Most expired domains sold on the strength of their backlinks are worth nothing. Here is how we tell the difference before we spend money.
The expired domain market runs on one number, domain rating, and that number is the easiest
thing in search engine optimisation to manufacture. A name with an impressive score and a
worthless profile is the default case, not the exception.
These are the checks we run before we put money on anything.
Is the link profile real or built
A domain that earned its links looks untidy. Coverage in a handful of relevant publications,
a scattering of directories, some forum mentions, a long tail of nothing much.
A manufactured profile looks neat. Hundreds of referring domains that all appeared in the same
few months, from sites in unrelated languages and industries, with anchor text that reads like a
keyword list. Once you have seen a few, they are obvious. The tell is usually the ratio: enormous
link counts against no measurable search traffic at all.
The single most useful signal is anchor relevance. Do the links that point at
this domain describe what the domain was actually about? Real coverage names the thing. Bought
links name the keyword somebody wanted to rank for.
Does the name work without the backlinks
We weight what a name is above what points at it, because the name survives a
search algorithm update and a link profile may not.
- Short is durable. Two and three letter names, and real dictionary words, hold
value regardless of history.
- Exact match still works in the UK for service and product terms, as long as
the phrase is one a person would actually type.
- A business in a box beats a shot on the system. A name you could launch a
real company on is worth more than a name that only makes sense as a ranking shortcut.
What was there before
History is a liability as often as an asset. We check what the domain used to be, because a
name that previously hosted something spammy carries that with it, and a name that previously
belonged to a real trading company can carry a trade mark problem. We do not buy names that
trade on somebody else's brand.
Is there any demand
An expired domain with no search volume behind its terms and no plausible buyer is a
renewal fee you pay every year. We check what the relevant phrases are actually searched for in the UK
before deciding a name is worth holding, not after.
The order we apply it in
- Eligibility. Can we legally hold this namespace at all.
- Trade marks. Does the name belong to somebody.
- The name itself. Length, dictionary status, exact match quality.
- Profile quality. Anchor relevance first, volume last.
- Demand. Real UK search volume, or a credible buyer.
Domain rating does not appear on that list. It is a summary of the fourth item, and a poor
one.
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