What precautions when buying previous registered domain?

by ronr
9 replies
I've found a couple of domains I'm interested that used to be registered. I'm not trying to get old links or anything form them, I just want the domains.

I think I heard somewhere that it's good to research any domains that have been registered before.

is that true? If so what and how would you research

It wouldn't matter if the domain was blacklisted would it since the IP address would change when you hosted it?

Thanks, Ron
#buying #domain #precautions #previous #registered
  • Profile picture of the author travlinguy
    Your questions are vague. When you say blacklisted, what exactly do you mean? Time cures a lot of problems so another issue you want to look at closely, is how long have these domains been offline?

    Overall, unless someone has been peddling kitty porn (you know what I mean) or advocating the destruction of an entire race of people on a domain, you have very little liability with an investmet of about $10 to register a domain. Good luck.
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    • Profile picture of the author sluggo
      Here is a good site to check out domain history:

      Domain Tools: Whois Lookup and Domain Suggestions

      It is a good idea to check the history of the domain.

      Good Luck!
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      • Profile picture of the author ronr
        Duh thanks! I'm a member of that site and didn't realize they had domain history :-)

        For the record I'm not concerned about a $10 domain name. I am concerned about investing potentially considerable time and money into a website only to find out there is a problem with a domain name.

        Ron

        Originally Posted by sluggo View Post

        Here is a good site to check out domain history:

        Domain Tools: Whois Lookup and Domain Suggestions

        It is a good idea to check the history of the domain.

        Good Luck!
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        • Profile picture of the author Rich Struck
          Google it & check archive.org.
          Signature

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    • Profile picture of the author meganeven
      Originally Posted by travlinguy View Post

      Your questions are vague. When you say blacklisted, what exactly do you mean? Time cures a lot of problems so another issue you want to look at closely, is how long have these domains been offline?

      Overall, unless someone has been peddling kitty porn (you know what I mean) or advocating the destruction of an entire race of people on a domain, you have very little liability with an investmet of about $10 to register a domain. Good luck.
      The previous kitty porn domains might increase traffic! Just maybe not the type of traffic you want...

      I think it would be good to get a domain that was previously visited by the same population you are aiming at.
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  • Profile picture of the author Mohit Anand
    There are websites that cater exclusively to the person who is interested in acquiring expired domain names. It is highly recommended that you visit them to learn more about the topic before you run right out and start buying up the expired domain names.
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    • Profile picture of the author ronr
      Originally Posted by trafficwiz View Post

      There are websites that cater exclusively to the person who is interested in acquiring expired domain names. It is highly recommended that you visit them to learn more about the topic before you run right out and start buying up the expired domain names.

      Good advice. In this case I was only buying a couple for a specific project.

      Ron
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      • Profile picture of the author Joe Mobley
        One of the potential side benefits is aging. Google list my domain as active since 2004. I bought it earlier this year.

        I don't know if it's much of a benefit but there you go.


        Joe
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  • Profile picture of the author Crew Chief
    Originally Posted by ronr View Post

    I've found a couple of domains I'm interested that used to be registered. I'm not trying to get old links or anything form them, I just want the domains.

    I think I heard somewhere that it's good to research any domains that have been registered before.

    is that true? If so what and how would you research

    It wouldn't matter if the domain was blacklisted would it since the IP address would change when you hosted it?

    Thanks, Ron
    The most crucial question you want to determine is, "Is the site currently de-indexed in Google's database?

    Check by going to >>> site:yourpotentialdomain.com

    Of course, if you see this...

    Your search - site:yourpotentialdomain.com - did not match any documents.

    Suggestions:
    • Make sure all words are spelled correctly.
    • Try different keywords.
    • Try more general keywords.
    ...then the site is most likely de-indexed since it was previously registered. If that be the case, you have to determine if you're willing to plead your case with Google on the strength that you are the new domain owner. That task has proven to be a roll of dice.

    If the site is not de-indexed you should be good to go. Although, like others have suggested check the Way Back Machine, and the Google cache for a historical background, just so you are not hit with any surprises.
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