How to Know When to Buy Expired Domains

By | May 25, 2011

Buying expired domains can yield a lot of profit potential for the buyer with a shrewd eye. Knowing where to look, where to buy, how much to pay, and all of these other variables is a skill – and while it’s a skill you can learn, it also helps to have a little advice along the way. That’s why this article is going to explore when it’s the right time to buy an expired domain.

But before we start in earnest, let’s answer an important question: how do you really know for certain that you’re buying the right domain? Easy answer: you don’t! No purchase is ever a sure thing. But with the tips present here at WebsiteBroker.com, you might have a pretty good inkling about which expired domains are the best in the future. Let’s get started.

Page Ranking

One of the most important “currencies” on the web that tell you what a website’s value is simple: page ranking. Google’s PageRank system is one way it discerns which site to show in the search indexes first. A higher PageRank doesn’t only mean that your site will show up higher in Google searches, but it implies a lot of things about the value of the site itself.

How is that the case? Well, figuring out a site’s PageRank includes a lot of variables that also attest to the value of the site. For example, the amount of links pointing at the site will certainly influence the PageRank – and having a lot of links pointing to a site also increase’s the site’s value. Using the 1-10 scale of PageRank is a great way to understand at quick glance which expired domains have a lot of value waiting to be utilized.

Keywords

Another major variable that experienced domain buyers look for are keywords. Are some great keywords included in the domain name’s address? For example, a domain like “ShopForCars.com” will generally have more value than a similar site, like “Bill’sCarSite.com.” Knowing the difference in keywords – as well as the importance of these keywords – is essential.

But there’s more to the keyword puzzle that meets the eye. You have to know which keywords are the valuable ones. Using tools like Google’s free AdWords tool to find out how many people are actually typing in these keywords into search engine bars is a great indication of which keywords receive the most traffic. You don’t want “ShopHereforCars.com” if no one’s typing in “shop here for cars,” for example.

Keywords are a vital part of what makes a domain name valuable. That’s why simpler domain names tend to go for higher prices – the keywords they include are more likely to be well-searched for.

How can you be sure you’re making a great expired domain purchase? If the expired domain you’re buying has some good traits like the ones listed above. But, again, it’s important to remember that no domain is ever a sure thing – although some expired domains can certainly come close!