The ROOT Cause" available on iTunes. Written and Narrated by Barry Koplowitz.
This is the second of two articles discussing the topic of Test Environments and Testing Practices. The first one, "Baselining--Stress Testing--Performance Testing--Oh My--Part One--Environments," focused on proper testing environment design....
Page Yield / Cartridge Yield
By: Kwan Lo | 23/07/2008
Page yield is the number of pages that you can print with a printer cartridge. It is also known as cartridge yield. Many cartridge manufacturers use the terms "standard yield" or "high yield" to describe their printer cartridge but each cartridge should have a page yield value. It...
More from Dominic Dat
Website Promotion - The Easy Way
By: Dominic Dat | 08/11/2007 | Internet
Most website owners will tell you the hardest part of setting up a website is the website promotion. Without that you will find it hard to attract visitors and make a success of your website. There are millions of websites out there competing for visitors, so website promotion is a...
Get In On The Expired Domain Name Market
By: Dominic Dat | 24/10/2007 | Computers
The cat is out of the bag as more and more people are becoming aware of the profit making potential in the expired domain name market. The fact is that there are a lot of viable domain names that have expired and are available to be bought up and claimed...
Many Uses For Expired Domain Names
By: Dominic Dat | 16/10/2007 | Computers
With the recent decline of the U.S. economy many changes have come about with regards to business on the internet. One of these things is an upswing in the amount of expired domain names that are available to be re-registered to a new owner, once they have been determined to...
Rewarding Expired Domains
By: Dominic Dat | 09/10/2007 | Computers
Reap the rewards from other people's hard work. Often a difficult goal, but this is exactly what you can achieve with expired domains.
Broadly speaking, the life cycle of an expired domain has been:
1 - the domain is registered
2 - a website is built on the domain
3 - the domain is...
What Is An Expired Domain?
By: Dominic Dat | 29/09/2007 | Computers
To understand expired domains, and their significance, an understanding of the difference between a domain and a website is required.
A good analogy is to liken a domain to a company telephone number, and a website to a company office. People can use a telephone to enter a company telephone number...
Uses Of An Expired Domain
By: Dominic Dat | 21/09/2007 | Internet
Expired domains can provide a lucrative ongoing income. Before you register an expired domain you need to consider what uses you can make from it to maximize your revenue.
To explain, expired domains come about as domains are only registered for a certain period. If the domain isn't renewed, then it...
Computers 
