13 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}
13 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}

Have I Bought a 'bad' Domain?

by Pauline60
11 replies
Hi - have used search facility but can't find an answer so I hope someone here can help.

I bought a .com domain a few weeks back and was surprised to see that it has a domain age of 3. Anyway I have set up and published the first ten or so pages of my site. I have done the SEO stuff and started a few backlinks. My site is not yet indexed.

Today I checked out the WHOIS info on this domain. I am not sure if I should be worried by what I found.

2 registrars since 2005 with two drops
changed name servers 15 times
hosted on 21 IP addresses
15 ownership records

Does this indicate that this domain has a bad record of some sort?

Any help on this would be very much appreciated.

Pauline
#bad #bought #domain
  • Profile picture of the author nebraska
    Do a plain old google search for this:

    info:yourdomain.com

    Just like that...and if the result lists a different domain rather than yours...then the page rank is faked. If your domain is listed, then all is well. Don't trust any of the sites that claim to do it for you, they either don't work or are wrong. This way is as fool proof as it can get.
    Signature

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1643692].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author davesteffensmeier
    What does age 3 mean? Curious, I didn't know you can get a bad domain. Yahoo, Google, and youtube kinda have funny names but they worked out.

    Have a great day!
    Dave Steffensmeier
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1643696].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Gene Pimentel
    Hi Pauline,

    No, this does not mean you have a 'bad' domain. It's common for a domain name to have this type of history.

    Indexing can take a week or more, so hang in there.

    You can check to see what the site was used for by using the "wayback Machine" at Internet Archive. This should help you understand the history of your domain.

    Another resource you can use is this: http://www.iwebtool.com/google_banned -- This can indicate whether or not it appears that your domain was ever banned by Google. It is NOT definitive, so don't let it scare you if it shows up as possibly banned. If it does, you just need to do a little more research.

    If the domain WAS banned, you can contact Google and let them know you are a new owner, and ask them to clear it.

    Originally Posted by Pauline60 View Post

    Hi - have used search facility but can't find an answer so I hope someone here can help.

    I bought a .com domain a few weeks back and was surprised to see that it has a domain age of 3. Anyway I have set up and published the first ten or so pages of my site. I have done the SEO stuff and started a few backlinks. My site is not yet indexed.

    Today I checked out the WHOIS info on this domain. I am not sure if I should be worried by what I found.

    2 registrars since 2005 with two drops
    changed name servers 15 times
    hosted on 21 IP addresses
    15 ownership records

    Does this indicate that this domain has a bad record of some sort?

    Any help on this would be very much appreciated.

    Pauline
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1643705].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Hamish Jones
    What sort of niche are you in? Some competitive niches need a lot of time with relevant content before Google will rank them.

    Domain name can help but it is not the end of the world.

    I've seen irrelevant domain names filled with differing niche content that still rank in Google.

    Don't stress. Work out the real issue and you will then work out how to fix it.
    Signature
    Best Business Deals - The World's Most Customer Focused Telecommunications Company. Servicing Customers in Australia, Canada and the USA.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1643711].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Pauline60
    Hi - and thanks for such quick replies!

    I have tried the Internet Archive and it just shows 4 pages in 2007 but they are entries on what seems to be an auction site called Web Ads Overnight. They reckon the current bid on my domain name is over $5,000 - don't know what to make of that. Internet Archive is an interesting tool which I am sure I will use in future before buying a domain name, so thanks for the info on that.

    Also tried the info:mysite search and it said there was no info on my site but the link they gave did lead to my site so that is reassuring.

    Thanks again for everyone's help.

    Pauline
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1643771].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Steve Peters Benn
    Hi Pauline,

    I've seen some crazy amounts for domain I have just bought and done nothing with. I'm not sure what to make of them either I'm afraid.

    If you have gone and used Webmaster tools, or sometimes analytics, you can end up at the back of the "processing" queue.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1643852].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author siteflip
    You probably did this already but just to make sure:


    Submit your XML sitemap on Google. I have noticed that it helps.
    Also, what kind of backlinks did you get? From my experience, if you get a backlink from a PR3 and over you do gt indexed within a day.

    But its a a matter of time, hang in there and don't be surprised if you jump to a PR2 in the next update.

    _S_
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1643915].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author I.M.Retired
    Pauline: You can check that domain here:

    Google Safe Browsing diagnostic page for www.yourdomainname.com

    I'm not sure if it will tell you anything significant, or not, but it's worth a try.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1643990].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Pauline60
    Yipee, it got indexed today! Took 13 days altogether but its there now.

    Thanks again to everyone for your help with this. I'll know not to panic too soon next time!

    Pauline.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1650317].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Gene Pimentel
    Awesome -- thanks for the update!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1650350].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author duncanb
      I agree , for a domain of that age this history status is nothing unusual.

      Might I add, I would not always consider the bid value of a domain as indicated by a website to be wholly accurate.
      Signature
      My latest WSO: 44 Never Published before PLR articles for $14
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[1650364].message }}

Trending Topics