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How to Spot a Dropped Domain

by bluenetworx
8 replies
Hey,

Could someone tell me what it is that you need to look for in the whois history of a domain to see if it has been dropped, and also what else about the whois history is good to check before buying a domain?

I know to check wayback machine and also if the domain is a valid page rank or not etc....it's just the whois stuff I get a little confused on.

Any advise would be really appreciated.

Thanks
#domain #dropped #spot
  • Profile picture of the author Rob Thayer
    You can find out a lot about a domain's WHOIS history here:
    WHOIS Lookup and Domain Name Search | DomainTools.com

    It will tell you how many times the domain has been dropped, how many DNS changes it's had, and all kinds of crazy information.

    Of course Google likes a domain that has age, but once the domain has been dropped that's pretty much it. If there are still backlinks to the domain, that plays into your favor.

    All in all, you can't worry too much about the history of the domain unless you are buying it from someone who currently has it registered. Pay more attention to the worth of the domain as far as SEO or other factors goes.
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    • Profile picture of the author bluenetworx
      Thanks Rob

      Appreciate your reply. I am already a member of Domain Tools, but my question is, what is it that I need to look for specifically in the whois info, that might indicate the domain was dropped?

      Thanks
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  • Profile picture of the author Rob Thayer
    With Domain Tools, it actually tells you how many times the domain has been dropped.

    Here's an example... VegasWeddings.com:

    Registrar History: 2 registrars with 2 drops. <---
    NS History: 3 changes on 3 unique name servers over 4 years.
    IP History: 5 changes on 6 unique name servers over 4 years.
    Whois History: 36 records have been archived since 2001-08-07 .
    Reverse IP: 609 other sites hosted on this server.

    Kinda takes the guesswork out of it.
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    • Profile picture of the author bluenetworx
      Hey Rob

      Again thank you for taking the time to help me!

      The weird thing is when I searched on a whole bunch of domains, I never saw that: Registrar History: 2 registrars with 2 drops. <--- section, and now when I search in domain tools on the site you did, I do see it!!

      Do you think for the other sites that aren't showing it, that it means there is no drop history, so maybe that's why domain tools weren't showing it?

      Thanks
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  • Profile picture of the author Rob Thayer
    Yes... search for Yahoo.com. It shows 3 registrars but no drops. It was registered once in 1995, transferred to two other registrars throughout the years, but has never been dropped.
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  • Profile picture of the author glemoh
    Registrar History:
    1 registrar
    NS History:
    2 changes on 3 unique name servers over 5 years.

    IP History:
    6 changes on 4 unique IP addresses over 5 years.

    Whois History:
    32 records have been archived since 2008-10-29 .

    what about this data do you think this domain is dropped
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  • Profile picture of the author GforceSage
    Don't forget to see if the name has been trademarked. If the website was a money maker and the name was trademarked, the owner of the trademark can come after you regardless if they renewed the domain name or not. Domains cannot be copyrighted, but a name or brand can be trademarked.
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