Expired Domains as Your Secret Affiliate Marketing Weapon
Thousands of domain names expire every single day. The domain name graveyard is incredibly vast and diverse.
There are many reasons why people abandon good domain names including:
- The owner has forgotten to re-register the domain
- The owner simply doesn’t need the domain any longer, for example, the domain may have belonged to a business or website that has officially shut
- The owner has been squatting on the domain hoping to sell it without any success
What most internet marketers don’t know is that expired domain names can be extremely valuable. Why? For starters, one of the factors in Google’s search ranking algorithm is the domain name’s age. Older is better. In fact, expired domains are also commonly referred to as aged domains. But the benefits go far beyond just the domain’s age. For example:
High PageRank
Some expired domains already have earned a PageRank (PR) score higher than zero where all new domains start. PageRank is another factor in Google’s search algorithm.
Listing in various directories
You’ll find some expired domain names that are already listed in some hard-to-get-into directories such as DMOZ. What’s really cool is that you’ll be able to find the data on existing PageRank, directory listings, and backlinks on these domains prior to buying them so you know exactly what you’re getting.
Extra backlinks
Most expired domain names already have some valuable backlinks pointing to them which will give you a head start on building your own. It’s always nice when someone else has already done some of the hard work for you.
Less Flagging
Since the domain has been around for a few years you’ll likely be able to use more aggressive backlink strategies and promotional techniques than new domains which are often flagged (and sandboxed) for the same methods.
Before You Buy Do Due Diligence First!
– Using your link checking tool of choice check the backlink profile of the domain you like. Does it look like the domain was involved in any link farming schemes that Google hates? Are the links good quality or just a disjointed collection of spammy links from non-related crappy sites? If it’s the latter you may want to pass on that domain since it may be more trouble than it’s worth to clean it up.
– Using your link tool once again check to see what domains (if any) 301 redirect to them. If the domain you’re analyzing has a ton of 301’s from suspect sites pointing to it this is also a red flag and you may want to pass on it. Especially because you have no control over 301 redirects from a third party site so trying to get cooperation from the owners of the site is a major headache.
– Is the site still indexed by Google? From Google’s home page type in – site:yourdomainname.com
– While you’re on Google check to see if the brand has a bad reputation. If the previous domain owner spammed his audience or pissed off every other site owner in that niche you had better know about it in advance before you end up guilty by assumed association.
– Finally, while still on Google, check to see if the domain still has an existing audience. Are people still commenting on the domain or site? Is there any social media presence and if so is it positive or negative?
Final thoughts
With some patience and a little bit of smarts, you can find out many high authority expired domains that you can use for multitude of applications to make money and further your personal goals. Why do all the work from scratch when there’s an expired domain out there featuring all the positives you need?