Usually, a domain name is not available for re-registration as soon as it expires. Most registrars allow a grace period that can be as short as one or two weeks or as long as a year for registrants to renew expired domain names. The actual grace period can be different for each individual registrar and domain name extension.

That is, the grace period for a .com domain name might be different from the grace period for a .us domain name, even at the same registrar.

After the registrar’s grace period, most domain names have a redemption period. This period can last from two weeks to 30 days, and, during this time, the current registrant can renew the domain name by paying a redemption fee along with the domain name’s renewal fee.

If the current registrant does not renew or redeem the domain name, it might be auctioned. When a domain name is released to a public auction, you can participate and possibly capture the domain name by placing a bid on it.

If the domain name is not renewed, redeemed, or purchased through an auction, it is returned to its registry. The registry determines when the domain name is released again for registration. Once it’s released, you can register the domain name through us.

Why should you buy an expired domain name ?

I wan to buy an expired domain name because  it has its previous ranking power and SEO value, which can be used in several ways. It can also be used to protect my brand and bring my current website traffic, and I can buy, hold, and sell it.

A domain that has been around for a decade and has many backlinks will usually have a lot of link juice that can be utilized. What can I do with an expired domain name?

1. Build an useful website  –  If you are thinking about building a new site or blog, consider purchasing an expired domain rather than a new one because a new domain website need a lot of time to build up its authority. You’ll have to build new content and backlinks, and domain age authority will only come with time. With an expired domain, you can leverage its existing SEO value to start ranking quicker right away.

2. For Backlinking Purposes – Instead of building an entire site, you can also build a small mini-site for the sole purpose of linking to your main website or blog. The goal here is to transfer the “link juice” that the old domain already has to your main site through this backlink. You’ll have to add some content, such as a few articles or blog posts, in order for the site to look natural.

3. Redirect the expired domain website to your money website –  If you want to transfer the link juice of an expired domain to your main website without going through the process of setting up a mini-site, you can skip ahead by simply redirecting the old domain to your main website. This can be done via a 301 redirect.

4. Sell It For Profit – Another reason people purchase expired domains is simply to sell them. This is also known as domain flipping, and some people earn their livelihood from it.

 

How to evaluate the expired domain name value ?

1. Domain History, Age of Domain

Simply enter the domain into Internet Archive’s search box. It’ll show you a timeline of the domain from the year it started up to present:

Click on a year and the tool will show you screenshots of that year. You should be able to view the domain’s pieces of content and links. Was the site used for porn or spam? Did it look like it was hacked?

2. Domain Authority and Page Authority

Moz has developed metrics to help site owners assess their site’s SEO performance. Important metrics you should check are your Domain Authority (DA) and Page Authority (PA).

Domain Authority score predicts the likelihood of an entire domain rank on search results. On the other hand, Page Authority predicts the ranking potential of an individual web page. Both DA and PA are scored on a scale of 1-100.

Moz analyzes DA and PA-based on factors such as the quality of content, number and quality of backlinks, and more. You can easily check these metrics using the Moz SEO Toolbar.

3. Backlink Profile and Backlinks Quality

Use Ahrefs to uncover an expired domain’s complete backlink profile. Checking this on a domain lets you know the quality of its backlinks. You’ll also want to focus on the anchor text that’s used. Excessive use of an exact match anchor text is a definite sign of spam.

I personally prefer Ahrefs (and other marketers do too) to evaluate a backlink profile because of its massive database. This allows the tool to analyze your domain with accuracy. It’ll also check the domain for the following:

• IP addresses of the links your domain has
• The growth of your backlinks over time
• Do-follow and no-follow links
• Site issues
• Inbound and outbound links

Its ability to check every backlink an expired domain has in detail ensures that you avoid negative SEO.

4. Organic Traffic

Identify any problems in the traffic of an expired domain using Google Analytics. Google Analytics will help you see whether the domain is getting real traffic or bot traffic (from spiders or robots).

In the Google Analytics dashboard, notice any sudden spike in website traffic. If there isn’t any special event on occasion within that timeframe, that is a probable sign of bot traffic.

Here are other signs that tell that an expired domain is overrun by bot traffic:

• Bot traffic does not have a referrer. It will always show up as Direct traffic
• Bots will always show up as New Visitors
• High bounce rate that’s almost always near 100%
• Average page views is always 1 per session

Again, it pays to check the authenticity of a domain’s traffic. Don’t get carried away by numbers.

5. Page Speed

The time it takes for a web page to load impacts user experience and SEO.  When a site loads fast, visitors and customers will be able to complete their online transactions. In 2010, Google announced that it was going to account speed as a new ranking factor. Many factors influence your page speed such excessive use of plugins, ads, content management system, coding languages, and images.  Google PageSpeed Insights will measure your domain’s performance on desktop and mobile. At the same time, it will suggest possible optimizations for faster speed.

6. Website Value

Put a value on the links. Every link has potential value. What would it cost you to purchase the links on an annual basis? Every link (even bad ones) would probably have a value of at least $3 to $5 each. If there are 1000 links from lots of domain names then consider the fact that it really could be worth $3000 or more. Some advertising listings that are links could have cost hundreds of dollars per year (when they were offering that option). Some links (.edu, .gov) are priceless and you cannot purchase them. Or can you?

What’s the bottom line? When you consider purchasing an older domain name or any domain name that has already been “used” or one that has already had a website on it, you really need to be careful. Look at its history. Make sure it doesn’t have any links that you wouldn’t be proud of. And make sure that the links are still there if you’re buying the domain name for links: and always use a 301 Permanent Redirect when redirecting.

If you don’t have the time or expertise to look at link data and other important data about a domain name, you might consider Hartzer Consulting’s domain background check service that will do this for you. You can also learn more about domain name due diligence by viewing the interview I did with Domain Sherpa. Another good resource is our article about how to know if you should renew your domain name, which has been recently updated.

7. Domain Name Background Check Service

If you don’t have the time or expertise to fully evaluate a domain name before you purchase it.

8. Check Moz Rankings

Moz has two metrics for determining the quality of a site: Page Authority and Domain Authority. These are based on a site’s history and backlinks. Make sure the site doesn’t have a low PA and DA score.

9. Check Google Bans

Use a Google Ban Checker to make sure that a site wasn’t banned from Google, in which case it will have no value to you.

Now that you know what to look for and how to use an expired site, it’s time to go domain shopping. Here are some sites you can use:

● Flippa
● GoDaddy Auctions
● Epik
● Moonsy
● ExpiredDomains.net
● FreshDrop