Expired domains offer significant SEO potential, especially through their existing backlinks. To evaluate the quality of these backlinks, you should look at the domain authority (DA) metric.
A frequently asked question is whether expired domains really can retain their authority.
In this article, we’ll address this question and explore the factors that impact whether domain authority is kept or lost when a domain expires.
Understanding Domain Authority
Domain Authority (DA) is an essential SEO metric created by Moz to measure the overall strength and trustworthiness of your domain. It scores from 1 to 100, with higher scores indicating better search engine ranking potential.
Keep in mind that a high DA score doesn’t guarantee top rankings. It is a relative metric for website comparison, not a specific target.
To calculate DA, Moz uses a machine-learning model to evaluate more than 40 factors, such as backlinks’ quantity and quality.
This shows that if the domain retains its links after it expires, the DA score should also be retained. But if the domain loses high-quality backlinks, it can damage its authority.
Search Engine Views on How Expired Domain Retain Authority
Search Engine have their own algorithms to decide and estimate how authoritative and trustworthy a website is.
Through our extensive testing and years of experience, we’ve observed that when a domain remains inactive for an extended period, it starts to lose the trust of search engines. Moreover, if the domain was once associated with a strong website or a popular brand, it can influence the speed at which search engine trust decreases.
Let’s explore some of the reasons why a domain may start to lose authority from a search engine perspective:
Losing Valuable Backlinks
When a domain expires, the backlinks pointing to that domain may disappear, especially if the domain is not renewed promptly. As a result, the domain’s authority may decline due to losing these valuable backlinks. However, if the backlinks remain intact and continue to point to the expired domain, it has a better chance of retaining its authority. Keeping high-quality backlinks from reputable sources contributes positively to a domain’s authority.
The Content is Outdated or Irrelevant
If the domain’s content is relevant and valuable to users, it is more likely to maintain its authority. Conversely, if the content is outdated, irrelevant, or low-quality, it may harm the domain’s authority.
If you buy an expired domain and update it with fresh, high-quality content that aligns with the domain’s original purpose, you can increase the chance of keeping or even improving its domain authority.
Bad Domain History
When buying a domain, it’s important to check its history to ensure that it has not been associated with spam, malware, or phishing schemes in the past. If a domain has constantly switched its niche or language and has been used for redirects, these are considered negative signs.
In contrast, domains with a history of ethical and SEO-friendly practices are more likely to retain their domain authority.
To learn more about why your DA may have dropped, read this article: https://quirk.biz/why-my-domain-authority-dropped/
Conclusion
We’ve explored the key factors that influence whether an expired domain can keep its authority.
The truth is, there’s no guarantee it will. It all depends on the quality of backlinks, content relevance, and the domain’s SEO history. Expired domains can be valuable, but they need careful attention to regain their SEO strength.
