As of September 2018, the number of registered domains worldwide was 342 million. Top of the list is .com, the most common ending for commercial websites with over 138 million. If your chosen name is already taken by a .com what alternatives are there? If you are in the UK, or selling to the UK, then .uk is an option and the fifth most popular top-level domain worldwide (after .com, .cn, .de, .net). Alternatively, there is the .us domain with over 2 million registrations.
Short, concise and easy-to-remember web addresses with as few letters as possible are now rarely available because of the enormous number of websites and the domains they use on the internet. Setting up and marketing a completely new domain can be a dull and time-consuming task. So why not use the dormant potential in expiring or expired domains?
What are Expiring Domains?
Experimentation played a key role in the early days of the internet, and little has changed since then. If someone has a great idea, they may register a domain to try it out but eventually decide not to continue with using it. Said domain gets forgotten and registration is not renewed – or it even gets terminated.
As an “expired domain” – often described as “deleted domain” or “dropped domain” – the web address becomes available again. A domain can be dropped for other reasons too - businesses become insolvent, a project gets cancelled or an individual retires. What all of these situations have in common is that there is no longer anyone who cares about the unused internet address, and the registration eventually expires.
The untapped potential of these inactive domains has been recognized by SEO experts and online marketers. If you want to secure a great domain you have to be quick. You should seek out web addresses that are still live and target expiring, rather than expired domains.
Why are Expiring Domains so interesting?
How a website ranks in value is determined by various SEO factors such as fresh content and backlinks, a good Google reputation, and being listed in search results. The actual value of an expiring domain depends on what you intend to do with it.
- There are domains with value in the domain name itself. Catchy keyword domains are very popular and this category is of particular interest to domain dealers looking for a quick profit. The average price of a domain registered on a trading platform such as Sedo.com is around $1,700. Prices for expiring domains start at$79, and this is where the best bargains are!
- The value of another domain type is defined by “domain trust”. The key elements for this are how long the domain has been established (older is better), the backlinks and the quantity of valuable and useful information. It is also important that the domain is not associated with spam or unethical practices.
How do I find an Expiring Domain?
Various internet search engines provide an overview of domains which are due to become available and assist with the buying and registering process using automated systems. Sedo also provides expiring domain services at https://expiringdomains.sedo.com. There are more than 2,000 new and exclusive domains added each day, plus important information on the number of backlinks, Google search statistics and the number of current bids.
How can I get the most from an Expiring Domain?
Apart from trading the expiring domain, there are several ways to profit from a deleted and revived domain:
- You can re-direct the domain to a website of your choosing, converting the traffic from the dropped domain to your own. If the traffic is insignificant, you can repel the domain later.
- Alternatively, you can set up a new microsite or a complete website using the domain. This is especially helpful if the domain was previously used for a subject area similar to your project, as you will be starting with the benefit of monthly traffic to your site right off the bat.
You should also pay attention to the content and language consistency, particularly if you want to populate an old domain with new content and continue to use it. You should not, for example, suddenly feature animals on a website previously about ships – nobody can predict how Google will react to it now, or in the future. Worst case scenario, you can burn the domain for the long term which means that it will be banned from Google’s index .