Expired domains with good, authentic traffic are the gold standard in the SEO world. If one of these is in the same niche as yours and has a solid private blog network (PBN), you can redirect their traffic to your site.
However, getting PBN domains with high traffic is not that easy. Most auctioning and domain-selling platforms that list expired domains show the metrics of the listed websites at their peak instead of average performance numbers. If you’re not careful, you could end up buying a poor-performing domain that experienced a temporary, short-lived traffic boost. For that very reason, we’ve listed some reliable sites where you can safely browse and purchase expired domains with genuine traffic.
NameJet
Many experts report NameJet as one of the best marketplaces for expired domain names–this is confirmed by the number of positive reviews the website has earned and the number of returning customers. Some have bought expired domain names with good traffic from NameJet and converted them into very strong assets for their main website. After its recent sale of Millionaires.com at $127,000, NameJet’s reputation skyrocketed.
There are three general categories for expired domain names. These include:
- Hot Picks: This is an exclusive high-quality inventory.
- Last Chance: Here, you can backorder domain names.
- Open Auction: Here, you can place a bid to get a certain domain name.
Buying expired domains from a NameJet auction is much safer than many other places because the platform prevents shill bidding, so people can’t illegally place fake bids to artificially raise the price of a domain to unreasonable levels.
DomCop
Another leading name in the expired domain marketplace is DomCop. It’s a third-party tool that allows you to search the perfect expired domain with advanced metrics and highly-specific, filter-based search filters. Once you’ve found the best domain name, you can buy it via a registrar, auction site, or back-ordering service.
DomCop lists new domain names, expired domains, domains in auction, domains about to be deleted, and crawled domains. It lists all these types of domains with some essential metrics, including:
- Moz rank and metrics
- SEMrush rank and traffic
- WHOIS information
- Domain Scope information
- Alexa Rank data
- Wayback Archive information
No other domain name searcher displays these metrics; by using DomCop, you gain a significant amount of objectivity when hunting expired domains. Its basic plan begins at $64, and DomCop promises a two-day, money-back guarantee. If you don’t feel it’s the right tool for you, you can always get your investment back.
DropCatch
DropCatch is very good at its job–it tracks down expired domains from the very second it expires and lists them on its website. If you manage to purchase a domain as soon as it lists, it’s yours, but if multiple people are interested in buying the same domain, it will be put up for auction.
This is not a beginner-friendly method of buying an expired domain, and you will need to assess the metrics very carefully. However, DropCatch is a good place for those who’ve already done their homework about a respective site and are waiting for it to get listed for sale, and at only $59, DropCatch is one of the most budget-friendly options for buying expired domains as soon as they come up for sale.
ExpiredDomains
Last but not the least, ExpiredDomains is a free search engine for expired domains. It’s a good place to buy expired domains, especially for those who are beginning to explore this side of the SEO world.
In Summary
Search engines list about 3.6 million expired domains at any one time, so be sure to take time to research and identify the appropriate metrics at hand and buy expired domains that meet your needs. To build a microsite, or even resell one at a higher price, you should become familiar with our PBN hosting guide, and if you’re looking for a more technical and detailed tool, it’s important to learn how to use FreshDrop to find domains.