Ranking your website for keywords has become a slow process. The search algorithm is evolving (even now) and most of the shady tactics no longer work. The domain age has become one of the important factors for indexing and ranking websites.
This is why there is a lot of demand for expired domains in the current market. Buying the best-expired domain can be tricky because you would analyse the domain in depth. You will have to keep in mind that the domain could have been through many webmasters.
This article will help you spot the best-expired domain. Also, I will suggest you the 10 best marketplaces from where you can buy expired domains for your money sites.
How to Buy a Good Expired Domain – A Complete Checklist
Check for metrics like DA/PA, Trust flow, Citation flow
This should be the first check you should be performing. Check for all the important metrics of the expired domain which you have decided to buy. This includes DA/PA by Moz, Trust flow and Citation flow by Majestic SEO and I’d also recommend you to use check the DR and UR of the Domain (similar to Moz)
These metrics give you an overall idea of the website health. However, this doesn’t confirm if the links pointed to this domain are clean. You will have to do a few more checks to ensure that.
Check if the domain is banned by Google
There is no point in having a domain with strong metrics if it is banned by Google. Google frequently bans websites for not following their webmaster guidelines. It is very difficult to recover a banned site but not impossible.
Ensure that you check the status of the domain you are going to buy. You can use websites like is www.banned.com to perform this check. It also checks if the website is banned by the Google ad network. If you want the website because of the brand name then you can send a reconsideration request to Google.
Check for the number of Backlinks
Number and quality of backlinks is by far the ranking factor with the highest rating. Many SEO gurus have claimed that a site can be ranked on top SERPs only if has good backlinks. This is also one of the reasons why the demand for expired domains has increased. There is a very high probability that these domains have links pointing to them already.
To do this I’d highly recommend Ahrefs. Even though the tool is a bit pricey, it is worth the money. You can see the number links the expired domain has. You can even check each of the links and also estimate the quality of the links. For the best analysis, I export all the links to the sheet and then check each link to check the quality.
Check the History of the website
This is a very important check you must perform. Visit Internet Archive and check the history of the expired domain. You can see the type of content that was there on the website. This will help you in finding and choosing the most relevant expired domain.
There are speculations that an unrelated expired domain is as good as a new domain.
Check for Bad Links
While having links is a huge plus, however having bad links from spammy sites can hurt your purpose with the domain. Such sites are bound to be penalized eventually. You wouldn’t want to be putting all your efforts just be banned on the day. To perform this check, Ahref’s is the best tool because it gives you a distribution of backlinks country wise.
Now that you are aware of the things you need to check on before buying your next expired or auctioned domain. Let us have a look at some of the best-expired domain websites which sell both expired and auctioned domains.
Top 12 Domain Stores to Buy Expired Domains
1. DynaDot
DynaDot is an ICANN accredited domain name registrar that also features auctions for expired domains in addition to new domains from across TLDs.
In order to find an expired domain of your choice, Dynodot’s auction has a variety of filters which includes – Keywords, TLD, Domain Age, Current Bid, No of characters in the domain name, Monthly visitors, Monthly revenue, Inbound links and many more. In the listed expired domain name you can further drill down to know more about each of these domains.
Information such as current bid, no of bids, active bidders, auction start and end time etc are clearly listed out to assist you with your purchase intent.
If you are very serious about having expired domains for your websites, DynaDont is definitely the one that you must try.
2. Register Compass
Register Compass is a tracking platform that tracks millions of Expired domains, Expired Domains, Domains available for Auctions etc from across the internet. This platform runs on the concept of domain back order with respect to registering expiring domains, where you have can purchase your domains immediately when they are available.
Register Compass also features TDNAM Domains from GoDaddy as well.
3. Godaddy Auctions
Godaddy being among one of the largest domain providers has the advantage of having a good database of domains. If you are looking for something quick then this website will surely serve the purpose.
You can find auctioned domains which are even better than expired domains as per this study. Make use of the keyword search function to find domains related to your niche. Once you have the list with you, go through it thoroughly and check the metrics and health of the domain.
4. DopComp
This is probably one of the best websites for expired domains. They offer only this service which makes them the best. They claim to add 10 million expired domains every month. I am sure you will find one for your niche easily with that many websites up for grab.
It is also very easy to search for the website of your choice. The website provides advanced filtering options. This allows you to cut through some of the spammy websites available in the list. You can set the metrics of your choice and quickly find what you need.
5. NameJet
Namejet is a prominent player when it comes to the expired domain market. They have different types of domains suiting all budgets. The website shows various sections under which the domains are stored.
You can choose from the exclusive list of domains which are checked by the experts. There is no hidden cost and you will have to pay only after you get access to the domain. These measures safeguard the interest of the buyer.
6. FreshDrop
Established in 2007, Freshnet has been a pioneer in providing expired and auctioned domains. All the domains they list have metrics attached to them. This allows you to filter and look for the domain depending on your requirements.
There are other useful filter options provided. You can choose domains related to a specific niche like health, gambling, animals, adult, finance, etc. Other filter options include Language, Database, Geo, etc. If you are looking for specific expired domains, I am sure you will find them here.
7. Flippa Domain Auctions
Flippa is a popular site for flipping domains and websites. Having established as the best domain broker Flippa ventured into the space of auctioned and expired domains. Flippa does have some quality domains because it deals with buying and selling of domains.
You can browse the expired domains using their search function. They have multiple payment options and quick delivery set up.
8. Snap Names
If you want to get some cheap expired domains then Snapnames is the best place. They have domains for all budgets. Please take care as many of them may be spammy because of the low price. However, you can check for their metrics before buying, so there is nothing to lose.
You can either search for the desired domain or choose from the existing options. Your money is well protected as there is escrow method of payment.
9. ExpiredDomains
When a company is named ‘Expireddomains’ it surely doesn’t need any explanation as to what it has for you. This site displays expired domains and also shows you the expired domains from other providers like Godaddy, Namejet, Sedo, etc. A wide range of extensions is available making it a great resource for local expired domains.
In addition to this, they also provide tools which can help you to determine the quality of the domain.
10. 1and1 Domain
1&1 is a well-known domain name and a hosting provider. You can find expired domains on their site too. However, there is no specific section for expired domains which makes it confusing to perform the search.
The domains that aren’t renewed within 30 days go to auction. You can find a ton of such domains every day.
11. NameCheap
Namecheap is the number one domain name provider. They are known for their amazing service and ease of use. As thousands of domains are registered with Namecheap, many of them expire every day as they are not renewed in time by the owner. You can find some really good domains here.
12. Domain Hunter Gatherer
This is not a website but one of the best tools to find expired domain names. If you own an agency or plan to start an expired domain business, you will need a constant supply of domains. This tool will help you find those hidden gems by scraping the web. The free version of the tool is very limited, to find high-quality domains we suggest you go for the premium plan. It is a must that you do all the checks manually before you buy the domain.
Conclusion
While there is no doubt that building a site on an expired domain saves you a lot of time. You have to cautious about the domain you choose because you wouldn’t want hundreds of dollars to go in vain.
Ensure the quality of the domain is up to the mark and check if the previous content on the domain is at least remotely related to the site you going to build. I am sure you will find the best-expired domain with the help of this article. If you have any queries, please write to us or comment in the box below.
