Several domain names are floating around that have expired and no one is using them. Businesses that are new on the web and looking for a launch can use these expired domains. Such expired domains do well for businesses and are a good deal.
Even businesses planning a migration can make use of expired domains, but there are certain things to consider before doing this. This article will discuss how you can get an expired domain for your business and are they any helpful.
Expired Domain Name
A domain name that was previously used by an IP address i.e. expired now is called the expired domain name. At present, it does not point towards any IP address. In the world of the Internet, websites are recognized with their IP addresses.
Thus, every server needs the Domain Name System server to covert these domain names into IP addresses.
In case of an expired domain, the Domain Name Server will have no connection of that expired domain name with any IP address, and therefore it will lead to nowhere.
This implies after expiring, the domain name is good for nothing and just lies there without pointing anywhere. Hence, it can be reused for a new IP address. A business that is launching in the digital world and needs a domain name, can use the expired one and create a new website.
Buying an Expired Domain Name
The business can buy an expired domain name without worrying about any past strings attached to it. It is completely safe and legal to do this. To buy a domain name, the following key terms need to be remembered:
- Registry - It is the organization name that is the bookkeeper of domain name records for a particular top-level domain. For example .com, .in, .org, etc.
- Registrar - It is the main organization that catalogs the domain names.
- Reseller - This is a person of the organization that deals in selling the domain names. A reseller works on behalf of the registrar.
- Registrant - It is a company or an individual who buys and owns the domain name.
Is It Possible to Buy an Expired Domain Name?
First of all, the domain name is registered, which means it is not owned by anyone yet but rented out for a specific period. This leasing time can range from one to ten years. Many businesses put their domains on auto-renew so that they do not have to worry about its expiration and can keep using the domain till they want.
Without renewal, that domain name can be taken on rent by someone else. When a business buys a new domain the process is different from buying an expired domain. You need to follow a certain set of rules before buying an expired domain name, as per the type of the domain name.
- Every domain name has a 'grace' or 'redemption' period, i.e. 30 days. This implies the domain name can be reclaimed by the recent domain Registrant. The fee for this domain name will be higher than the fee if the domain name was reclaimed initially.
- If the domain is not renewed after 30 days by the earlier Registrant, the domain is lost. If someone has already registered or shown interest n buying that domain will be notified that it is ready for sale.
- If the domain has not previous orders on it, or if the person who booked it earlier refuses to buy it now, the domain is auctioned off to the one who bids the highest. The domain remains in the auction for seven days.
- If the domain name does not get sold even during the auction period of seven days, it is called the closeout domain name. It gets re-entered into the Registry. Some middle companies keep a hold of the domain names from the Registry and pass on the ownership of it to someone or some business who wishes to buy it.
- The domain names that are no longer even in the Registry are the deleted domain names. They do not have any existing records. This deleted domain name can be registered in the same way as for an unregistered one.
A lot of businesses prefer buying the domain name from a reseller.
Although, there is no harm in buying an expired domain name that also does not mean that one should always go for an expired domain name. The expired domain names do have some loose strings that can harm the search engine rankings.
Is It Safe to Purchase Expired Domain Names?
If the previous owner or business of the domain has invested in brand marketing very effectively, the current owner of that domain name may experience irrelevant and unwanted leads.
If the business of the present domain name owner is different from the previous one, the customers will come here looking for the previous business but find nothing relevant and leave.
This behavior will enhance the bounce rate of the present website and prove harmful to its search engine rankings and visibility. It may require a lot of effort to regain the lost customers.
The expired domain owner's outreach efforts and marketing links can increase the bounce rate of the current domain name owner.
Several businesses want to build a domain authority by buying an expired domain name. This authority comes to the picture with the help of link metrics. The domain name that has numerous inbound links from other sites holds a higher domain authority. Each link counts and acts as approval from one website to the other.
If your website has more relevant links it means more endorsements and more trusted is the website. Therefore, it will show up more on the search engines and rank higher as well.
Google's search engine algorithm holds the high value of such inbound links to a website. It determines if these links can pass through domains then the websites they point to must rank higher.
Vet an Expired Domain Name
It is evident from the above discussion that even if the domain has expired, it does leave some footprints behind that show the history related to that domain name. It is always good to give some time and effort to know more about the expired domain before finally purchasing it. Here are the factors that must be taken care of:
- First of all, the reputation of the previous brand associated with this domain name must be checked. Search on Google to see what kind of business or brand was previously related to this expired domain name you are about to purchase.
- Use the tools to crosscheck the backlinks. There should be no spam related to it.
- The expired domain must be clean, so check for any malicious malware or codes. Also, look for any blacklisting of this domain name server.
Conclusion | How to Buy Expired Domains 2021
Buying an expired domain name is a great idea but make sure you have done all the preliminary checks before that. This article lists out all the essential information you need to have regarding expired domain names.
The main thing to check is the background to ensure the domain was never associated with bad practices. If it has spammy codes, dodgy backlinks, or malicious code, it will hamper the domain authority immensely.
