Regardless of whether you’re registering a brand new domain and purchasing an aged domain, one of the first things you’ll want to do is check if the domain has a good history.
Domain history relates to the manner in which the domain was used in the past and thus the nature of backlinks that it carries (in case the domain was used prior to purchase – aged domain).
Why is a good domain history important?
Regardless of whether you’re purchasing a new or an aged domain, checking its history is a wise step prior to the purchase for several reasons.
First and foremost the domain may have been penalized by Google and in this case, the penalty will be carried over with the domain to the new owner.
It is thus your responsibility to check if the domain was previously in trouble with Google, if you’re not eager to submit a reconsideration request later down the line.
Marketplaces like Odys Global vet the domains ensuring they haven’t been used for SPAM and as Matt Cutts put it “burned into the ground’.
How to check if a domain is in trouble with Google?
The easiest way to check if an aged domain isn’t in trouble with Google is to simply do a site search in Google Search, by typing “site:domain.com” into the search bar. If there are no results at all, especially if there is content on the domain, then it is typically a bad sign.
However, this is not always the case as some domains may be removed from Google Search because they’re parked and Google are attempting to take out the parked domains out of their search engine
As Matt Cutts recommends, just search for the domain name or the brand name in Google Search in order to find a picture of the reputation of the domain name. Is it associated with SPAM, were the people talking about it in a good or bad way?
How to check the previous website under a domain name?
An equally good way of checking the history of a domain name is using the internet archive. So, if you go to archive.org and put in the domain name, the archive will show you what the previous versions of that website looked like.
This is your opportunity to steer clear of websites that are associated with SPAM. Otherwise, you may end up with a domain that was used for illegitimate purposes and you may eventually find yourself spending time just to bring it back to level ground.
How to check a domain’s backlink profile?
Lastly, particularly in the case of aged domains, it’s always a good idea to check the backlink profile of the domain. This can be achieved using a premium AHREFS account, in the backlinks, referring domains, or best by links reports.
When looking at the backlink profile of a domain, the general recommendation is to avoid domains with spammy anchor text and unnaturally-built backlinks.
Visit Odys blog to learn more about aged domains and proven tactics on how to use them to your advantage.
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