Expired Domain Search (Search Expired Domain)
Hey SEO warriors! Ready to learn about how to find & buy expired domains. I will share experiences for that. This article is created so that you can choose the best. And of course useful in your struggle.
Expired domains, are indeed quite interesting to discuss in the realm of SEO. Because there was great potential that was even able to rank a lot faster.
However, unfortunately, not all expired domains have quality. Some are rubbish!
There are lots of guides on this subject out there. However, some things may not have been discussed. Starting from history, and tools, to how to find quality expired domains. Including how to use it.
Let’s start with some basic questions regarding Expired domains. Namely as follows
FAQs
A Brief Overview Of What Is An Expired Domain?
Every year, thousands of domains are registered by businesses, organizations, or even individuals. Maybe you included it.
Some developed into large and well-known sites. But not a few are immersed in the vast world of the internet. It’s full of hustle and bustle and endless competition. Even without precedent before. Then tried, and decided to give up his online venture.
If the domain owner fails to pay the renewal fee to the registrar, usually the web hosting company, the site and domain will be deleted from their servers.
Some of the domains were deliberately terminated by the owner. Because maybe it’s not needed anymore.
So, the poor domains that are forced to die, will be available to be registered again by anyone.
Why?
Why would someone leave their domain on purpose? Well, there are many reasons for this.
Think of all the online projects that have failed, the legal issues related to things like trademark infringement, and so on.
It could also be the owner who is lazy, less motivated, or has switched sides and moved on. So, the domain as the address of the site is ignored. Break the contract and die! Oh .. what a shame.
Expired domains have little value. At least from a general viewpoint. Or from the previous owner of the linked domain. However, they are gold when it comes to SEO. Hhmm .. Ula la.
Just so you know yeah, these types of domains are sometimes diamonds buried in the mud. And in the market, (for those who know) it is traded at fantastic prices.
Just imagine, if Mark Zuckerberg, the owner of Facebook, was negligent and forgot to pay for his Facebook.com domain contract. I don’t know how many digits, and numbers are for the price of the domain. What is certain is very expensive!
The question is, why is it expensive? Not many people know. Besides SEO experts who understand the historical value of a domain for a ranking in search engines.
Why Else, Right?
This is a simple answer to why expired domains are valuable in SEO. The expired domain usually has a backlink profile. Now, this is an important point.
When you expire a domain that has a quality backlink profile or is relevant to your website niche, it’s worth buying. It will be good for many of your interests.
This type of domain is sought after by SEO company owners or people building PBN networks. Read what is PBN?
It’s not uncommon to find domain predators deliberately waiting until your domain expires, buying it, and then trying to sell it back to you for a higher price.
The BC. The website domain, during times of struggle, was once late for a day because it failed to extend. And you know, I once paid Rp. 1 million more, to get it back.
It was a great value, then.
This ‘unethical’ habit is often referred to as ‘ domain squatting ‘. Internet mafia-like is unethical in business. Also violates trademark laws; it is a form of blackmail.
But, I didn’t really know about that before. Out of fear I was forced to pay for it.
So, if your site’s domain is well developed. Already have a quality backlink profile and in sufficient numbers, so be careful. The Predator is still there and roaming.
Allow For Why So Huh.
Why buy an expired domain? Why did you even have to bother to find it?
There are several reasons in the SEO industry why expired domains are sought after.
The top reason is that expired domains are great for building high-authority websites.
Some expired domains will offer you huge leverage to rank high on Google. It could be a business website or even a personal blog. Or PBN.
An expired high authority blog is ten times better than a newly created domain; they even free you from the many SMM and SEO efforts you have to put in to reach the same top ranks.
Things To Know
Have you ever wondered what happens after a domain name expires?
Website owners pay hosting companies to have their sites hosted. This usually, also simultaneously registers the domain.
In the past, when a domain name was removed from the server and changed to expired status, the domain just disappeared. Until another time, someone re-registered it by chance or completely disappeared.
In the early days, of the domain expiration system, when the hosting service provider declared the domain expired, people scrambled to buy it.
However, nowadays, things are not that easy.
Currently, all domain names are stored in a master database called the registry.
Registrars inform customers and site owners about the expiration of their domains. And waiting for a decision.
A WHOIS Lookup is a public database containing information about a specific domain. It contains details, such as; domain registrar information, expiration date, and so on.
The database is not centralized, meaning that different registrars manage and maintain data. This registrar must be certified by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers ( ICANN ).
ICANN created a ‘grace period’. This aims to protect customers/registrants from being exploited by the predators that we mentioned earlier. During this period, you can still buy back your domain, without paying any additional fees.
Meanwhile, the domain. The website according where I am the domain registrar, admits that there is no grace period. I haven’t explored it further. Maybe this will be writing material for later. I do not want to accuse, my domain registrar is playing.
Let’s continue …
History Of Expired Domains
The early ’90s is still considered the golden age of the internet.
The World Wide Web was founded in 1991. This was the start that paved the way for many commercial service providers to connect.
With this connectivity, domain name registration was born. Initially, anyone could get a domain for free. But as the demand for domain names increases, there is a need to control and regulate internet usage.
As a result, ICANN was born as a non-profit organization. Their core mandates include regulating the domain name system and allocating IP addresses. Today, it is estimated that the number of registered domain names is in the millions.
Nearly 40,000 domain names are registered every day. And the number continues to grow .
Most of these domains expire every month or even days. And available for repurchase online.
However, it needs to be clarified that, not all expired domains have to be purchased. And therefore, knowing the domain’s expired history is the first step. For, consider its uses. Ensuring that it is beneficial for SEO or not. If the goal is for SEO.
If The Goal Is For The Brand. Different Again.
Some expired domains have a dark history! Where it has been used or marked as an online scam website and other forms of malicious behavior.
In this regard, it’s important to know that any expired domain that you are interested in should have a good track record, at least in Google’s eyes.
Google views all domains, as the human identity behind them; Domain’s track record is included in Google’s version of merits and sins record. So, this should be the main foundation.
There are many tools and mechanisms to help you learn about the history of each expired domain.
Google will never rank websites that are built on domains that have been previously flagged or blacklisted for wrongdoing.
The main rules in buying an expired domain are; always to do background research or domain history.
Expired domains with bad backlink profiles or those subject to Google Penalty penalties, so they are not indexed and are not renewed by the old owner, are not recommended to be purchased.
But in another article, I will tell you about the ways and stages of removing the domain from Google’s punishment. So just wait.
How To Find Quality Expired Domains
What are the conditions that determine a good domain expired? This is an important statement to answer, before deciding to buy an expired domain.
Digital footprint! Yes, you can remember that as the main asset to move forward. There are always footprints left in the history of expired domains. So, if you are considering purchasing an expired domain, there are several factors you need to check:
- Reputation – A valid domain brand shouldn’t have a bad reputation. So it is important to check the reputation of the domain brand. A simple Google search will reveal the types of sites previously associated with that domain. You can get the Wayback Machine’s help with this. Other domain checker sites such as Whois can provide the IP address of the domain brand.
- Profiles must be spam-free – check backlinks using the Link Research Tool and Moz Open Search Explorer for backlinks reports.
- The domain name must be clean – it must be free of all kinds of malware and malicious code. You can use the online resources mentioned above to identify whether a domain name has been previously blacklisted for malware.
- Check Google Index – important to identify if expired domain pages are on the Google Index. If the page appears in the Google Index, you can be sure that the domain name is not subject to any penalty.
These tips will let you know if the domain name has been associated with black practices. Bad backlinks, malware, and spam content destroy domain authority, which is difficult and time-consuming to get back on the internet.
An expired domain can be useful as it acts as a lever for a new website. When doing an online search, you can use a tool like Domain Hunter Gatherer to allow you to find domain names more easily.
Not sure what you need? That is easy. Enter the niche name or keywords you need, and you will see a list of several domains depending on the domain finder tool you are using.
You can also explore other alternatives, such as SeekaHost to find expired domains. They are one of the providers and can provide pretty good records for the niche you need.
What Metrics Should I Look At When Purchasing An Expired Domain?
Domain Authority: This is a metric that predicts how well a website is performing on the SERPs. It compares different domains. The higher the DA, the better. Some of the factors that contribute to the DA ranking include:
- Aged Domain (Domain age): Large search engines like Google prefer aged domains. Because it’s more trustworthy. Therefore, you should consider a domain name that is several years older. Because it takes time to gather sufficient authority and age. This is the moment, you can buy ‘time’.
- Domain content: the quality of the content a website hosts on the domain will influence its authority. Search engines generally prefer domains that host high-quality content.
- Page Authority: this is also an important metric, and it predicts the likelihood of a page ranking on the SERP. It uses data from the website homepage. The score is important for judging the quality of the domain.
- Majestic SEO Metrics: There are two useful metrics for evaluating expired domains and helping filter out both real and fake domains:
- Citation Flow (CF): this is a metric that ranks domains based on the number of linked sites, regardless of website quality. Increasing backlinks will increase Citation Flow. But it is important to ensure that the distance between the Citation Flow and the Trust Flow is not very significant.
- Trust Flow: this is a metric that analyzes the trust of a domain based on the website linked to it. If the link is from a site you can trust, then that domain is also considered credible. The domain will rank better.
- The metrics above are what the market is looking for. However, you can consider history and DA to get a good idea about domains.
Expired domains don’t have Google’s penalties and de-indexation issues and a healthy backlink profile, that’s what matters.
Who Is Selling Expired Domains?
Before we dive into who and where to buy an expired domain, let’s take a quick look at what expired domains are like.
The site owner does not own a domain name; they rent it for a certain period. They pay a fee covering that period, usually one to five years.
The registrar will notify the owner of the domain when it will expire soon. A person is also given a grace period, of 2 to 40 days. If the owner still hasn’t renewed the domain, it’s put up for sale/auction.
If no one buys in the process, the domain can also be released back into the registry for public registration. Will be entered into the status of the deleted domain. We’ll cover another time, about the art of hunting for deleted domains. Enjoy …
Take advantage of tools like DomainTools.com that can help you learn if the domain you’re looking for is up for sale.
One of the easiest ways to buy an expired domain is from an auction. The main advantage here is that you can wait for premium domain names to move into the ‘grace period’.
Examples Of Sites That Sell / Auction Expired Domains;
- ExpiredDomains.Net (more than 200,000 expired domains are available, allowing you to filter and narrow your search). On this site, you can also hunt for deleted domains. This includes the warehouse.
- DropCatch.com (you can view and track the remaining time before the domain is put up for auction),
- NameJet (premium class expired domain warehouse),
- FreshDrop (clean and credible domain),
- GoDaddy Domain Auctions; is also a popular site where buyers buy expired domains. Here, you get advanced essential features. This allows you to search for domains by extension, this steady,
- SpamZilla.io SpamZilla.io is a pretty good tool for finding expired domains, as it offers the most data for each domain in its database, as well as a user interface that is very easy to navigate. The most time-consuming thing to find good expired domains is to review their “Spam SEO”. SpamZilla provides you with a large amount of data, so you can dive deep into the history of WayBack, Anchor Text, Domain Drops, Google Rankings, and more.
- My Dynadot used to hang out here. See people doing auctions. Monitor the most bidder of the domains, then perform an in-depth analysis. If it fits, then I will bid higher. I’m lazy enough to find it on my own. Where to rummage through thousands of domains.
- There are still many options. But what I mentioned above, is more than enough. You can’t concentrate and focus if there are too many options. Yes, right?
Important Tips!
Well… we are entering the experience sharing stage. This is not a standard rule but can form the basis for your further consideration.
Assess The Domain
The value of a domain in SEO depends historically. And most importantly, the quantity and quality of backlinks. Because this is an important factor for ranking.
Do enough research on keywords, get to know the content of the domain beforehand, and check if it has quality links. Linger at the Wayback Machine. At this point, I am thinking about creating content on how to use the Wayback Machine. Oh .. there are many ideas.
What is clear, through the Wayback machine, you can search for the domain before its content. You can see a portrait of his past there.
Furthermore, yes, that was what we mentioned earlier, domain authority (DA) and page authority (PA); the first is very important. This helps gauge how a site will rank in the SERPs. Help gauge how potential a page is to rank on the SERPs.
A good expired domain should have a DA / PA score of not less than 20. But this started to change after we found out that, in fact; an active website, can still help SEO strength.
Active here are sites that consistently publish content and have traffic. If you can find this type, just brush it. Even though the DA / PA is small.
Just imagine a very active and well-managed domain that got canceled because the owner didn’t want to continue the business. Such domains may have a lower DA. But built properly. Google likes …
I have several sites with small DA / PA, but thousands of traffic. Oh, this is an expensive site, in my opinion.
That’s why you should look at the archives, to find the history of websites built on expired domain names. Use the tools we discussed above.
Several places to find expired domains such as GoDaddy Auctions, Dynadot, Flippa, DomCop, NameCheap, and more, have matrices for you to consider.
Initial Step
To get an expired domain, you need to do a search or buy it through a domain auction site. As already reviewed above. Select one! Don’t need anything.
Find which one is the most suitable. Get to know the character of the features. So the pros are there. That way, you will understand the situation and conditions well. It even includes competitor characters who are also hunting for domains.
In most cases, the domain name is offered annually for a certain price. If the client fails to pay the price, they lose ownership of the domain.
So, the domain is put on display for sale and anyone can buy it. Hence you need to understand the details of how to find expired domains.
It can be through an auction, it can also be through sites that sell the domain in question.
An expired domain can be useful as it acts as a lever for a new website. When doing online searches, you can use tools such as Domain Hunter Gatherer. It allows you to find domain names more easily.
Not sure what you need? That is easy. Enter the niche name or keywords you need, and you will see a list of several domains depending on the domain finder tool you are using.
Essential Tool
When looking for a suitable expired domain for your website, it’s important to use a tool. This is to make things easier. Because the manual search is tiring!.
You will find that there are many expired domains with key metrics, but you might also be lucky to find an established domain.
Searching, however, can be time-consuming and expensive. But if it’s not done right it will pay off well.
Here are some tools to use:
- Domain Hunter Gatherer: Useful tool for finding expired domains with highly targeted traffic. It has several powerful features to make it easy for you to search for the best quality expired domains. This allows for a comfortable setting according to your needs. Through this, you can access many expired domains in minutes.
- ExpiredDomains.net: A free tool that provides metrics to help you find quality expired domains. You will find the most recent expired and deleted domains here. This is an excellent place to start your search. There are nearly 280 million domains available in their database. It has search filters that are useful for narrowing down the results for your needs.
- FreshDrop: A pioneer in online domain tools, FreshDrop provides valuable domains for online business and personal use. It has more than 8 million domain names. Quite a user-friendly interface. Very useful when looking for any domain. This brings up a high-quality expired domain for you to choose from. It also offers features like domain auction, domain backorder, and domain monitoring.
- Register Compass: A pretty good tool, when looking to invest in domains. Currently, there are more than 10 million domains in their database. It has a user-friendly interface and does not limit the number of domain searches and filter settings. Clear metrics also make it easier to verify domain names. It offers some useful features like a monitored domains list, integrated external tools, domain export, etc.
Lucky
Throughout the domain hunting experience, every technique and matric used is never completely accurate. Specifically related to the domain value. Some high authority domains are sometimes insignificant in SEO. While some of the lower authorities buy on a whim, it is downright good!
So, the domain history obtained from the above tools is only a basic overview. For consideration.
Some backlinks related to the domain, although visible backlink checker tools, often do not appear in Google Search Console. I don’t know what factor this is. Has not received a satisfactory explanation.
Part of the backlink takes a long process to be reckoned with by Google. It could be 2 weeks or even months. At this point, you must be patient.
Continue to rebuild the domain with quality content.
Not quite right, if we say this is a luck factor. But enough for a reason, when we have not found the exact cause. Hohoho.
Care
Domain already acquired. And get ready to rank! Oh .. better, take a deep breath, this is just the first step to flying in the top 1 Google.
Whatever plan you plan to do on the domain, maintenance is still important.
Expired domain, we think of a person who has been suspended in animation, fainting, or other terms. You need to make him well again.
So, whether it is used for PBNs, money sites, or whatever, make it something of quality. Quality .. Google likes quality because it’s what it promises, to its users.
What Am I Doing?
I checked the backlinks again. Where did it come from? What made the backlink happen?
If the backlink is from a high authority site that references the domain for a particular page, I will usually retrieve that content from the Wayback Machine. If possible. And repost. Set the redirect to work properly. If the URL is different.
I want that old history to revive. I don’t want, one day, the site owner to think about removing the link, because they found the URL 404.
Hard work? Yes, if you want the best results. Results never betray the process!

Mustafa Al Mahmud is the Founder of Gizmo Concept and also a professional Blogger, SEO Professional as well as Entrepreneur. He loves to travel and enjoy his free moment with family members and friends.
Nice article!