Buying a High PR Domain. Tell Me What I should Know

Hi dp40oz,

High PR does matter when it comes to backlinks. PR is used to weight the influence of relevant anchor text value.

You should take care when purchasing a domain for it's PR value. PR is passed to individual URLs through backlinks. Real PR is updated in near real-time, unfortunately we can never see the current PR, only what it used to be at the time of the last toolbar update. Whatever toolbar PR you are seeing isn't necessarily the current PR.

When purchasing a domain don't believe the toolbar PR that you see displayed, instead check the backlinks pointing towards the URL for strength. Also, try to learn who controls those backlinks, because if they are controlled by the seller then you can expect them to disappear shortly after your payment clears.

If the source of backlinks pointing toward the domain URLs are from a diverse set of websites that are not controlled by an individual, or small group, then it is more likely to remain after the purchase. Again, check to make sure that the most powerful incoming links aren't under the control of the seller or otherwise unlikely to remain in place.

One of the most common scams in the domain aftermarket is pointing a few powerful links at a near worthless domain and selling it as soon as the toolbar data shows the high PR. After the sale, the seller then points those links at the next worthless domain and tees up for their next victim.