Introduction to Expired Domains and SEO
Expired domains have been a topic of interest in the SEO world for many years. In the past, buying expired domains was a quick way to rank a website, as they often came with existing link profiles. This practice was popular about 25 years ago, when it was possible to see a domain’s PageRank through Google’s browser toolbar. If a domain was penalized, its PageRank would be zeroed out, making it easy to identify. SEOs would buy these expired domains, point them to their websites, and experience a boost in PageRank and rankings.
History of Expired Domains and SEO
The expired domain effect was not limited to actual expired domains. There was a loophole where links to non-existent domain names could also contain PageRank. For example, many SEO forums would link to example domains during discussions, and SEOs would purchase those domains to benefit from the PageRank. Another tactic was to crawl .edu and .org websites to find domain name misspellings in broken links, register those domains, and gain inbound links from authoritative web pages.
The End of the Expired Domain Loophole
The expired domain loophole came to an end in the early 2000s when Google introduced domain PageRank resets. This reset also affected domain misspellings that had never been registered, closing the secret loophole. Google’s John Mueller recently provided insight into how the domain name reset works, referring to the state of being a parked domain and having that status removed internally within Google.
The Case of an Expired Domain Not Ranking
A person recently launched a new website on an expired domain and was having trouble ranking for keywords, including its own branded keywords. The website was indexed in Google, had no errors in Search Console, and had a clean sitemap and robots.txt. However, it refused to appear in search engine results pages (SERPs) for even the most basic branded queries. The person wondered if the domain’s past life could be holding it back, like a reputation penalty or lingering Google baggage.
Understanding the Domain Reset Process
Mueller explained that it takes time for the old state of a domain to be "shaken off" and for the site to be treated like something new and independent. He referred to the state of being unregistered or parked, which are two different states of a domain. Unregistered means there’s nothing at the domain, while a parked domain means it’s registered and the DNS is pointing to a holding page. Mueller said there’s nothing manual that can be done to indicate the domain’s state has changed, but recommended checking Search Console for any penalties or issues.
What to Do If an Expired Domain Is Not Ranking
Most SEOs would not like to be told to sit tight and wait for Google to discover a new website. However, Mueller advised promoting the website on other channels, such as LinkedIn, YouTube, or other social media sites. He suggested making it easy for people to find the content regardless of location when they search for it, especially for the company name. Expanding to other searches that could lead users to the content would be the next step.
The Challenges of Expired Domains
Expired domains can be tricky, as they have gone through a reset process where the link equity of a domain drops off, and the domain essentially starts at position zero. Google’s ranking algorithms can give a new site a temporary ranking boost, making it difficult to determine whether a website with an expired domain is ranking because of residual effects or the new site ranking boost. Promoting a new website is essential, regardless of whether it’s built on an expired domain or one that’s never been registered.
Conclusion
In conclusion, expired domains have a complex history in the SEO world, and their impact on website rankings can be significant. Understanding the domain reset process and how Google treats expired domains is crucial for SEOs. While it may take time for an expired domain to "shake off" its old state, promoting the website on other channels and making it easy for people to find the content can help improve its visibility. Ultimately, a well-planned SEO strategy and patience are key to success with an expired domain.