Every month there are thousands of website domains that come up for renewal through various hosting services. Buying Expired Domains can provide a great opportunity for the savvy internet entrepreneur.
There are some things to consider before you buy just any expired domain. We will examine why domains expire, which are best for you to purchase, and why you might want to.
Why Domains Are Allowed To Expire
Whether due to the inattention of the owner or simply because of procrastination or disinterest, many website domains become dormant. Perhaps the owner could no longer afford to keep the website up or their business shut down.
For any of these reasons, Buying Expired Domains can be an excellent business move. After all, there is presumably some traffic that has been built up, links that have already been created, and page ranking achieved.
However, in some cases the domain is given up because the site was permanently blacklisted by one of the major search engines due to black hat SEO techniques or outright spamming. You do not want to have anything to do with a domain in this circumstance.
Researching The Domain
Take some time to do a bit of research before you buy that expired domain.
Perform a Whois search and determine the identity of the previous owner. If the same owner registered a large amount of domain names, it is a warning sign that they could be a spammer.
Another tool is the WayBack Machine internet archive website. This site lists many domains and their history, all the way back to 1996. The history snapshot will give you an idea of whether or not the domain has ever been used for shady purposes. You can determine the type of business that was conducted there, its page ranking, and link popularity.
If there was never a website published for the domain name, it is likely safe from prior search engine censure. Legitimate businesses conducted at the domain are a safe bet, too.
How To Find Expiring Domains
Understand that the registered domain owner has about 75 days to either let the name go or renew it. When you perform a search for a domain through an online hosting service, you can backorder a domain about to expire. But you may not be the only person attempting to buy it. Timing is the key.
Pool.com, Enom.com, and SnapNames are services you can use that will snatch the domain for you the instant it becomes available. There is a fee for this service and you must bid on the price you are willing to pay for the domain, so it may not be worthwhile if you are planning on reselling the name.
Making Money With An Expired Domain
The most obvious way to make money by Buying Expired Domains, is to sell it back to the original owner, or find a new buyer. This can be quite lucrative if the domain name is a popular one based on the keywords included.
Then again, you may simply decide to keep the domain for yourself. If it does include a major keyword or phrase, it can help you make money through good page ranking. Just ensure it’s not been blacklisted, and you could find the new domain name to be a great advantage to your existing business.
Have a most outstanding day.
Sean RasmussenAussie Internet Marketing
www.SeanSEO.com © 2008 - 2010
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That is a helpful article. Great information. I buy expired domains all the time and I know it can be confusing as to when they actually get released. Some of you may want to check out the expired domain toolbar at http://www.expiredtoolbar.com.
Pretty helpful for finding great names and research rankings too.